SRC October: Zesty Sicilian Rice Fritters

It's Reveal Day for the Secret Recipe Club Group A!  My favorite day of the month!

This month I had the pleasure to be assigned the blog Recipe Taster.  I was unfamiliar with Al's blog, but quickly fell in love with it.  Al presents food in a sophisticated and artistic way - every plate, I am mesmerized by the artistry and creativity that unfolds.  And not to mention my mouth just completely waters at every sight!

I was really craving something new and sweet, so when I saw these rice fritters, I knew I had found my match!  It's basically little balls of sweet and delicious rice pudding, deep fried, and drizzled with a delicious orange honey sauce.  Yeah, I had to work out extra hard after having quite a few of these babies! 

Ingredients:
Recipe adapted from Recipe Taster's blog

Fritters:

150g short grain rice, as for rice pudding
400g milk
150g cream
zest from 1 orange
zest from 1 lemon
3 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder 
Vegetable oil, for frying

Honey sauce:

6 tablespoons honey
juice of 1 orange
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer.  Stir in the orange zest, lemon zest, rice, and sugar.  Bring back to a simmer, stirring every now and then.  Cover with a lid and turn the flame to low.

Stir the rice pudding occasionally to be sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.  This will become particularly important toward the end of the cooking process when the pudding will become thicker. If the pudding becomes too dry before the rice is cooked, add extra milk.

The rice is cooked when the pudding looks quite dry and thick. Turn off the heat and let it come to room temperature, stirring it every now and then.

In a separate bowl beat the egg with a fork and mix in the cold rice pudding a little at a time, breaking all the clumps.

In a deep enough pot, bring 1inch of vegetable oil up to frying temperature (180C should suffice). When the oil is almost ready, stir the baking powder into the rice mix. Using two spoons scoop some of the rice batter and shape it into quenelles or little balls.

Fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. 

To make the sauce, combine the honey, orange juice, and cinnamon in a small saucepan under medium heat.  Stir until flavors meld together, about 3-5 minutes.

Drizzle sauce on top of fritters and dust with powdered sugar.  Enjoy!

Thanks Al for this sweet and tasty treat!

Want to join SRC?  Find out how, here!

Momma's Lasagna

I wish I had this long story about how my mother made awesome lasagna for us when we were growing up. But no, the name of this dish doesn't come from something my mother made for us. I mean, don't get me wrong, my mom made lasagna... but it was the kind you get in the freezer aisle and there's not much to that except putting it in the oven and letting it cook. No love there, but it fed us and I can't complain.

The real reason behind the name of this was that the whole time we were eating this last night, Andy kept saying... "Wow, this tastes just like my mom's lasagna." Had I ever had Andy's mother's lasagna? No. But I took it as a compliment and so I digress...


Ingredients:
Adapted from Cooking With Michelle's blog

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. mild italian sausage
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
4 cups sausage marinara
1 box of about 20 or so lasagna noodles, cooked
30 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, under high heat, cook the beef and sausage until browned. Season with salt and pepper, and if you're feeling extra frisky throw in some red pepper flakes to add the heat.

Add about 2 1/2 cups of marinara to the beef and mix well.

Add 3/4 cup of marinara to the bottom of a rectangular roasting pan. Layer about 4-5 of the cooked lasagna noodles over marinara. Spread 1/3 of the meat mixture on top of the noodles. Then top with 1/3 of the ricotta, 1/2 of the parmesan, and 1 cup of the mozzarella.

Repeat layering twice more. Top the remaining noodles with remaining 3/4 cup of marinara and extra mozzarella cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and preheat oven to 375. Bake until heated all the way through and cheese is bubbly, about an hour or so. Cut into sections and serve!


This was absolutely delicious. It made tons of lasagna and is a great comfort food for any occasion! Enjoy!