Hello friends of the Hive realm. The new year begins and so does my two weeks off of work. I work in a vegan sushi restaurant that happens to also be one of the busiest restaurants in the city.
The month of December brought large groups getting together for Christmas and such. It felt hectic. I was happy that Christmas was over. I anticipated that the week up until New Year's eve would be very slow. It blew my mind that this week was as busy as in summer.
New year's eve was a marathon for me. I'm in the appetizer/ dessert station alone. I was given three other desserts for New year's eve. These require adding several items, toppings and sauces to each dish.
Now it's time for us to indulge and enjoy.
Warning! This is not health food!
I am sharing my version of Aranchini which is a popular Italian dish. This is usually stuffed with cheese and other things. I have stuffed these with an almond ricotta, served with a homemade, basic, but zesty and delicious tomato sauce. I decided to mix the mushrooms into the rice.
I have never made anything like this before so I kind of made it up as I went along.
An Italian cook would not approve of me calling this Aranchi, not just because I have veganized it, but for the fact that I'm not using arborio rice, and probably many other Aranchini crimes.
Just cut me some slack okay? I'm Canadian. I'm old and cold.
First I'm starting with the tomato sauce. This is the simplest thing to make. This is a basic sauce that can be used in different ways.
I don't use fresh tomatoes. They are just not good right now here in the frozen land of Canada. Good homegrown tomatoes are great if you are a gardener. I used canned tomatoes which have a much better taste then any fresh ones that I could use.
Sauce
790g tomatoes
680g pasata
160g onion
30g garlic
60g carrot
60g celery
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup wine optional
Saute onions, celery and carrots until onions are translucent. Add garlic, tomato paste, salt and pepper and bay leaves. Add wine if using.
Add tomatoes and pasata.
Cook until it becomes thicker. I like to simmer for at least an hour. I blended the sauce when it had cooled.
For the vegan ricotta I am using almonds.
The use of almonds for vegan creams, was brought to my attention by the lovely @marlyncabrera. This was a breakthrough for me. I always have used cashews for such things, but they are much more expensive here then almonds. Cashews are quicker to make smooth and creamy but almonds tend to be thicker. For a vegan ricotta this is perfect.
I know I know, another crime calling almonds "ricotta".
Although I can buy already blanched almonds, it is less costly and actually easy to do it yourself. To get rid of the skin fast I soak them in boiling water for a while, then cool off and squish the skin off. It's therapeutic.
I kept this ricotta quite simple with just the addition of a few things and some green onions that had to be used.
Vegan ricotta
2 cups almonds not already soaked
Juice of one lemon or a few teaspoons of cider vinegar
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 cup chopped green onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Water or milk to get make it creamy I used soy milk around a half cup
I find it impossible to process with only a food processor, so after this I finish it off with a blender adding a little soy milk at a time to get it creamy. It need to be seasoned again at the end.
As I mentioned, these would normally be made with risotto from arborio rice, however I am making use of some leftover patna rice that I had. Marc went shopping without me and came home with a gigantic bag of this rice for some weird reason. It must be used.
Aranchini
4 cups cooked rice
16 oz mushrooms
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup vegan ricotta
1 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon white pepper
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
160g pretzel crumb
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons vegan egg or just omit
2 cups soy milk
Oil for frying
At first I was going to stuff the balls with the mushrooms but felt like it would be too ambitious. I mixed the mushrooms into the rice, after cooking them.
Before cooking I chopped them and a few other ingredients.
I cooked the onions, then garlic and added the mushrooms and seasonings.
I used my butane camping stove instead of the regular electric stove.
This stove is actually better so I couldn't resist. I was nervous about the smoke alarm going off, but it did not.
With my non stick pan, I managed to cook it down perfectly eliminating all of the moisture.
I did not want extra moisture in it, when adding it to the rice.
After rolling into balls, I put a hole in it with my fingers. I kept a bowl of water to dip my fingers in. This kept the rice from sticking to my hands. I don't know what an Italian Nona would do, but it worked for me.
Now the part that really challenged me and I almost regretted it. Filling the hole with the vegan ricotta was not easy. I had to be careful when closing them.
I realized that a real Aranchini stuffed with mozzerella would not present this delicate problem. Plus when it would be cut open, the cheese would have been stretchy and hot. Oh well, I don't eat dairy.
This almond ricotta was only for flavour in the end.
You may wonder if I was trying to be pretentious with pretzel crumb, but the truth is, I didn't have any bread crumbs. I didn't want to buy bread crumbs, or bread to make into bread crumbs. The best solution was to open up a bag of pretzels that I had gotten and didn't touch. It totally solved the bread crumb problem.
I'm sure this is another Aranchini "no no".
I ground them up and added some garlic powder and pepper. I didn't add salt. As most of you know, pretzels are salty.
For the wet solution I used soy milk, and flour with a few spoons full of Just egg which is a plant based egg substitute made from mung beans. It's processed in a way that is most likely not healthy. I use it sparingly. I happen to have purchased a whole case of it through the company with my bosses' price.
After dipping each ball into the wet solution, I coated it with the crumbs.
After they were all coated I started to heat up the oil.
I don't deep fry very often so I felt a little nervous. Surprisingly I didn't have to put the heat as high on the butane stove as the electric stove.
When each ball was golden, I finished them in the oven to lessen the time spent in the oil. It was still a very guilty pleasure.
The tomato sauce was at the bottom and a dollop of the leftover almond ricotta on top. It had disappeared from the middle. I added a little store bought vegan pesto to the top. I couldn't find fresh basil to make my own. After New year's day things were more sparse in my favourite grocer.
I finally sprinkled with my quick go-to vegan parmesean. Ground almond, nutritional yeast, salt and citric acid. I always have some in my fridge.
To lesson the guilt of eating something deep fried, I had a big salad on the side.
This was very tasty. I have never had rice done like this before and if I had an air fryer I would make more of a habit of it.
I told Marc not to get used to it after he wildly approved.
Many people make a New year resolution to eat healthier foods. We did the opposite of the usual. We have never kept a resolution.
No resolutions for us!
I wish my Hive friends, old and new, a great day.
design by: @KidSisters
They look great! Approved by an italian woman ✔️🤣 thanks for sharing with us 😊
!discovery 20
Oh wow!!!! That makes my day! Thank you so much!!!😃
This post was shared and voted inside the discord by the curators team of discovery-it
Join our Community and follow our Curation Trail
Discovery-it is also a Witness, vote for us here
Delegate to us for passive income. Check our 80% fee-back Program
Thank you @discovery-it!
You've been curated by @amazingdrinks! Delegations welcome!
Thank you @amazingdrinks!
You've been curated by @plantpoweronhive! Delegations welcome!
Thank you @plantpoweronhive!
Thank you @mayvileros!
Join the foodie fun! We've given you a FOODIE boost. Come check it out at @foodiesunite for the latest community updates. Spread your gastronomic delights on and claim your tokens.
Thank you @foodiesunite!
I'm about to steal this no-no aranchini recipe, hehe. Loved it!
I totally with you about almonds being perfect as vegan ricotta. Delicious!
Not only I find your recipes amazing and your dishes beautifully presented, but I do have fun reading through your posts 🤭
Enjoy your two weeks off, my gorgeous friend. I hope you're having a good night's sleep right now! ❤️
This was a good way to use leftover rice but I'll way for a while before I get out the hot oil haha.
Thanks to you I am using almonds more often. It really is versatile.
I thank you for your praise and support my friend.😊❤️
Sending hugs!
Hello there Chef!
I am more than sure that vegan part of Italia would praise this dish 😍 pretzel crumbs approved here (will have to try out this version def.)
That is awesome to hear. Thank you for your support.😊
Ya me dió hambre!!😀😀 Podrías regalarme un poquito de ese plato que se ve riquísimo? No soy muy bien cocinero pero pude notar que no es difícil preparar esta comida y quería saber ¿Se puede preparar esa salsa de tomate para guardarla y usarla para otras comidas? Gracias
Gracias por el comentario.
Yo uso esta salsa para todo. Si hago mucha cantidad la meto en el congelador. Es muy fácil y tiene buen sabor.
Wow!!this fusion dish sounds incredible! Pretzel-crumbed Arancini with mushrooms and vegan ricotta brings together diverse flavors and textures for a unique culinary experience!
Thank you for your lovely comment.😊
Hi, intelligent hive chef, I always feel you are the best cook here in Hive Blockchain who makes real food. I admire you and your hard work making food that looks delicious. and healthy( this is the first time I saw you used oil). but once while it's ok. don't feel bad about that. I like your dish and would like to taste it also. but we have long distance. A hug :)
I always say, you give me too much credit. I think you and many other Hive chefs are amazing and inspiring. I learn much from you and the others.
I will hold back on the deep oil frying for a while but I have to admit, it is enjoyable in certain situations. Thank you for your support. Enjoy the warmth and sunshine for me. I am afraid to go outside right now haha. I look forward to seeing your garden items. You are so fortunate to have this.
Big hugs my friend!😊💚
thank you very much, I know many good cooks in the hive and I respect their cooking. But as I know you are the best one. dear friend., Sending you warm sunshine I heard from my Norwegian friends it is very bad weather in our district lots of snow, wind, and - 14 C alert for residents not to drive, and not to go out. I am glad we are here but little warm for day times. Nights are very pleasant. how weather conditions are there? Regards to your better half. and A Hug to you.
!WOC
Amazing work on Woc, @carolynstahl! kairke(8/8) is impressed by the energy and effort you've put into this post. Your contributions are truly appreciated.
We are so impressed by your content! As a token of appreciation, @kairke has sent you 0.3 WGOLD. Keep shining!
BTW! WGOLD is the token of the War of Clans ecosystem, you can use it to have discounts in all our games or stake it and earn rewards now!
Really beautiful, besides looking delicious and the most pleasant and enjoyable way to present a recipe that I had read. It has been a pleasure to come here!
I am very thankful for your lovely comment. Thank you!!!!😊
Excelente comida, elaborada por una persona como usted mi amiga @carolynstahl que sabe de cocinar exquisitamente. Desde Venezuela te digo con mucho cariño Feliz navidad mi amiga y un exitoso año 2024.
Thank you my friend. I wish you and your family the very best in the New Year😊
Likewise dear friend @carolynstahl I wish you much success from the city of Cumaná, capital of Sucre state in Venezuela and a very happy year 2024 in Hive and in your personal life, as well as for your family.
Hello! It looks very tasty. I have never seen such an interesting use for mendal. It would never even have occurred to me that it could be mixed with rice. And the breading gives a very appetizing crust. I almost started drooling :)
Your recipe made me think of a very old recipe. Which my mother prepared for me a long time ago. These are buckwheat cutlets. They just looked about the same. At first I even thought it was them.
Aw thank you! I know it's not as healthy as your food. I was bad haha. It tasted good though.
I think your recipes are both healthy and delicious. And the combination of ingredients gives birth to my consciousness. :) You have talent. I'll keep an eye on you. And get ideas.
Haha I love your winning compliment. I appreciate this very much my friend.
I did my best :)
Se ven deliciosos, vale la pena replicar esa receta, gracias por compartirla con nosotros ☺️
Congratulations @carolynstahl! Your post has been a top performer on the Hive blockchain and you have been rewarded with this rare badge
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCheck out our last posts:
That's amazing. Much appreciated @hivebuzz!
Awesome work @carolynstahl. Have a nice day 😊👍