Turnip Greens Pistou
Jason Smith and Matt White of ACES at Rock Bottom Ranch use this assertive sauce atop arancini—stuffed, breaded, fried rice balls—also made from food waste. Arancini hail from Sicily and are tradition...
This Arancini recipe was used at the Aspen Ideas Festival and Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) Farm to Table Dinners at Rock Bottom Ranch this summer. Recipe by Jason Smith and Matt White, ACES at Rock Bottom Ranch.
Ingredients
- Pork lard or vegetable oil, for frying
- 4 cups risotto, prepared separately and cooled
- 3 ounces Avalanche Cheese Company Cabra Blanca, cut into small pieces (or similar melting cheese like mozzarella)
- 2 cups flour
- 4 eggs, beaten with a few drops of water to thin
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- Turnip Greens Pistou (recipe link below)
- Hard cheese such as Avalanche Hand Bandaged Cheddar or Parmesan, for garnish
Preparation
Get the recipe for Turnip Greens Pistou
1. Add lard or oil to a sauce pot to cover to a depth of at least 2 inches. Heat the oil to 350º.
2. Roll the risotto into 1.5–2 ounce balls. Stuff Cabra Blanca into center of each ball.
3. Roll risotto balls in flour and shake off excess. Move to egg wash and roll to coat all sides. Move to bread crumbs and roll to coat all sides. Place on a baking tray and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
4. Working in small batches, add the risotto balls to the hot oil and cook until golden brown and heated through. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the risotto balls to paper towels to drain. Allow to cool 2 minutes before serving.
5. Place arancini on a serving platter, top with turnip greens pistou and grate hard cheese on top to serve.
About this recipe
The original recipe was created to utilize numerous food waste items:
· The risotto included leftover wine, Parmesan rinds, chicken stock and whey (from Avalanche Cheese Company).
· The chicken stock was prepared using chicken bones, necks and feet with vegetable peels and stems from other recipe preparations.
· The egg wash was made from “ugly” eggs with stains and blemishes and/or pullet eggs too small to market.
· The bread crumbs were made from day old, freshly made bread.
· Pork cracklings, created during the process of rendering pork fat, were added to the bread crumbs for the outer coating.
· Pork fat was ground and rendered to create the cooking oil.
· The rind from Cabra Blanca cheese, (a waste product from Rock Bottom Ranch’s cheese plates) was stuffed inside the arancini.
· The pistou was made from turnip greens leaves that were bug bitten and had cosmetic blemishes.
Related Stories & Recipes
