This dish has just a few ingredients and is perfect for summer barbecues or to take along to a get-together. Some years ago I recall going to a potluck brunch and tasting this Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. It was delicious and I immediately asked who made the dish! One of the women in attendance said she prepared the dish and that she found the recipe in Giada De Laurentiis new cookbook, Everyday Italian. As soon as I left the party I went straight to Barnes & Nobles and I got myself a copy of her book. I have been making it ever since.

It’s a perfect dish for entertaining because it’s great when served hot and just as delicious at room temperature.

Cook’s notes: When making this Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe I recommend cutting the broccoli stalks lengthwise into one inches pieces. Cut the larger stalks into halves or quarters to keep them delicate.

Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil and the freshest Parmigiano Reggianoano cheese you can find. I shave mine over the top of the hot pasta so that it melts just a bit. For those of you who wish to skip the pork, you can substitute spicy turkey sausage.

I hope you enjoy this Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe recipe and that your guests love it! Happy Summer!!

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Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients

• 2 cups of broccoli rabe approximately one big bunch, stalks trimmed and quartered crosswise 2 inches piece size
• 13 ounces or 376g dried orecchiette pasta or other small shaped pasta
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound spicy pork sausage casings removed
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crip-tender, about 1 minute. Strain the broccoli rabe with a slotted spoon or spatula, reserving all the cooking liquid. Place the broccoli rabe inside a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside. Cook the orecchiette in the same pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until the sausage is brown and juices form, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the broccoli rabe from the cold water, add to the skillet and toss to coat. Add the pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid, about 1/4 cup and stir to moisten. Stir the Parmesan cheese, salt to taste, and pepper into the pasta mixture. Transfer to pasta bowls and serve. Enjoy!

Your comments mean a lot to me. If you made any of my recipes or are considering making them, please leave a comment bellow. Please choose a star rating too. Thank you. Carla!

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Whether you are entertaining or heading to a party this New Year’s Eve, this Arancini di Riso is sure to be a hit with your guests. New Year’s is a time for celebration, parties and appetizers…lots of appetizers! I will be serving my Arancini di Riso with a platter of Italian antipasti. These are best served right out of the deep fryer, but are almost as good prepared in advance and oven heated prior to serving. The dish is extremely versatile and for this reason, it is commonly found at both elegant Italian restaurants and at Italian street fairs. 

This past summer I was lucky enough to attended Vinalia, a wine and food festival in Guardia Sanframondi, Italy. During the festival, I indulged in many different types of Arancini di Riso that were being sold in the main square in town.  Some were made with ground beef, peas and tomatoes and others were made with cheese. Each had a style and flavor of its own. Mothers and grandmothers prepare them at home and then sell them at food stands during the fairs to demonstrate their culinary powers and bring home a little extra income.

In Italy, Arancini di Riso is made with bread crumbs but I prefer panko to plain breadcrumbs because it makes the dish lighter and crunchier.  The point here is that once you get familiar with the basic recipe, there are many options if you want to get creative.

Use only arborio rice for this dish.

If the mixture is overly moist, you can add an extra tablespoon of panko.

Place a piece of fontina cheese between equal amounts of mixture and form them into balls.

Serve the Arancini with your favorite marinara sauce or try mine.

I would like to say a big thank you to all of you who have supported me in 2017. Thanks for all the follows, likes, and comments. Your support and encouragement make this blog worthwhile!

May your New Year be filled with success, health, prosperity and happiness!

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Arancini di Riso

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 12 balls

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 shallots
• 4 Tablespoons butter divided
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6 ounces fontina cheese cubed
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups japanese panko flour
• Oil for frying

Instructions

• In a saucepan hit up the chicken broth. Set aside and keep it on simmer.
• In another saucepan heat the butter, add the shallots and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice, cook stirring it for 1 minute. Add wine, stir and cook until absorbed. Add one ladle of broth at the time and cook stirring often, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more. Continue adding the broth until the rice is cooked, but still al dente, about 20 minutes.
• Take off heat. Add 2 Tbsp butter, the parmesan cheese and parsley. Taste the rice. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Let it cool and refrigerate. If the rice is chilled it will be easier to roll into balls.
• It's time to form the balls. Place some rice on the palm of your hand. Place a piece of the fontina cheese between equal amounts of mixture and form them into balls. Continue forming balls until all the rice mixture is used.
• Set 3 plates side by side. Beat 2 eggs in a plate to blend. Place flour in another onel. Place panko in another one.
• Roll the arancini balls in flour shaking off the excess. Then roll them in the beaten egg. Then roll them in the panko.
• Fry balls in 3 inch oil at 375 degrees for 4 1/2 minutes or until they are golden brown. Drain them on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Serve them plain, or with marinara sauce on the side.
• If you would like to serve them at a later time, just before serving, place them on a baking sheet and re-heat in the oven at 400 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes.
• Note: (If you are able to make the risotto the day before, this will work in your favor as it can be refrigerated and the balls will stick together much easier that way).
• Enjoy!

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I first started making Chicken Cutlets years ago when my daughter was still fairly young and in her chicken nuggets phase. I have to admit it, although I loved the convenience of just throwing some chicken nuggets in the toaster oven, I didn’t like how they tasted. Plus, I felt guilty feeding her stuff out of a box, so I decided it was time that I did something about it, after all, chicken cutlets are so easy to make.

Since I am Brazilian and that is not something I grew up eating, I had to figure out how to make them. After doing some research online I came across this recipe I found on food52, by Merrill Stubbs. She was trying to impress her fiancé who loved German food and wiener schnitzel was one of his favorite dishes. Well, I figured, if these Herbed Chicken Cutlets are good enough to please her fiancé, they will definitely be good enough for my picky daughter to eat. I had to give it a shot. Guess what, I made these Herbed Chicken Cutlets and they were an instant hit. My daughter not only loved them, but it became one of her favorite meals to have.

With time, I realized that the grown-ups loved this dish as well, perhaps because of the mixed herbs with parmesan cheese in it, or because they are so crunchy, delicious and you can have dinner on the table on a snap. Merrill Stubbs prefers panko to plain breadcrumbs on her chicken cutlets because of the extra crunch. I would have to agree with her on this one. That crunchy texture is SO GOOD!

When I make these Herbed Chicken Cutlets for my daughter and her friends, I serve them alongside some mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. Unfortunately for me, the green vegetable cannot compete with the Chicken Cutlets and mashed potatoes, so they always get pushed aside by the kids. Poor veggies. For myself, I just serve these Herbed Chicken Cutlets with some mixed greens and a glass of wine. Yum!

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Herbed Chicken Cutlets

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 26 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1 cup Japanese style panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp chopped assorted herbs parsley, thyme, rosemary
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to about 1/4 inch thick

Instructions

• In a wide shallow bowl or pie plate, stir together the panko, herbs, parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.
• In another bowl, crack the eggs, add a pinch of salt and pepper and lightly beat with a fork.
• In a third bowl, stir together the flour and a large pinch each of salt and pepper.
• Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over a medium-high flame. Add the butter. In the meantime, coat one of the chicken breasts with the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the breast in the egg mixture, and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing them lightly so that they adhere. Set on a plate and repeat with other chicken breast.
• When the butter just starts to turn brown, gently lay both of the chicken breasts in the pan, side by side. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and crispy. Gently turn the chicken over and cook for another couple of minutes, until both sides are evenly browned.
• Remove the chicken and let it drain on the paper-towel lined baking sheet for a minute or so.
• Serve immediately, ideally with mashed potatoes and something green.

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While there are many versions of this dish, as with most Italian cooking, using just a few fresh ingredients, prepared with love, produces the best results. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that you are dealing with raw beef, therefore I would recommend that before you serve this dish to anyone, to ask first about their dietary preferences.

Some of the fresh ingredients that go into this dish!

After slicing the beef, it is necessary to pound it until it is as thin as possible. Don’ worry if it doesn’t look perfect, the thinner it is the better it will marinate and the more delicate it will be on your palate. One trick I learned is to place the slices of beef in a folded piece of plastic wrap.

Once you have it fairly thin, then have some fun and give it one more good smack!

After you get a few pieces where you want them, arrange them on a plate and add some dressing. Top with the Arugula, Mushrooms, and Shaved Parmesan, garnish, and you are ready to serve. Enjoy with your favorite red wine!

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Beef Carpaccio

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef tenderloin
• 4 OZ fresh baby arugula washed and dried
• 8 white mushrooms cleaned and sliced very thinly
• 4 OZ- Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TSP Dijon mustard
• 2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice - about 1 lemon
• 1 pinch of sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place the beef tenderloin in the freezer and chill for 1 hour.
• Using a very sharp knife, cut the beef across into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
• Place the beef between two sheets of cling wrap film and pound lightly until thin enough, almost paper thin. Arrange the beef slices into the serving plates.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, the mustard and the sugar. Gradually whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour half of the dressing over the beef.
• Place a pile of arugula over the beef. Arrange the mushroom slices around it. Drizzle the arugula and the mushrooms with some of the dressing. Arrange the shaved parmesan cheese on top. Decorate the places with lemon slices and serve immediately.

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