Pumpkin and Feta Arancini Balls

I've always loved Arancini balls, but this is the first time I've ever made them. It was more work than I expected, but it was definitely worth it!

INGREDIENTS:

250g butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed into 1cm pieces
3 cups of chicken stock
1 small brown onion, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
100g feta, crumbled
2 tbs finely shredded sage
1/2 cup plain flour
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup dried (packaged) breadcrumbs

METHOD:

Place the pumpkin on a baking paper covered oven tray and drizzle with some oil. Place into oven on 180°C until tender (Approx. 20mins).

Once it's done bring it out and allow to cool.
Place the stock into a saucepan, bring to boil and then allow it to simmer. Put some oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until tender. Add the rice and stir until the rice appears glassy. Add the wine and stir until completely absorbed.
I don't know anything about wine, but I used one I've heard tastes fantastic and a colleague of mine makes! I've given this away as presents before and have always heard amazing things!

Pimpernel Vineyards.

Once the wine has been absorbed add a ladle of stock, stir in until absorbed and repeat until all stock is used. 

The rice should now be nice and creamy. Set aside risotto mixture to cool.

Once the rice is completely cooled add the pumpkin, feta and sage and mix.

Set up a work station with the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in separate bowls.

It took all my will power not to just eat the risotto..

 Take some of the risotto and roll into a ball in your hands. 

 Coat in flour.

 Cover in egg.

Roll in breadcrumbs until completely covered.

Repeat with all the mixture, place onto a tray covered in baking paper and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat some oil in a pan and place the risotto balls in, turning to evenly cook each side. If you have a deep fryer you can use go ahead, I don't know how to use the one at home and mum wasn't there to ask!
Once cooked, eat!

Yum!

The pumpkin and feta arancini balls can be eaten with salad or on their own. Either way, it's a very tasty snack/meal!

Have a go at cooking some yourself. You could even put in some different ingredients!

Happy Cooking!

Naé Danielle..

Gouda Cookies

I came across this recipe and thought I like cheese and cookies.. why not give this a shot?
I ended up with a tasty cookie that my family loved!

INGREDIENTS:

1 2/3 cups of grated Gouda cheese.
1 cup of flour
3 1/2 tbsp of baking powder
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of nutmeg

METHOD:

Prepare all the ingredients to start off with. The oven should be set at 200°C.
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until all the ingredients are combined. The mixture will be very crumbly (and messy!), so make sure you're prepared.

This is how crumbly the mixture is!

Once you take it out of the blender, press it together into a flat circle, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

To be honest, I'm not sure what putting it in the fridge actually did, because once I took it out, my mixture still looked like this

In any case I kept cooking! Spread some flour on a board and place your 'disc' on top. Roll out the mixture thinly and use a cookie cutter until all the mixture is used up. I found that a rolling pin was no help with my mixture, so I used my hands instead.

I made my cookies way too thick! I didn't realise how much they would rise in the oven!

Place onto a tray lined with baking paper and place in oven. In about 10 minutes the cookies should turn slightly golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.
Serve with grapes, cream cheese, or anything that goes with cheese cookies!

Have a go at making these cookies yourself! Have you got any ideas for making this recipe easier to manage? Maybe some form of liquid?


Happy Cooking!


Naé Danielle..