Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (67 page)

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the remaining Parmigiano, oregano, basil, and parsley and mix thoroughly. Brush the tops of each chicken parm bite with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle some of the cheese-herb mixture over each. Bake the bites until uniformly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Occasionally on my daytime show I will cook for a Mystery Taster—a guest whose identity remains a secret through the first half of the show. While I play “twenty questions” with the MT, I prepare a snack or an appetizer, and I have to go for crowd-pleasers, since I have no idea about the likes or dislikes of my guest. If the guests at your next party are a bit of a mystery to
you
, try this. (P.S. The guest I made these for turned out to be Diane Sawyer, and she really liked them.) Add a green salad if you are serving these as an entrée.

MAKES 8 APPETIZERS OR SERVES 4 AS AN ENTRÉE, 2 POCKETS PER PERSON

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. When it melts, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the stock and milk. Season with salt and pepper, cook for a couple of minutes until thickened, then stir in the mustard. Remove from the heat.

Combine the chicken, scallions, peas, carrots, and dill in a mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over the mixture and stir to combine.

Grease a baking sheet lightly with butter. Dust your work surface lightly with flour and roll out one sheet of dough to the thickness of a nickel, and cut into quarters. Cut each quarter into 2 triangles. Transfer the triangles to the baking sheet and make 8 more triangles with the second sheet of dough. Divide the filling among the triangles on the baking sheet, leaving a little room at the edges to seal the pockets. Brush the edges with egg wash and place a second triangle on top; press the edges to seal or crimp with the tines of a fork. Brush the tops of the pockets with more egg wash and cut a small × in the top of each one to vent. Bake for 20 minutes, or until deeply golden and crisp. Serve hot.

I consider this the finest vegetarian starter in the book, and it is a perennial best seller in our green room when we make it for visitors appearing on my show. Once, for a friend observing Passover I made the shells out of matzo by breaking them into triangles and forming a pyramid around the filling and the samosas still passed muster. Thanks to Kara, a fine young chef in our show kitchen, for developing this recipe; I love these!

MAKES 16 SAMOSAS; SERVES 8

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and reserve in the same pot you cooked them in.

Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add the jalapeño, ginger, garlic, coriander, curry powder, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, and salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes more. Stir in the drained potatoes, tomato, and peas, and cook for another minute. Stir in enough of the stock to moisten the mixture, then remove it from the heat and let cool.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll the pie dough. Cut each dough round into 8 equal wedges, like a pizza. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the potato filling onto the middle of each wedge. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash and fold up, bringing the three points together over the filling, then pinching at the seams to form a small pyramid. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush the samosas with the egg wash. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

While the samosas bake, make the dipping sauce: Combine the mint, cilantro, jalapeño, sugar, salt, lime juice, 1 tablespoon water, and the EVOO in the bowl of a food processor. Grate the garlic and ginger directly into the bowl, then puree until smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

Serve the samosas hot out of the oven with the mint-cilantro dipping sauce.

The literal transaltion of these golden-brown rice balls is “little oranges”; a bit of orange zest in the bread crumbs makes this version extra special and also gives a wink and a nudge to the fruit they resemble.

MAKES 24 BALLS

Heat the stock in a small sauce pot over low heat. Once it is bubbling, turn off the heat and keep the stock warm on the stovetop.

Heat the EVOO in a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to toast the grains, then stir in the wine and cook until it is absorbed, a couple of minutes. Season the rice with salt and pepper. Add the warm stock to the rice a ladle or two at a time, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and stirring frequently. The risotto will cook in about 18 minutes total. Stir in the butter and half of the Parmigiano. Spread the risotto on a baking sheet to cool it quickly.

When the rice is cool enough to handle, grab a small amount and roll it into a 2-inch ball. Make a small indentation in the rice ball's center and insert a cube of mozzarella, then cover the hole up with more rice. Repeat until you've used up all of the risotto; you should have 24 cheese-filled balls.

Set up a breading station with 3 shallow bowls: one with the flour, one with the beaten eggs, and a third with the bread crumbs seasoned with the orange zest, nutmeg, and the remaining Parmigiano. Roll each risotto ball in the flour, then in the egg, then in the bread-crumb mixture. Reserve the coated balls on a rimmed baking sheet and place them in the refrigerator until you're ready to fry them.

For the dipping sauce: In a saucepan, heat the EVOO over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and their juices crushing the tomatoes with your hands, and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season the sauce with salt, then transfer to a blender and puree. Keep warm while you fry up the arancini.

In a large, heavy pan heat 1 inch of olive oil (not EVOO, which is too heavy for frying) over medium to medium-high heat. You'll know it's ready when bubbles run rapidly around a wooden spoon handle when you dip it in the oil. Fry the risotto balls, 5 at a time, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Serve hot garnished with the basil, and with the tomato sauce alongside for dipping.