Extract Taken from a Table in Venice by Skye Mcalpine. Photography by Skye Mcalpine Lo Spritz

COURGETTE PIZZETTE DEEP-FRIED RISOTTO AND MOZZARELLA BALLS Pizzette di Zucchine Arancini Pizzette with a buttery puff pastry base are a ‘thing’ in Venice, and they are Arancini are devised to make use of leftover risotto. But these bite-sized little beyond delicious. You will find pizzette with a dough base and ones made with balls of deep-fried rice, oozing with melted cheese, are such a joy to eat that you puff pastry on offer in most bars but I always prefer the puff pastry version. So will find yourself cooking up risotto solely to provide an excuse for making them. although this recipe is wonderfully easy to make, you needn’t think of it as a They work particularly well with the Lemon Risotto on page 131. cheat’s pizza – unless, of course, you count cooking with ready-rolled puff pastry If you want to make them ahead of time, you can deep-fry the whole batch and as cheating. store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. When you I have topped these with grilled courgette and fresh thyme, but baby artichokes, are ready to eat them, take them out of the fridge, bring to room temperature and blue cheese, black olives and anchovies are all equally scrumptious alternatives – serve as is or, better still, bake in a moderate oven for 10–15 minutes so they are or leave them plain like a margherita. warm and melted at the centre. Makes 8–10 Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Heat a griddle pan. Arrange Makes 15 Mix the egg into the cold risotto with your hands so that the the courgette slices on it and cook over a medium-high heat for rice forms a paste. Then set up your production line. Put the 1 small courgette, cut into 1 large egg about 3 minutes, until chargrilled and blistered on both sides. mozzarella on a plate. Lightly beat the egg white in a small rounds 3–5mm thick 600g cold leftover risotto Season with a little salt. Remove from the griddle and set aside. bowl. Put the flour on a small baking tray or plate and the Spritz Lo 320g ready-rolled puff (see pages 131–142) breadcrumbs on a second tray or in a dish. pastry sheet Lay out the puff pastry on a work surface and use a pastry 80g mozzarella, cut into See page 169 400g tin of peeled plum cutter to cut out 7–8cm rounds (roughly the size of the base 15 cubes Scoop a little of the rice mixture (about the size of a golf ball) tomatoes, drained, of the tomato tin, if you don’t have a cutter the right size). 1 large egg white into the palm of your hand. Use your fingers to make a hollow in 170 171 chopped, then drained Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, 100g plain flour the middle and fill it with a piece of mozzarella. Mould the rice again leaving plenty of space between each one. Using a sharp knife, 70g dried breadcrumbs around the cheese so that you have a sealed ball. Dip the ball into See page 173 25g mozzarella, chopped score a circle on each pastry round to make a 1cm border – be groundnut or sunflower oil the egg white, then the flour and finally the breadcrumbs, rolling 50g pecorino, grated careful not to cut right through. Bake for 10–15 minutes, until Lo Spritz Lo for deep-frying it around in the crumbs so that it is well coated. Toss it gently a small bunch of thyme lightly golden. sea salt in the palm of your hand to dust off any excess breadcrumbs. sea salt Set aside and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Remove the pizzette bases from the oven and gently push down the pastry if it has puffed up at the centre – you need to create Fill a large, deep, heavy-based saucepan about a third full with a hollow. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of drained tomatoes into oil. Place it over a medium heat and heat to 170–180°C. If you the hollow of each one. Combine the mozzarella and pecorino don’t have a thermometer, test the temperature by dropping in a bowl, then put a generous spoonful on the tomato, so that in a small cube of bread; it should sizzle and turn golden in it is almost completely hidden under a snow-white layer of 30 seconds. If it browns more quickly, lower the heat a little. cheese. Top with a couple of slices of grilled zucchine and a few Working in batches, lower the arancini into the pan, taking care thyme leaves. not to overcrowd it. Fry for about 4 minutes, until they are golden Return the pizzette to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until brown all over. Lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and the cheese is melted and golden. They are best eaten straight drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm. from the oven but will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container – all you need to do is reheat them before serving. Extract taken from A Table in Venice by Skye McAlpine. Photography by Skye McAlpine Deep-fried Risotto and Mozzarella Balls (page 171) 173 Lo Spritz Lo.

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