Citrus Arancine With Pecorino Cheese Recipes

PASTA WITH PECORINO AND PEPPER

Steps:

• Place the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and crush them until you have a mixture of coarse and fine bits. (You can also grind them in a small food mill or coffee grinder.) Set aside.
• Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Ladle 1 cup of the pasta cooking water into a glass measuring cup and reserve it. Drain the pasta quickly in a colander and return the pasta to the pot with a lot of the pasta water still dripping.
• Working quickly, with the heat on very low, toss the pasta with 1/2 cup of the grated Pecorino, the crushed peppercorns, cream, butter, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt, tossing constantly. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved cooking water. Off the heat, toss in the remaining 1/2 cup Pecorino. Serve immediately with a big bowl of extra grated Pecorino for sprinkling.

CITRUS ARANCINE WITH PECORINO CHEESE

Steps:

• Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add rice, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and stir until rice starts to become translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine and cook until absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth and simmer, stirring often, until absorbed, about 3 minutes. Continue to add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until risotto is creamy and rice is tender, stirring often and allowing broth to be absorbed each time before adding more, about 25 minutes total.
• Remove risotto from heat. Mix in fennel pollen and all citrus peels. Season with pepper and more salt, if desired. Spread risotto out on large rimmed baking sheet and cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Place cheese in small bowl. Beat eggs and milk in medium bowl. Place panko in another medium bowl. Using wet hands, shape 1 heaping tablespoonful risotto into ball; enclose 1 cheese cube in rice. Dip rice ball into egg mixture, then into crumbs to coat. Place on clean rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining risotto, cheese, and coating. Cover with plastic wrap and chill on sheet at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Place large rimmed baking sheet in oven. Pour enough oil into heavy large saucepan to reach depth of 1 1/2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer to side of pan. Heat oil over medium-high heat to 340°F to 350°F. Add 4 to 5 arancine at a time; fry until golden brown and crisp, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 5 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet in oven to keep warm.
• Mound arancine on platter. Garnish with citrus wedges, if desired, and serve hot.
• A spice extracted from wild fennel plants; available at specialty foods stores and from zingermans.com.
• ** Available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets.

SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON, GARLIC AND PECORINO

Steps:

• Add the Pecorino-Romano pieces to a medium saucepan and cover with water (about 2 cups). Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the garlic cloves to a small saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat and strain. Add the garlic cloves back to the same saucepan and repeat the process 2 more times. (This will bring out the natural sweetness of the garlic.) Allow to cool to the touch, then carefully shave very thinly on a mandoline.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to very al dente according to the package directions.
• Meanwhile, add the butter to a large saute pan and turn the heat on medium-high. Once the butter begins to melt, add the garlic and chile flakes. Let the butter melt and the garlic to fully bloom in the butter, about 1 minute. Strain the cheese stock directly into the saute pan, then stir and allow to come to a simmer. Add the cooked pasta and lemon juice to the sauce and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Add the chopped parsley and toss to combine.
• Pour the pasta into a serving bowl and top with the arugula, then drizzle with olive oil and salt to taste. Top with the burrata. Gently open the burrata just a touch, then serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI WITH PECORINO ROMANO AND BLACK PEPPER

Steps:

• Toast peppercorns in a dry small skillet over moderately high heat, swirling skillet, until fragrant and peppercorns begin to jump, 2 to 3 minutes. Coarsely crush peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or wrap in a kitchen towel and press on peppercorns with bottom of a heavy skillet.
• Cook spaghetti in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
• Fill a large glass or ceramic bowl with some hot water to warm bowl. Just before spaghetti is finished cooking, drain bowl but do not dry.
• Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta quickly in a colander (do not shake off excess water) and add to warm pasta bowl. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cheese and 3 tablespoons cooking water evenly over spaghetti and toss quickly. If pasta seems dry, toss with some additional cooking water.
• Divide pasta among 4 plates, then sprinkle with pepper and 2 tablespoons cheese (total). Serve immediately with additional cheese on the side.

ROASTED PEARS WITH PECORINO CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Halve and peel the pears, and carefully remove the seeds and core.
• Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Arrange the pears, cut side down, in the skillet so they just touch one another. Sprinkle the sugar, over the pears and butter. Cook, tilting the pan back and forth gently from time to time, until the sugar dissolves and melts into a golden caramel, about 4 minutes. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan, and add the pod. Reduce the heat, add the brandy, and cook a few minutes more. Be aware that the brandy may ignite, but the flames will die down quickly.
• Carefully turn the pears over, and transfer to the oven. They should be deep golden brown. Roast until the pears are fork tender, about 10 minutes, depending on the ripeness and size of the pears. Serve with thick slices of pecorino and caramel sauce.

CRESCENTS WITH PECORINO ROMANO CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. To make the dough, place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together the egg yolks, water, brandy and wine. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until dough begins to come together. Press the dough together, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• To make the filling, place the cheese in a medium bowl and stir in the orange and lemon rinds, the nutmeg and brandy. Whip the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and whip until stiff. Stir half of the egg whites into the cheese mixture. Fold in the remaining whites. Set aside.
• Divide the dough in half. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a coin. With a 3-inch-round cookie cutter or glass, cut out as many rounds as possible. Brush the rim of each round with water and place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of each. Fold the dough around the filling to form a crescent and pinch the edges to seal them tight. Divide between 2 lightly floured baking sheets.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, rerolling the scraps if necessary to use up all the filling. Bake until the crescents turn a pale blond color, about 8 minutes. Let cool. Serve with a chilled dry white wine.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH PECORINO AND MINT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, whisking to ensure it doesn't burn, until light brown and nutty-smelling. Remove from heat.
• Toss cauliflower florets with the brown butter and salt until well combined. Transfer to a baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and toss hot cauliflower with red onion, Pecorino Romano cheese, and mint. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with more salt to taste.