These “little oranges” originated as a street food in Sicily and are now popular throughout Italy. Typically, they are stuffed with a dollop of ragu or ham in béchamel, peas, or mozzarella.  In this version they are given the Cinderella treatment.  The rice is blended with truffled goat cheese before being fried until golden.  

Palak paneer is a classic Indian dish, often found in northern regions; however, love for this dish reigns throughout the country. Palak paneer has been a staple dinner in countless Indian homes for centuries. It has more recently been adopted by Indian restaurants globally. This vibrant green dish is typically made as paneer cooked in a spicy spinach gravy enriched with heavy cream. Although Palak Risotto is a modern take on this age-old dish, it is still reminiscent of the comfort and reminder of home many find in the original dish. Instead of cooking paneer in spinach gravy, the Campanini Arborio Rice simmers in a spinach vegetable broth with traditional Indian spices. The spinach adds a silky quality to the dish, and the cream mellows the aromatics, allowing each bite to melt in your mouth.

Paneer Makhani, a strikingly bright buttery dish, is made with an aromatic tomato sauce, paneer, and butter. The word “makhani” means enriched with butter; it adds a deep flavor to the recipe. Paneer Makhani became popular in the 1950s in Northern India. Since then, more often than not, you will find Makhani as Butter Paneer at Indian Restaurants. For me, Paneer Makhani is a meal for special occasions. This dish is tied to spending time with my family and celebrating Indian holidays. Makhani Risotto is a spin on the original recipe. It’s made with Vialone Nano Campanini Rice and cooked in an aromatic tomato gravy with spices like garam masala and turmeric. Transforming this recipe into a fusion Risotto-style meal for any weeknight offers a way to commemorate the original dish while bringing feelings of home and family Paneer Makhani represents to everyday dinners.

In some neighborhoods this is called grain pie. We are using pasta frolla made with butter for the crust. Some people use lard and bake it in a 10” springform. The dough is crumbly and tender, easy to make and foolproof to work with. If you tear it, just pinch the edges together. This pie is traditionally served at Easter. It is loaded with symbols of renewal, the grains of wheat, eggs and fresh ricotta. Orange and cinnamon are traditional flavors. Sometimes people use orange flower water, some add candied orange peel. We use orange zest.

Rice pudding is a comfort food that is shared around the world. We are offering two versions; one reminiscent of North Africa or the Middle East with spices and Spanish saffron and another topped with Argentine dulce de leche.

Here is an old and comforting dish of rice and lentils topped with crispy fried onions.  Usually, you start the lentils then add the white rice after 15-20 minutes.  Brown rice is a nutritious whole grain with the bran and germ intact.  It takes longer to cook than polished white rice, so we are starting the rice and lentils together.  The spice blend (to which we are tempted to add a ¼ teaspoon of cardamom) is inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Yogurt with chopped sweet herbs like parsley, mint and tarragon stirred through makes a great topping.

Black rice, pumpkin and wild mushrooms; ingredients for an enchanted risotto to serve on Halloween.

Originally from Valencia.  It is a generous and varied dish full of choice morsels, but the real star is the saffron rice.

The combination of extra virgin olive oil scented with the essential oil of organic Sicilian lemon and cardamom is hauntingly elusive. Carnaroli rice is much appreciated in Italy for rice salads and other dishes that require that the grains be well separated.

Venere Nero is a hybrid of Imperial Black Rice and an Italian varietal, harvested from the traditional rice-growing areas of the Po
River Valley. This rice is a whole, unprocessed and nutritious grain. This salad is simple to prepare, fresh-tasting and gorgeous in the
bowl. Recipe created by Chef Natalie Maxwell.