New eats

After going to Italy and Sicily last year, it's been on my list to make my own arancini. 

Arancini are fried risotto balls, the exact specifics inside differ from region to region and whilst we were away, we had a lot with tomato sauce and peas in. 

I had a few friends due for dinner so decided this was the time to try them out. 

The night before I made pancetta risotto and left it to chill in the fridge overnight. Then before my guests arrived, I shaped the risotto into balls and coated with egg and breadcrumbs. 

I got the table ready - as arancini is essentially carbs fried in breadcrumbs, I served them with cured meats, pickles, olives and salad - and once my friends arrived, I fried the risotto balls in some oil. 

They're actually pretty simple and stress free to do - recommended - although I imagine the ragu ones would be harder! 

Also, in other food news, after a year of wanting to go, last week I finally went to Honey & Co. They recently won Best Newcomer at The Observer Food Awards. Since it had taken us so long to visit, we decided to go all out and have 3 courses. My friend and I shared the warm artichoke salad and chicken liver baklava (it was in a pistachio nest) for starters. For mains, we had the chicken in a flatbread thing (had a better name than that), and the hake fish cakes served with cous cous. The chicken was cooked in a sweet sauce and served with a pomegranate salad. And for dessert, we had the chestnut and pistachio cakes. 

It was all amazing - they also sell a vaiety of homemade jams, curds, biscuits, etc. Good for  Christmas presents!

All photos my own