So, I won this contest a couple of months ago, and in an effort to never come down from the high that it put me on, I continue to bore people with the details of the prize. Plus, it gives me another excuse to run this AP photo of me, Mario and Rachael at the tailgate party.
I submitted a recipe to Mario Batali's Ultimate Grilling Challenge, and I won. The prize was a trip to Texas to hang out with Mario and Rachael Ray at a NASCAR race. There were two main food-related events while we were there. The first was Saturday night, and it was a cocktail party with hors d'oeuvres from four chefs, and the second was a tailgate party on Sunday, which was a menu by Mario, plus my dish. (Shameless plug alert: here is a link to the recipe, and here is a link to the contest video.)
I think I tried everything at each party, and everything was great. From the cocktail party, my favorite thing was Rachael's Bacon and Deviled Eggs, so I dug up that recipe to share. Let me just tell you, I love deviled eggs, and didn't think they could be improved. But that's just because I never thought to add bacon. Sheesh. These eggs were awesome. At the party, the food was set up in a clubhouse, and there was a pool deck, and after about four eggs, I had to walk out of the clubhouse, because I thought I might eat the whole tray. I got to tell Rachael that the next day. She seemed happy to hear that. It was kind of awesome to think that hearing that I liked her food made her happy. She seems to have done okay for herself prior to getting my approval. So that was a charge.
Isolating a favorite from the tailgate party is harder, because everything was awesome and the whole morning was overwhelming. There was a great panzanella, and the grilled portobellos were amazing. Since I gave a Mario recipe yesterday, I'll include the recipe for the arancini they served. That recipe comes from one of the contest's sponsors, Uncle Ben's. If you haven't had arancini, they are fried rice balls. They are traditionally made from leftover risotto, a concept that I am not familiar with (never any left over at my house). This recipe calls for Uncle Ben's rice, of course. It was very good at the party, but I wouldn't hesitate to use a starchier short-grain rice like arborio, carnaroli or valencia. They would hold together in a ball better. I was surprised the balls of converted rice held together as well as they did.
Enjoy!
Arancini With Salami and Pecorino
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion chopped into 1/8-inch dice
3 cups Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Instant Brown Rice (cooked)
1 cup pecorino, grated
2 eggs plus 2 eggs separated
3 ounces salami sliced paper thin, then cut into matchsticks
4 sprigs of mint
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Oil for deep frying
1. In a 4- to 6-quart saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until just smoking.
2. Add half the chopped red onion and cook until softened, about 7 to 9 minutes.
3. Add cooked rice and cook 2 minutes until all rice is warmed through.
4. Spread rice out to cool on a large cookie sheet, about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick.
5. When rice is cool, mix with pecorino, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, and the salami matchsticks and set aside.
6. Place flour, egg whites and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls and lightly beat egg whites.
7. To form arancini, place 3 tablespoons rice mixture in palm of hand and shape using both hands into a ball about golf ball size.
8. Repeat with remaining rice mixture until done. Roll each orb in flour, then egg whites, then breadcrumbs and refrigerate 1 hour, uncovered.
9. Heat oil in a tall-sided pan to 350 degrees.
10. Carefully place orbs into pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Place fried arancini on paper towels to drain. Serve either warm or at room temperature with sprigs of mint over top.
Bacon and Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
12 eggs (save the carton)
6 pieces thick-cut bacon
2 teaspoons smoked paprika, plus additional for garnish
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons pickle relish
3 tablespoons grated onion (about 1/2 small onion)
A few dashes hot sauce (more to taste)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Put the eggs in a saucepan, fill it halfway with cold water and set over high heat.
2. When the water boils, turn off the heat, cover pot and let sit 10 minutes. Cool and peel.
3. While the eggs are cooking, place a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Once cool, chop into small pieces.
4. Place the eggs on a cutting board and cut a quarter off the egg from the fat, rounded end to expose the yolk. Next, cut just a sliver off the pointed end so the egg is able to sit upright without rolling over.
5. Scoop out the yolks into a mixing bowl. Place the egg whites back into the carton, making sure the holes are pointing up so you can fill them.
6. Mash the yolks using a fork. Add in the chopped bacon, smoked paprika, mustard, relish, grated onion, hot sauce and mayo, and stir. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Spoon the egg mixture into a resealable plastic bag and squish the mixture into one of the bottom corners. Snip off a tip and squeeze out a bit of yolk mixture into each of the egg whites. Once all eggs are filled, dust them with a little of the smoked paprika.
Note: At the party, the eggs were also garnished with a slice of cherry tomato and a small piece of crispy bacon. Both of which were good ideas.
Recipe sources: Uncle Ben's, Rachael Ray. Photos: AP, G. Melfi.22
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Exactly 12 hours from now will be 2009. (It's already next year in Japan as you can see in this AP photo.) Are you ready? I'm always eager for the new year and not because the old year has been bad. I like new stuff. Can't wait to see what this year holds despite all those gloom and doom predictions. 
Pizzette With Gorgonzola, Tomato and Basil
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