Pan-fried Mushroom Arracinnis with Basil Aioli

Arracinnis, as a rule, is generally made with left over risotto, a mushy Italian rice preparation, which is enriched with butter and parmesan cheese.

There's good news if you want to spend more quality time with your sweetheart on Valentine's Day; you can make this dish in advance as it can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Serves 4

~Ingredients

For the risotto
30 gm butter
30 gm onions, finely chopped
200 gm arborio rice (unpolished rice, high in starch content, available at any departmental store). If unavailable, you could also get use the larger-size, white parboiled rice.
60 ml white wine
200 ml vegetable stock
20 gm parmesan cheese

For mushroom mixture

30 ml olive oil
30 gm onions, finely chopped
20 gm garlic, finely chopped
200 gm button mushrooms, roughly chopped
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme (from the same family ajwain or carom seeds)
5 gm fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt as required
60 gm mozzarella cheese (cut into 1 cm cubes)

For the basil aioli

30 gm fresh basil (sweet tulsi)
10 gm garlic
100 gm prepared mayonnaise

~Method

Mushroom mixture

Heat the olive oil in a thick bottomed saucepan.

Saute the onions and garlic till they are golden brown.

Add the chopped mushrooms and the salt and saute.

Add the fresh thyme and cook till all the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove from heat.

Rissotto

Heat the butter in a thick bottomed saucepan.

Saute the finely chopped onions and garlic till the onions turn translucent.

Add the rice and saute till it becomes translucent.

Add the white wine and cook till the wine is absorbed.

Add enough vegetable stock (boil any vegetable and use the water or even leftover water from cooking rice) and reduce the heat.

Using a wooden spoon, continuously stir the rice till the stock is absorbed.

Add the remaining stock and continue cooking the rice till all of it is absorbed (the mixture will form one sticky mass and the rice feels underdone when bitten into).

Mix in the prepared mushroom mixture.

At this stage take the mixture off the heat and transfer it onto a tray to cool down.

Basil aioli

Place the basil and the garlic in a mortar and crush it to form a coarse paste with some olive oil and salt.

Mix the basil garlic mixture with the mayonnaise.

To assemble

Divide the mushroom-rice mixture into 10-12 lemon-sized balls.

Flatten each ball in the center and place a cube of mozzarella cheese in it.

Close in the sides of the ball to conceal the mozzarella within.

Flatten the ball lightly to form a round patty.

Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium heat and fry the patties till they turn golden brown.

Serve hot with the basil aioli.