LSU Spiked Blueberry Lemonade

Whether they’re geaux-ing for the Tigers or not, all your College Football Playoff guests will be a fan of this easy purple and gold-inspired party cocktail made with fresh lemon juice, blueberries, and vodka.

Want to make it family-friendly? Skip the vodka and let everyone enjoy this festive purple lemonade

To get this bright purple color, I used a dash of violet gel food coloring, but feel free to skip it if you'd prefer. The blueberries still impart a gorgeous purple shade to this refreshing grown-up lemonade.

Click here for more College Football Playoff recipes and party ideas.

LSU Spiked Blueberry Lemonade
Serves 8

Ingredients
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup granulated sugar
6 cups water
1 1/2 cups vodka
1/4 teaspoon violet gel food coloring (optional, but enhances the purple shade of the drink!)
Ice
Garnish: fresh blueberries, lemon slices, lemon rind twists

Directions
Combine lemon juice, blueberries, sugar, and 1 cup water in a blender and puree until smooth and sugar is dissolved—about 2 minutes. Use a mesh sieve to strain into a large pitcher or punch bowl. Discard any seeds and solids caught in the pitcher. Stir in the remaining 5 cups water, vodka, and food coloring (if using). Chill until serving time.

Torrijas (Spanish Style French Toast with Anise Syrup)

I absolutely freaked out the first time I tried torrijas. A coworker had given my mom a tray of the syrup-soaked French toasts as a gift one year, and she brought it home for us all to share. Impatient as ever, took my first bite straight from the platter, and found that the flavors of almond and anise and honey were so intensely and perfectly matched with every sweet thing I’ve ever loved that I felt an instant sadness knowing the bite could not last forever.

I immediately demanded that my mom teach me how to make them, but not being much of a dessert maker, she sort of just handed me a Puerto Rican cookbook and encouraged me to figure it out myself. I did, and now you can, too.

Unlike the type of French toast typically made for breakfast, torrijas are a sweeter dish meant to be enjoyed as dessert and can be eaten both hot out of the pan or cooled to room temperature.

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Loved this recipe? Here are three other Latino holiday recipes you might like:

• Coquito: Puerto Rican Coconut Eggnog
• Polvorones (Puerto Rican Almond Shortbread Cookies)
• Rosca de Reyes (King Cake)

And let's connect so you can find out the next time I post! Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates.

Thanks so much for reading

Torrijas (Spanish Style French Toast with Anise Syrup)

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 thick, stale French or Italian-style baguette

For the syrup
1 ½ cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup honey
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cinnamon sticks
¼ teaspoon anise extract
½ teaspoon almond extract

For the batter:
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups whole milk

4 tablespoons butter
Flaky sea salt, for garnish

Directions
Slice the baguette on the bias into 1” thick slices.

Make the syrup: combine the water, sugar, honey, orange zest, salt, and cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil 1 minute. Lower heat and let simmer 7-10 minutes, or until reduced into a thin syrup. Remove from heat and stir in extracts.

Whisk together eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Dip the bread in the batter and let soak about 30 seconds to 1 minute (do not let the bread get too soggy).

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet and fry the battered bread in batches about 3 minutes per side or until golden. Repeat with the rest of the bread, adding more butter as needed.

Place the torrijas on a slightly concave or rimmed serving platter and cover fully with the syrup. Let soak at least 20 minutes before serving. Best served warm or room temperature.   I also like to finish it off with a bit of flaky sea salt.

Throw the Ultimate ESPN College Football party for The Playoff!

You rooted all season and now it’s time for the big finale!

If you’re a Buckeye, a Sooner, a Clemson Tiger or an LSU Tiger you’re probably already planning on tuning in, but whether or not your team made it to the College Football Playoff this year, you can ALL enjoy delicious food and drinks with your family, friends, and fellow college football fans. Get together for a day of back-to-back semifinal games live on ESPN on Saturday, December 28th and find out which teams will be facing off in The National Championship game next month!

Here are a few College Football Playoff party ideas you can create at home (or even contribute to a friend’s bash!):

Create a DIY “Drink the Competition” Punch Bowl Bar
We know the four teams that will be battling it out in the semifinal games, but you can also host your own bowl—a punch bowl!-- at home with colorful College Football Playoff themed cocktails.

These bowl rules are up to you! Tell your guests to pick their favorite team’s drink or let them opt to “drink the competition.” Make the drinks and garnishes ahead of time and serve DIY style in punch bowls or pitchers so that nobody has to miss any of the action on the screen.

In this year’s College Football Playoff only on ESPN, Oklahoma will face LSU in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and Ohio State will play Clemson in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. Serve your own favorite team-inspired drinks, or get inspired by the festive CFP cocktails I’ve created below:


OKLAHOMA

With star QB transfer Jalen Hurts leading the way now wearing Crimson for the Sooners, I knew we needed a star element--like homemade rum-soaked cherries--in this deep crimson party punch celebrating Oklahoma. You can make the cherries a day or two in advance, but wait until gameday to mix up the rest of the cocktail. You’ll go from the #4 ranked underdog to gameday champ with this one!

Cherry Sooner Spritz
Serves 8


Ingredients
For the rum-soaked cherries:
1 cup dark rum
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 cups fresh or frozen & thawed cherries, stems and pits removed

For the cocktail:
4 cups sweetened pomegranate or cranberry juice
2 cups dark rum
1/2 cup lime juice
2 cups cherry seltzer
Ice

Directions
Make the cherries: in a small saucepan, combine rum, water, and sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add the cherries, and let soak at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Make the drink: Combine pomegranate or cranberry juice, dark rum, lime juice, and seltzer in a punch bowl or pitcher. Add ice and half the soaked cherries. Serve additional cherries on the side for garnishing.

LSU

Whether your guests are “geaux-ing” for the top-ranked Tigers or not, everyone will be a fan of this easy purple and gold-inspired party cocktail.

Never made homemade blueberry lemonade before? Well it’s the perfect time to try something new in honor of LSU’s first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff and Joe Burrow becoming the first LSU QB to win the Heisman Trophy! (Promise this will take way less time and work than those impressive feats!)

TIP: If you want to offer up a family friendly drink, skip the vodka and let everyone enjoy this festive purple lemonade

LSU Spiked Blueberry Lemonade
Serves 8

Ingredients
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup granulated sugar
6 cups water
1 1/2 cups vodka
1/4 teaspoon violet gel food coloring (optional, but enhances the purple shade of the drink!)
Ice
Garnish: fresh blueberries, lemon slices, lemon rind twists

Directions
Combine lemon juice, blueberries, sugar, and 1 cup water in a blender and puree until smooth and sugar is dissolved—about 2 minutes. Use a mesh sieve to strain into a large pitcher or punch bowl. Discard any seeds and solids caught in the pitcher. Stir in the remaining 5 cups water, vodka, and food coloring (if using). Chill until serving time.

Serve drinks over ice and garnish with blueberries, lemon slices, and/or lemon twists.

CLEMSON

The Tigers are going for back-to-back titles for the first time in the CFP era and your guests are also sure to go back for seconds of this winning drink!

If you can’t find blood orange juice for this easy margarita recipe, you can substitute regular orange juice and just add a “Dabo” of red food coloring or grenadine to get that perfect shade of Clemson orange.

Make the purple salt for this easy margarita in advance of game day, then garnish just before serving.

Clemson Blood Orange Margaritas
Serves 8

Ingredients
For the purple salt
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon violet gel food coloring

For the margaritas
2 cups blood orange juice (fresh or bottled)
1 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups gold tequila
1/4 cup orange liqueur (such as triple sec or cointreau)

Ice for serving

Directions
Combine salt and gel food coloring in a zipped plastic baggie. Close the baggie, then use your hands to massage the food color into the salt until it is evenly distributed and the salt is purple. (Can be made in advance. Store in a sealed container in a cool dry place. Will keep indefinitely.)

Make the margaritas. In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine blood orange juice, lime juice, tequila, and orange liqueur. Chill.

To serve, rub outside of cup or glass with lemon wedge or water and dip into the purple salt. Fill cup with ice and pour in margarita.

OHIO STATE

Dominate your game day party like Chase Young and the Buckeyes have dominated all season with this undefeated cocktail! (Just please don’t tackle your guests!).

Maple syrup adds a smoky sweetness to this bright scarlet cocktail that pairs perfectly with the also very-necessary peanut butter buckeyes.

O-H!!! I-O!!!

Maple Cranberry Buckeye Sippers
Serves 8

Ingredients
4 cups cranberry juice
2 cups cranberry vodka
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups seltzer

Directions
Combine cranberry juice, lemon juice, and maple syrup in a blender and puree 2 minutes, or until maple syrup is fully incorporated into the juice. Pour into a pitcher with the vodka and seltzer. Serve over ice garnished with cranberries (and peanut butter buckeyes on the side!).

Build an Epic College Football Playoff Party Grazing Table

After years of bowl games where champions were decided by pollsters, the College Football Playoff finally allows for the National Champion to be crowned on the field! What could be better than getting together with friends to watch the 4 best teams battle it out for the right to play in the National Championship game in New Orleans on January 13th? With a marathon of 2 heavyweight games back-to-back on ESPN, The College Football Playoff deserves an EPIC party spread!

Swap the usual game day buffet for this EPIC grazing table featuring everyone’s favorite tailgate snacks.

Grazing tables have been a hot party trend on Pinterest all year and are perfect for a full day of casual gameday eating. Unlike with a regular party buffet, grazing tables call for two things--abundance and organized chaos! Let food overflow out of bowls and tumble over each other, and mix and match your savory and sweet snacks. They’re easy for entertaining because you can combine a few of your favorite homemade dishes with easy store-bought items like chips, dips, charcuterie, and sweets. This large and impressive spread is an ideal way to keep everyone fed and happy throughout the entire exciting day!

Follow these tips to create your own College Football Playoff grazing table:

Pick a Spot Near the Action
Choose a spot in the room where you’ll be watching the games. Grazing tables are designed for guests to linger over so it’s important to keep it where you want the crowd congregating—with a view of the TV tuned to ESPN! Use a sideboard, move the dining table into the living room, or even take over the coffee table for easy access all day.

Set the Table

A faux grass runner gives the table a fun, sporty feel (or swap in a dark green tablecloth as your “field”). Then top it with a variety of bowls, wooden boards, and serving platters in all shapes and sizes. A chafing dish or two is great for keeping foods like wings or meatballs hot throughout the party.

Add Team Colors
Cocktail napkins, paper plates, and paper straws in team color combinations help bring the theme to life. Rep your favorite team, or make everyone feel welcome with something for each of the teams on the field.

Add Color with Food, too!

I love to pick snacks that match the teams. For this year’s lineup, I added sweet and savory treats in shades of yellow and purple for LSU, orange and purple for Clemson, crimson for Oklahoma, and (of course!) plenty of homemade peanut butter buckeys for Ohio State.

The supermarket is already a rainbow—think about the colors you’re working with and add items to match: berries, bell peppers, rainbow carrots, grapes, cheese crackers, wrapped candies, and fruity bars and pies are just a few easy and creative ways you can celebrate your favorite college teams.

Football Faves

Think beyond the usual charcuterie board standbys and add in fun snacks like pizza bites, soft pretzels, pigs in a blanket, mini egg rolls, and more.

I like to include at least one substantial dish like pulled pork or a glazed spiral ham alongside a pile of slider rolls, and plenty of condiments for guests to DIY their own mini sandwiches.

Start Plating

Start plating food a couple hours before the party by adding the items that keep the longest or require zero prep—bowls of chips, crackers, candy and wrapped sweets, etc. As it gets closer to party time, you can fill in with fresh fruit and crudité, cheese, dips. Wait to add hot prepared foods (or items that are best served cold) until just before the first guest arrives.

Keep it Fresh

Use damp paper towels over fresh fruit, cheese, and veggies to keep them from drying out while building your grazing table. Remove them just before the guests arrive.

Refill as Needed
The beauty of the grazing table is that guests can help themselves while you get to watch the game and enjoy the party, but if you’d like, you can keep extra dips, crackers, cut-up veggies and other refills prepped and ready in the fridge to refresh the table during commercial breaks.

And there you have it! The ideal combo of drinks and food to keep you fed and festive all gameday long.

For more easy gameday party recipes and entertaining ideas, check out my Ultimate College Football Playoff Party board on Pinterest. And visit ESPN.com for all the College Football Playoff news and highlights.

This post is sponsored by ESPN in collaboration with Pinterest. Thank you for supporting the partners who make it possible for me to keep bringing you more great recipes and party ideas!

Sparkling Rosemary Pear Punch

Punch is a festive and effortless way to serve drinks to a crowd when entertaining. It lets guests serve themselves so you can relax and enjoy the party without worrying about making sure everyone’s glass is full.

This Sparkling Rosemary Pear Punch is perfect for New Year’s because it looks and feels fancy, but really only takes about 5 minutes to make. The rosemary syrup only takes 3 minutes on the stove to make, then just mix with a few store-bought ingredients, add ice, and serve!

This wintery punch is so delicious it works as a fun party drink as-is, but you can kick it up a notch by adding a festive punch bowl ice ring. To make, just fill a bundt cake pan with water and add handfuls of cranberries lemon slices or fresh herbs.

Sparkling Rosemary Pear Punch
Serves 16

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 small bunch fresh rosemary
4 cups pear juice, nectar or cider, chilled
4 cups pear vodka
1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 liter club soda, chilled

For garnish:
2 lemons, sliced
2 pears, sliced
Fresh rosemary sprigs

Directions
Make rosemary syrup: In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, and fresh rosemary on medium heat. Let simmer about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Remove rosemary sprigs.

Make punch by combining rosemary syrup, pear juice, pear vodka, lemon juice, lemon soda, and club soda in a large punch bowl. Add ice and garnish with slices of lemon, pear, and a few rosemary sprigs. Serve immediately.

Lemon Rosemary Rice & Quinoa

Right around this time each year is when I start mentally bookmarking new entertaining recipes and ideas. I especially love playing around with easy side dishes that are perfect for serving during Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday party season.

For this month’s collaboration with Carolina® Rice, I decided to share a quick and delicious Lemon Rosemary Rice & Quinoa side dish that can be paired with a number of different mains. This recipe uses one of Carolina’s newest products—Jasmine Rice with Quinoa, which combines fragrant fluffy Jasmine rice with the protein-packed nutrients and nutty flavor of quinoa.

This bright and savory rice dish would be wonderful for soaking up the juices of your favorite roasted turkey and gravy, a holiday ham, or a juicy prime rib. I love that it can be made in advance (so key when cooking for a party!) and is just as delicious hot off the stove as it is served cool as a rice salad. Serve this at your next gathering with friends or family or pack it up and bring to the office holiday potluck.

Another great thing about this easy rice recipe? It cooks quickly—just 15 minutes on the stove and a few more to let it cool and mix in the flavorings. Grated garlic, fresh lemon zest, and rosemary add tons of flavor, and cooking it with broth instead of water means that each individual grain is savory and delicious.

Because we’re usually cooking for a crowd this time of year, I use two packages of the rice & quinoa blend for this recipe, but feel free to cut this in half if you’d like to make a smaller portion. I do find that this reheats very well, so you can also make half to freeze or refrigerate for later!

Lemon Rosemary Rice & Quinoa
Serves 10

Ingredients
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth)
1 large lemon, zested and juiced (keep juice and zest divided)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 cups Carolina Jasmine Rice with Quinoa (from two 8.8oz packages)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced OR 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 small handful Italian parsley, finely minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Lemon slices and fresh herbs, for garnish

Directions
Combine broth, lemon juice (reserve zest), and salt in a medium saucepan (with lid) and bring to a boil. Add the dried Carolina Jasmine Rice with Quinoa, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let cook 15 minutes.

Transfer cooked rice into a shallow baking dish or large bowl and spread out. Let rest at room temperature about 5 to 10 minutes to allow the rice to release steam and cool down slightly before dressing. Once rested, add the olive oil, lemon zest, grated garlic, rosemary, parsley, and black pepper. Toss well to evenly distribute ingredients, then taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and black pepper, as needed.

Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of fresh herbs.

Asopao de Camarones (Puerto Rican Shrimp and Rice Stew)

Fall has returned and though the weather hasn’t quite yet cooled down completely (at least not in New York City), the first hints of the new season already have me craving heartier dishes like this asopao de camarones.

Asopao is a cozy Puerto Rican rice and shrimp stew that’s like a cross between gumbo and paella, but which comes together quickly and with much fewer steps than those other two seafood rice dishes. It’s the perfect comfort food meal that works just as well for easy weeknight dinners or low-key weekend dinner parties with friends.

The name “Asopao” is a shortened form of the word “asopado,” which means “soaked” in Spanish, and it’s a perfect way to describe the way the rice soaks in the rich flavorful broth. The result is a satisfying dish that’s much thicker than a classic rice soup, though not quite as completely absorbed as a dish like paella.

Asopao can actually be made with a variety of proteins (chicken being one of the most popular), but the shrimp version has always been my favorite. I also love to add a little bit of chorizo, ham, or bacon to the base for additional smoky flavor. The star of the dish is the rice, so feel free to get creative with the other ingredients—you can even make a vegetarian version using a vegetable broth and swapping in chickpeas, tofu, or mushrooms.

Like many Puerto Rican dishes, asopao starts by sautéing an aromatic base of peppers, garlic, onions, and herbs known as a “sofrito” in oil, then adding the rest of the ingredients and letting it simmer. Sofrito is typically made in advance in a large batch that you can add to each dish, but I’ve simplified it here and just included the sofrito ingredients as part of the main recipe.

I also recommend buying shrimp with the shells (or at least the tails) still attached so that you can add them to your broth for a more intense seafood flavor. This dish is really all about creating a rich stock that the rice can absorb, so you want to enhance the flavor as much as possible. That said, I know peeling shrimp can be a incredibly high maintenance, so look for the “easy peel” varieties, which pluck off quickly and will help you get the maximum flavor with minimum work!

Keep in mind that the longer this sits, the thicker it will become as the rice will continue to drink up all the broth. I recommend reserving a bit of extra seafood broth or clam juice and using it to thin out any leftovers when reheating. If you’re serving this for guests, you can prepare the stew in advance, but don’t add the shrimp until just before serving. They only take a few minutes to cook, so it’s best to let the stew reach the perfect consistency before you add them in order to avoid overcooking them.

Asopao is a complete meal on its own, but would be lovely accompanied with a simple avocado salad or maybe even a few fried plantains. Then perhaps a slice of arroz con leche flan for dessert?

¡Buen provecho!

Asopao de Camarones (Puerto Rican Shrimp and Rice Stew)
Serves 6

Ingredients
3 pounds medium shrimp
4 cups seafood stock or broth
2 cups clam juice
2 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell peppers, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 pound Spanish chorizo, smoked ham, or bacon, diced (optional)
5 large garlic cloves, sliced
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Smoked Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1 cup pimento-stuffed olives, sliced
2 tablespoons capers
1 lime, juiced
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish


Directions
Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Cover shrimp and refrigerate. Combine shells, seafood broth, clam juice, and water in a medium size pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.

While broth simmers, heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Add the diced onion, bell peppers, salt, and black pepper. Saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the chorizo/ham/bacon (if using) and saute an additional 10 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, paprika, cumin, and oregano. Place a sieve over the pot and pour in the simmering broth, straining out the shells. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add the rice, olives, capers, lime juice, and cilantro. Let simmer uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and stew has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding additional salt or pepper, as needed. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the raw peeled shrimp and let cook 3-5 minutes, or until shrimp are fully cooked. Serve immediately garnished with additional cilantro.

Mozzarella Arancini with Spicy Arrabiata Sauce

Arancini seems like it would be the perfect name for a dessert. In Italian, the word means “little oranges,” and to look at them, these golden little rice balls really do seem to resemble a basket filled with petite tangerines or clementines. But these golden treats are savory and meant to be enjoyed before or during a meal, not after.

When planning out recipe ideas for my ongoing sponsored collaboration with Carolina® Rice, I knew immediately that I wanted to feature a recipe for arancini (aka fried risotto balls).

Though they’re admittedly a bit labor intensive, there’s just something about the way the crisp exterior of seasoned breadcrumbs breaks open to reveal warm and creamy risotto around a center of melted mozzarella.

One bite and I know you’ll agree that all the work is absolutely worth it!

Arancini are the Italian version of a croquette, originally designed to make use of leftover risotto. They’ve since become so popular in their own right that most recipes (including this one!) call for making a batch of risotto especially for the purpose of letting it be molded and fried into delicious arancini fritters.

For my recipe, I prefer an easy, shortcut risotto that’s made entirely in the oven, then further enhanced with a bit of heavy cream. It’s not at all traditional, but it’s luscious, and a simple way to skip ahead to the final dish.

Like in the chorizo and manchego risotto recipe I shared a couple months ago, I use Carolina Arborio Rice to make the rice base for these fritters. The natural starch in the arborio rice comes out as it bakes in the oven and, once cooled, provides the perfect amount of hold needed to form round patties. Once breaded and dropped into a sizzling pot of oil, the heat will once again melt the starchy filling back into the lush and irresistibly oozy bite of classic risotto.

Serve these hot, a few minutes out of the frying pan, or let cool to room temperature. With a simple tangy salad and a bowl of my easy arrabiata (aka spicy marinara) sauce for dipping, these make a perfect lunch or light dinner.

Note that arancini also work as a lovely party appetizer! While they do take a bit of time to prep, note that they can absolutely be made and fried days or even weeks in advance. Just pop them into the freezer and reheat in a 375-degree oven for about 25 minutes, just before serving.

Mozzarella Arancini with Spicy Arrabiata Sauce
Yields about 30 arancini

Ingredients
For the risotto:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 ½ cups Carolina Arborio Rice
3 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup white wine
¼ cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

For the sauce:
5 large garlic cloves, sliced
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup minced fresh parsley

For the stuffing:
4oz mozzarella cheese, diced into ½” pieces

For the arancini:
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups flour
3 large eggs
8 cups canola, safflower, or vegetable oil, for frying


Directions
To make the risotto: Preheat oven to 350F. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 7 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Remove from heat and add the rice, broth, wine, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine. Cover and bake 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the ½ cup cream, lemon zest, butter, and parmesan cheese. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted and all the ingredients are incorporated.

Spread the risotto onto a baking sheet or other shallow baking dish. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or until fully chilled and thickened. (Can be prepared up to three days in advance.)

While the risotto chills, make the sauce:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and chili flakes and let cook about 3 minutes, or until the garlic is toasted. Add the crushed tomatoes and salt. Stir to combine, then let simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in parsley, then taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt as needed. Remove from heat and set aside.

Form the rice balls: Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop about ¼ cup of chilled risotto into your hands. Insert 1 or 2 pieces of mozzarella in the center and close the rice around it using your hands to mold it into a round patty. (It may be lumpy or flattened slightly—that’s OK!) Place on the lined baking sheet and repeat with rest of risotto and cheese. Set in freezer 20 minutes.

While risotto balls freeze, prep the breading. Combine panko breadcrumbs, oregano, chili flakes and salt in a food processor or blender and blitz several times until finely ground. Pour into a shallow bowl or baking dish. Place the flour in a separate shallow bowl. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy.

Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Remove the chilled rice balls from the freezer. Working one at a time, place into the flour, rolling around to coat completely, then roll in the beaten egg, then finally in the breadcrumbs. Roll until completely breaded on all sides then place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with rest of rice balls.

Return rice balls to the freezer and let chill 10 minutes while you heat oil.

Pour oil into a clean Dutch oven or deep heavy-bottom skillet until it reaches a depth of 3 inches. Heat to approximately 350F.

Remove rice balls from the freezer and, working in batches, fry for about 3–4 minutes or until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter and repeat with rest of batch.

Serve immediately with warm sauce on the side for dipping.