It's been quite a while since I've done arancini, mostly because I insist on doing them right. Doing them right means that they're pretty high maintenance, but hey... all the best things in life demand attention. So these little divas are back for this week's menu, specifically BOSTON TOMATO-PESTO ARANCINI. Arancini, for the uninitiated, is a ball of risotto that's deep-fried. Sounds delicious, I know. Arancini is one of my favorite Italian foods that has only recently become a thing around here, though it's been a big deal in and around the Boston area forever. Usually, these little balls of golden joy are stuffed with a beef ragu and peas (it's not a rule, but it's popular,) and can occasionally be bland, dry, and forgettable. I'll be putting in extra work to make sure that mine are molten and flavorful, and I'll step it up even further by making the risotto with basil pesto and sundried tomatoes, then mozzarella cheese when forming the arancini balls and serving them with a creamy tomato sauce and shaved parmesan. I've been known to jokingly call this dish "Italian Fried Rice," which seems to only be funny to me despite it being technically correct. Whatever you call them, these things are great.

UTICA GREENS is a thing, and I really can't tell you why. For whatever reason, every Italian restaurant in Utica, NY has this dish on the menu. I, for one, am not complaining at all. This mainstay appetizer dish works like this: sauteed bitter greens (usually escarole, though I may mix in some other greens because that's how I do) and piquant chopped peppers, seasoned with aged prosciutto and pecorino cheese, then topped with some breadcrumbs for texture. Making sauteed greens a desirable appetizer is not easy, but this dish does it really well, and it's a perfect foil for our arancini balls.

The star of the show this week is a dish that's on plenty of menus at Italian red-sauce joints in NYC, but is rather rare or made very differently in other areas (in my experience, at least.) NYC-STYLE CHICKEN SCARPARIELLO or Shoemaker's Chicken is one dish with many, many flavors. We've got savory from the seared chicken thighs and sausage, sweet from the sauteed onions and bell peppers, briny from the pickled cherry peppers, aromatic from the garlic and parsley, sour from the lemon and white wine... you get the idea. This rich, warming braised dish is great served with something like pasta on the side, which is how it's often served, but we can do even better than that: I'll be including some sliced country bread with this, which you'll toast up and then serve the chicken goodness over the toasted bread. All these wonderful flavors served over toasted bread so that the sauce soaks in just so... I'm getting pumped just thinking about it.

For dessert we are heading to Providence, though I'm sure this dessert shows up in other areas too. LEMON RICOTTA PIE is a little like a cheesecake, but it's different enough to earn its own name. I'll be making my own ricotta from scratch and keeping the sugar at that "just sweet enough" spot so that the other flavors can really shine. I'll be using crushed-up zwieback for the crust (which are like sweet melba toasts) to keep things just like I remember when living in Providence. That's the whole story. This is one of those ultra-simple-yet-magical desserts, and it actually makes a great breakfast item for the following morning... if there is any left.