Arancine → on LIPARI ISLAND

WHAT IS INSIDE THIS LETTER?

firstly,

a 20-minute

ambient

arancine

compilation

T H E

L A T E S T

upcoming events

SUNDAY JULY 19 / Archestratus Hang at the Park

SUNDAY AUGUST 2 / LIPARI ISLAND Book Club

SATURDAY AUGUST 22 / Archestratus Hang at the Greenmarket

Help the bring the Picnic Project Cookbook to life

Klancy Miller needs our help, and I honestly can’t think of a lovelier person to give it to. She is the author of For the Culture and Cooking Solo, a friend of Arch, and puts her whole beautiful heart into everything she does. Here is a note from Klancy about her ask:

Happy Summer! I hope you’re doing well and keeping cool and enjoying the hot weather. Thank you for your positive response. To recap: I turned in my manuscript for my next cookbook, The Picnic Project, and am looking forward to sharing it with you in 2027! Right now, I’m working on organizing the photoshoot for it this summer, which is why I am writing to you now. I need your help.

I need to raise $40,000 within 30 days to cover the costs of hiring a photographer, food stylist, prop stylist, and renting a studio to photograph the recipes for my cookbook. Perhaps you’re asking—doesn’t the advance cover that? In theory it does; however, I also had to use the advance to develop recipes (i.e. buy food to create and perfect recipes), test recipes, hire a recipe tester, and I had to pay taxes on the advance. As a result there is very little left to cover the photoshoot and I’m in the very embarrassing position of asking for help—specifically in the form of donating to my crowdfunder to raise funds for the photoshoot.

I’ve observed that when we gather on the ground, on a picnic blanket, and break bread together, something happens that does not necessarily happen at a dinner party or restaurant—people go a little deeper in their conversations, vulnerability is as present in the conversation as frivolous topics, there is an air of play or creativity (I’ve had friends start painting at a picnic and sometimes people dance), people recline and rest, and time stretches out because no one is rushing you out to seat the next table. I started the Picnic Project because I wanted to make new friends, feed old and new friends, create community and ask people how they’re really doing—especially in these acutely wild times. Picnics are not just a site of rest and care, they’re a site of imagination and potentially a site of reimagining how the world could be.

Thank you in advance for your consideration, kindness, and generosity. - Klancy

WHY THE

e and not the i

in A R A N C I N E

In western Sicily (Palermo, Trapani, Marsala), the Arancine (ah-rahn-CHEE-neh) are curvaceous, rubinesque ladies. The word itself is always feminine, and the shape is always rounded like an orange. You would say: Mangio un’arancina (I eat an arancina) or Mangio molte arancine (I eat many arancine).

In the East (Catania, Siracusa, Taormina), the Arancini (ah-rahn-CHEE-nee) are masculine and a little phallic. You would shape it with a conehead to look like the famous volcano Mt. Etna and say: Mangio un’arancino (I eat an arancino) or Mangio molti arancini(I eat many arancini).

My family hails from the West, so the word was “Arancine” at Archestratus. It was always funny when people would offer to “correct us” on the spelling of our menu. We were told many times that we were spelling it wrong. This micro example of cultural homogenization is death by a thousand cuts. Our menu remained untouched and staunchly “Arancine” throughout the run.

correct business idea:

BIRRE BALLZ

HAPPY HOUR

A lot of business advice is very bad, but Happy Hours work! They give you something to shout about every day! They keep you creative! They allow nothing to go to waste! They engage the element of surprise!

“At this hour, I shall be in the safety and delight of a known unknown,” she said to herself before walking into Birre Ballz Happy Hour.

Sure, we had a traditional one where if you bought a drink, you would get a free arancine, but even better was this: when you bought a new cookbook, we would hand you a free arancine ticket. Buy a book, get a free arancine, etc. People were very confused, then entertained, then delighted.

And Happy Hours catch on. Here we are on Channel 4 in the summer of 2017. I woke up at the crack of dawn to fry these off and bring them to 30 Rock. Pat Battle didn’t have to take a bite but genuinely wanted to eat them, which ruled.

a

Nonna echo

sneaky breadcrumbs

Nonna Oliva never made Arancine for us growing up, but she did impart her wisdom about her favorite breadcrumbs. She lived in America and used many some American ingredients.

For instance, I don’t know what the quality is now vs. the 1990’s, but she loved Red Pack Tomato Paste. Sometimes she would use their tomatoes, though she grew jars and jars of her own every summer. She would always say: Red-uh pack, Red-uh Pack-uh da best-eh. (See Echo above.) I myself will never question this, though I have not used Red Pack in a few decades…

HERE GOES: Nonna Oliva also LOVED friggin Progresso goddamn Italian Breadcrumbs. AND SO DO I. OOF. Can you hear my chefiest friends disowning me!? Here is a real pic of me buying them from the supermarket:

If you cannot bring yourself to be seen (even with thine own eyes) purchasing Progresso Italian Breadcrumbs as an Italian, Sicilian, Professional, or Layperson, please use this perfect Todd Wilbur clone. Goddess bless, Todd Wilbur.

I just also need to note (so you do not disown me) that these breadcrumbs have a time and a place. I wouldn’t use them in some many applications. Here is a little feature with us that also happens to be an excellent source for making your own - Rick Easton style :)

more to say about the

ARCHESTRATUS

ARANCINE

Hah! I’ve run out of time and space to talk about the arancine. This is what is coming up in part two next week!

• a video on how to form an arancine ball

• I might offer an online class of some kind, shout it out (email) if you are interested in that

• a list of as many flavors as I can track that we did

• recipes for toum, pesto, green garlic pesto + buerre blanc (good fillings)

• i owe ya a lemon zest video - it is coming

• more writing! maybe even some thoughts!

• more! piu! piu!

R E C I P E

for

Arancine Rice

Mi dispiace, to gain access to these recipes, you must be a paid Patron Saint or Cripes Subscriber. It’s $5 a month, and we are obsessed with making this thing good—especially the recipes. Upgrade your subscription here. Thank you. We hope you cook these recipes! Email if you have any questions about them.

Also, if you are a subscriber or have been given a subscription, please create an account and/or log in on the site to view your recipes and more. Logging in also provides access to all of our past newsletters with more recipes.

finally,

a

language

lesson

LIPARI ISLAND Book Club

august 2 @1p on ZOOM
Sphinx was published in 1986 and is a landmark text in the feminist, LGBT, and experimental literary canons. Support our online bookshop ARCHESTRATUS on Bookshop.org. 

Zoom link available here.

other ways to support

L I P A R I

I S L A N D

Shop for any book on our Bookshop.org shop. We just read this and are now reading this.

Shop for audiobooks on our Libro.fm shop. Here are our past BookBook Club picks.

Subscribe to this newsletter for $5 monthly (access to recipes) or $9 monthly (access to even more recipes).

Head to the online shop and discover things. We are still partnering with many wonderful brands we love and trust.