Fissler X SOGO "Go Green" Italian Fair 素食煮意! | 26-3-2018

默默耕耘地籌備了一整個月，經過多方合作，這段小小的大製作終於面世了！

今次有幸與德國廚具品牌 Fissler HK x SOGO 合作，運用指定廚具，

為 Fissler 設計了特色意大利素菜款式，簡單快捷、滋味無窮！

感謝各位演過「白老鼠」試食的朋友和大家的支持，還有每一位專業的工作人員！大家估唔估倒做了什麼菜式？

Filming in progress at the Fissler store, SOGO (CWB)

When German cookware brand Fissler offered me the one-in-a-million chance to star in a two-minute video showcasing their products and my own recipe, I had some sort of idea what challenge I am getting myself into. Design one Italian vegetarian recipe that makes use of two or more of the following products: a pressure cooker, a hand blender, and a frying pan. Sounds simple, eh?

Me with the very patient Director Andrew Ng!

I was thrilled for the vegetarian theme, a challenge I find timely as I increasingly lean towards a plant-based diet. But what is one to do with a pressure cooker, a hand blender, and a frying pan with a meatless recipe? Surely, plain old risottos have been tried and done, pasta has no place in this challenge, and I was certain an everyday Italian tomato sauce wasn't going to make the cut. With no oven available at the site of filming, I have also ruled out the aubergine.

Baffled and tickled, I imagined myself on the set of Guy's Grocery Games, faced with the challenge of creating a winning dish using all the provided equipment with an open pantry. My mind searched for delicacies I have tasted across Italy over the years. It was then when a light bulb flickered in my head. Ah, the arancini, or "little oranges" - the spherical Sicilian cousin of the Roman suppli, a popular street food consisting of a deep fried ball of rice and typically a filling of meat and tomato sauce, peas, and melted mozzarella.

Who doesn't like the sound of delicious, crunchy, balls of flavorsome rice coated in breadcrumbs and a hidden surprise of melted mozzarella that pulls with each bite? With the arancini little known in Hong Kong, I knew the audience would be in for a trip. I henceforth set off my journey of hunting for ingredients overseas, testing and adapting, and frying away at home in the weeks leading to the video shoot.

Click here to check out the post on Facebook Fan Page!

Fun moments from my many recipe trials at home in the weeks leading up to the shoot. And Marsha (right), my trusted neighbor and buddy who is all too happy to be my guinea pig and critic.

Breaking away from tradition, the filling for arancini is only confined by imagination. That's when I thought I am going to make Arancini al Pesto (what's not to love with fresh homemade pesto?) - cook risotto in the pressure cooker (check), make breadcrumbs and pesto with the hand blender (check), and finally fry the balls in the pan (check!!)! The ensuing journey isn't without any hiccups though as I slowly get myself acquainted with the pressure cooker. The result, however, is a foolproof recipe specially developed for the Fissler pressure cooker, a truly magical kitchen companion that cuts cooking time drastically and delivers amazing results. 

The filming on March 26 took place at Fissler's Store at SOGO, Causeway Bay, and lasted four hours, with an occasional live audience of shoppers and onlookers!

Click here for the recipe in English and Chinese!
Arancini al Pesto | 意式羅勒醬芝士炸飯糰

One of the first trials on plating style

官方 Official Facebook 網站： 
【SOGO Go Green X Italian Fair素食煮意】意式廚房最green嘅係乜？梗係羅勒醬喇！想從羅勒醬開始食得green啲，不如試下易上手、超好味嘅意式羅勒醬芝士炸飯糰，睇住片就可以跟著Chef Alvin一齊煮喇！

"What is the greenest thing you can find in an Italian kitchen? Are you thinking basil? Starting from this week, why not try going on a green diet by using Basil pesto to make Arancini al Pesto by following an easy recipe? Click below to watch Chef Alvin prepare the dish!"

See the video here: https://www.facebook.com/sogohongkong/videos...

[Follow me on Instagram @alvinckl and @alvin.penthousekitchen and check out my Facebook Fan Page!]