Page 30 January 2011 Weaving through the room to an empty table, we feel more like guests at a party than paying restaurant-goers. At this casual place, chef May makes upscale feel easy, food is fresh and direct, polished but not showy, food that anyone can understand, food that celebrates Spain’s great bounty of local ingredients with a Basque in fl ection. And that sense of Iruna of not quite being a restaurant follows through in the food. The most appealing items are “party” snacks, bowls of vivid green olives and pickled garlic marinated in orange and thyme oil and shallots; an ensalada de pato , a crisp duck con fi t of organic pears; Marcona almonds and mache; Serrano Ham and Manchego , served with quince paste. Just the thing with a bottle of Temparanillo or Verdejo. A topnotch trio of Spanish cheeses and baby beets makes a wonderful way to start the evening. Winemakers have a saying, “Buy wine on water, sell wine on cheese.” That’s because cheese disguises any defects, making the wine taste rounder and softer. You could, if you’re so inclined, get some “hot” instead of “cold” at Iruna, and if you ordered the lamb with mustard and mint at $19, you’d likely end up feeling you did pretty well for the price. Also worth mentioning, the fi let mignon with tomatoes and salbitxada and the lomo con romesco , marinated pork loin served with pickled red onion and romesco sauce. The wine list is quite extensive. Great wines at great prices. Overall, in a city where chain restaurants are celebrated, chef Aaron May has installed a restaurant that exudes Spanish soul. That’s something worth celebrating. And, worth a detour. Iruna Continued from page 29 Thought can be in fl uence on weight By Julie Poplawski How do thoughts contribute to weight gain? According to psychologists we have more than 60,000 thoughts per day. How many of your thoughts contribute positively to your goals? How often do your thoughts draw you away from them? I read about a fi shing village where natives carry a bag of black and white rocks. Every time they have a negative thought they put a black rock in one pocket and every time they think a positive thought they put a white rock in another pocket. At the end of the day they empty their pockets and see whether they had more black or Continued on page 32 Dine in Take out Full bar Dinner Tuesday-Sunday Happy Hour Tuesday-Friday 4-6pm  [ n o w o p e n ] Dine in Take out Full bar  [ n o w o p e n ]  [ n o w Dine in Take out Full bar Dinner Tuesday-Sunday Happy Hour Tuesday-Friday 4-6pm 4175 North Goldwater Blvd · Scottsdale www.sunshinemoon.com · 480-699-8807  [ n o w o p e n ] Rico’s R Re ed d Z Zo on ne e is “the place” for all your sporting events. With all-access Direct TV on 5 large screen HD televisions you can enjoy the NBA, the NFL Playoffs, all Bowl Games and the one and only Super Bowl. Good people. Good food. Good drinks. 7677 N 16th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85020 602.997.5850 adjacent to the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort ricosAG.com ya’dig it? Daily Happy Hour, 3 - 7 p.m., featuring… $2 draft Coors Light & Pyramid Hefeweizen $10 Buckets of Bottles (5 bottles per bucket) Half Off Appetizers Wednesday is Neighborhood Night 1/2 off our Great Big Burger 5 p.m. - close Thursday - Saturday 6 - 8 p.m. • Live Music Sunday is All Sports Day and Happy Hour 3 - 7 p.m. Mention “Rico’s Red Zone” to the bartender and receive 2-for-1 Great Big Burgers. Rico’s Red Zone

Page 31 January 2011 Writer’s recipe this month: Arancini, a Sicilian delight Petals & Parasols Luncheon & Style Show A program of food and fashion, hosted by Our Lady’s Guild of Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church Proceeds will bene fi t St. Vincent DePaul Family Assistance Program and Foothills Caring Corp. When: 11 a.m. Feb. 19 Where: J.W. Marriott Hotel at Desert Ridge Resort, 5350 E. Marriott Drive, Phoenix Cost: $65. More info: 480-488-2229 or e-mail: junkmoyle@aol.com. Metals Casting for Kids All supplies, including silver, are included. Parent must accompany child during each class. When: 9 a.m.-noon Feb. 12, 19 Where: Shemer Art Center & Museum Cost: $95 for one child with parent. More info: 602-262-4727 or www.shemerartcenterandmuseum.org ARANCINI (TIME: 30 minutes preparation; 5 minutes cooking) ⅞ lb. rice 7 oz. breadcrumbs 5 eggs 1 ¾ oz. butter 3 oz. grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese salt and pepper to taste Italian “00” fl our or all-purpose fl our to taste For fi lling 7 oz. ground pork 1 onion 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil ½ cup dry white wine 1 oz. tomato paste 1 ¾ oz. shelled peas 2 oz. Pecorino primo sale (sweet and soft sheep’s milk cheese) 2 oz. caciocavallo cheese, grated deep frying peanut oil to taste 1 pinch saffron Boil the rice in a quart of boiling salted water with a pinch of saffron. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring continuously until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and, in a large bowl, mix in with 4 beaten eggs, the butter and the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Allow to cool and meanwhile prepare stuf fi ng. In a saucepan over medium heat, add oil and meat sauce. Mix it with the peas, salt and pepper and cook until sauce has reduced down by over half and is fairly dry. Mix together the meat mixture, Pecorino primo sale (or Pecorino dolce cheese) and grated Caciocavallo cheese (or Parmesan cheese). With moist, but not wet hands, form a 1 to 1½-inch ball of the rice mixture in the palm of one hand, and using the other thumb, make a depression as deep as the fi rst joint of your thumb. Place some of the meat mixture in the hole and cover with rice. When all the balls are formed roll them in fl our, then dip them in 1 beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Fry the rice balls until brown and heated through, turning them as necessary, about 4 minutes. Transfer the rice balls to paper towels to drain. Season with salt and serve hot. Serves 4. By Gabe Bertaccini The Sicilian rice snacks known as arancini were probably made for the fi rst time during the Saracen domination. Available throughout the island, arancini can be found in various forms: the most common are round and come from Western Sicily, while arancini from the Eastern part of Sicily are often cone shaped, recalling the image of Mount Etna. In addition to varying in shape, arancini vary also in ingredients for the fi lling. Meat sauce is the most typical fi lling, but vegetables and fi sh also are used. On December 13, sweet, chocolate- fi lled arancini are made for the festival of Santa Lucia. Tomatoes, a fundamental ingredient in many Italian recipes, were introduced to Sicily in the 19th century while the arancini date back to around the 10th century when the Arabs controlled Sicily. At this time, a large serving dish fi lled with saffron rice was often placed in the center of banquet tables. The rice was enriched with meat and vegetables and guests were invited to eat the food with their hands. Originally, Sicilian arancini were simply balls of rice with various condiments. A couple centuries later, the rice balls were breaded and fried. This change in the recipe is attributed to Frederick II. By breading then frying the arancini, the king and his court were able to conserve the rice allowing them to bring the balls on long trips, or when hunting. Still today, arancini are considered a snack to be eaten on the go and are possibly the forerunner to the concept of street food. The Arcadia News food writer and a local chef, Gabe offers his favorite recipes each month.