Tonight I made balls! I am full of goodies and joy after spending the evening in Brooklyn with Paige Lipari (right) at her Sicilian-inspired bookstore and cafè, Archestratus Books & Food. We made Palermo-style arancine (fried rice balls) from scratch, getting our hands full of sticky rice, breadcrumbs, and various fillings, including traditional ragu with peas, silky salted ricotta with sweet onions and pistachio, and eggplant and toum, pictured (a Lebanese garlic cream… Wow!). Paige is so creative, and her store-cafè is a revelation. Next time, if you are in the New York City area, you’ve got to join me for the fun!