Arancini is a dish originating in Italy, specifically Sicily. The basis of this dish is rice, which is divided into portions after cooking, flattened on the palm, filled with a filling and shaped into balls. A popular filling is meat with tomato sauce, often with an addition of green peas, mozzarella or other cheese, and vegetables with cheese, such as mushrooms or eggplant. After the rice is combined with the filling and shaped into a ball, the arancini is rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried.
Arancini rice balls taste best when served warm. They can be served immediately after frying or reheated in the oven a few hours after their preparation. Arancini served as a snack tastes good when served by itself and it does not require any addition. However, if you want to serve it as a main course, then it is good to serve it with tomato sauce and a light salad. If you haven’t prepared this dish at home yet, be sure to check out the below recipe for arancini.
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Ingredients for arancini.
- 80 ml dry white wine
- a pinch of saffron
- 250 g arborio rice
- 1 egg
- 800 ml vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 100 g onion
- 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of butter
Additionally:
- oil for frying
- 8 balls of mini mozzarella
- 8 tablespoons of tomato sauce
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 tablespoons of flour
- 7-8 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
How to make arancini.
Put the finely chopped onion, butter and olive oil into a pan. Fry on a low heat for 10 minutes. Then add the rice, increase the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. After that, add the saffron and white wine and continue frying for another 5 minutes. Next, add the broth in small batches, stirring very often, so that the rice does not burn. Do not add too much liquid at once, the rice should not float in it. At the end of cooking, add salt. It took me 30 minutes to cook the risotto. After cooking, remove the risotto from the heat and cool it down. Then, add the egg to the cold risotto, mix thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Divide the risotto into eight parts, flatten each part in your hands, and place the cheese and a teaspoon of tomato sauce in the center. Next, shape them into balls, coat them first in flour, then in egg bath and finally in breadcrumbs. Pour the oil into a fairly wide pot, heat it up and, when hot, put on the arancini. Fry on a medium heat until golden brown for about 7-8 minutes. After the arancini is fried, remove it and transfer it on a paper towel to drain the excess oil from it.
Good to know when making arancini.
Rice is the basis of arancini and it is very important to choose the right type. In fact, arancini is formed from risotto, and as you know, the rice used to prepare risotto is arborio rice. In stores, you can also find it under the simple name of risotto rice. This rice is characterized by round-shaped grains. Additionally, during cooking, arborio rice becomes slightly sticky. The stickiness of the rice is important when forming the balls, as it allows them to keep their shape and prevents the balls from falling apart during frying. In addition, the right amount of Parmesan cheese and eggs also help the arancini to hold its shape during frying.
After frying, the arancini can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or can be frozen. If you decide to freeze the arancini, each ball should be cooled down after frying, placed in a plastic container, tightly closed, and then placed in the freezer. Arancini can be stored in a freezer for about 2-3 months. After taking it out of the freezer, it is enough to reheat it in the oven.
From the given amount of ingredients, I got 8 arancini balls.
Do you like dishes with rice? If so, try our recipe for Rice pudding with strawberries.
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