These fried rice balls of cheesy love are so good and if you have never had them before… NOW IS THE TIME!Â
Arancini are Italian rice balls that are stuffed, coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried. They are a staple of Sicilian cuisine. Some can be stuffed with meat sauce, peas, mozzarella or all of the above, it just all depends on the region and personal preference. I like to serve as a 1st course and stuff with mozzarella cheese.Â
I first fell in love with them on an Anniversary dinner date with my husband. It was at a restaurant here in Portland Oregon called Gilda’s. I think it was our 6th or 7th anniversary. We got dressed up, went downtown and found a restaurant that was sworn to be authentic Italian cuisine and boy was it! The table spaces are small and quaint, the décor is beautiful and at night they dim the lights, and you get lost in the eyes of the person across from you. OH fancy. We always share a bottle of shiraz, and this is our go to appetizer! They hold a special place in my heart, and this is my version of the memories we shared at that romantic space.Â
To start you will need to get Arborio rice. Here is the brand I use.
From here you can decide to stuff with cheese, meat sauce, and peas. You can choose 1 or all of the above. This recipe is just for mozzarella.
The next choice is what to dip these crunchy loves in…
I like to use pesto, basil oil, or marinara. They are all winners but something about a good marinara just hits the spot!
OK, let’s get started!
Arancini
Ingredients
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1/2 small white or yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 6 tbsp butter
- 3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
- 1 3 oz ball mozzarella cheese, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup italian breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- Cooking oil
- fresh basil for garnish optional
- 1/4 cup shredded/grated pecorino Reggiano or parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
- basil oil or olive oil for drizzling on top
Instructions
- Heat a medium size saucepan or deep skillet on medium heat. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Saute the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Add the 1 cup of rice. Stir often and cook about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the wine and cook it down until almost dry.
- Now add the broth. Cook about 10- 15 minutes or until the liquid is almost dry.
- Now add the cream, 2 tablespoons of butter, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir and remove from the heat.
- Pour the risotto on a large piece of parchment paper. Make a nice even layer and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Once the hour is up, scrape the risotto onto a cutting board.
- Now get the mozzarella ready.
- Working with about 1/4 cup of risotto form it into a ball. Then put about 3 pieces of bite size mozzarella in the middle.
- Re-form the risotto around the rice and shape it into a ball. Try to get them as uniform as possible with the cheese in the middle.
- After all the balls are ready pour the flour into a shallow dredging bowl. Take the panko and put them into a sandwich bag, run a rolling pin over it a few times to smash up the breading. Then go ahead and pour the italian breadcrumbs and pankos into another shallow dredging bowl and mix together. Lastly is the eggs. Whisk the eggs, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste in a 3rd shallow dredging bowl.
- Starting with flour, roll the ball until coated, followed by the egg mixture, and ending in the breadcrumbs.
- Gently pack or press the breadcrumbs into the risotto.
- Heat a fryer, large sauce pan or whatever you use to fry food in on med heat and add the cooking oil
- Once the oil is ready drop the balls in carefully and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels
- Serve with marinara, pesto, alfredo , basil oil, or whatever is the crowd favorite ! I like to shave some pecorino Reggiano or Parmesan cheese on top and a drizzle of olive or basil oil.
- ENJOY!!!
[…] Arancini YUMM!