Rice, meat and cheese that’s breaded and deep fried? We’ll take a million! Arancini is an age old Italian dish that hails from Sicily. The dish features a couple very simple ingredients: rice, cheese and herbs that are breaded and fried. Can’t go wrong with that! Think of it as the original mozzarella stick. After the arancini are prepared, you can pair them with a homemade tomato sauce for a delicious starter or even a main course. In this video, we’ll demonstrate how to make arancini at home in just a couple easy steps.
Sicilian Arancini
Ingredients
1 cup Arborio rice
3 tbsp whole butter
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp onion, finely chopped
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
4 oz prosciutto
6 oz mozzarella cheese
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
¼ cup flour
Oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Bring the chicken stock to a simmer and keep warm.
2. In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, add oil, one tablespoon butter, and onions. Sweat onions without browning, a couple minutes. Add rice and coat with the butter, then add the white wine. Once wine has reduced, add hot chicken broth one ladle at a time. Continue adding the broth one ladle at a time, until the rice is done.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and combine the soft butter, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and place the rice in a sheet pan and allow to cool down.
4. With a spoon or ice cream scoop form a ball, press your finger in the center of the ball and stuff it with mozzarella cheese and prosciutto. Then, pinch the rice around the filling until enclosed.
5. Roll the rice balls in flour and shake off the excess flour, dip in egg wash, then roll in bread crumbs. Place in a dish lined with parchment paper if you are storing the rice balls to fry later.
6. Heat 1 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat until your thermometer reads 350 F degrees. Add the risotto balls in batches and cook until golden brown on all sides. Removed with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
7. Serve immediately with your choice of sauce.
