Arancini di Riso

Posted by Dana McMahan on February 17, 2008

We make a lot of risotto in our house – mainly because it’s delicious, but also because it’s so versatile. There’s seemingly no end to the combination of ingredients you can toss into the creamy rice. We don’t often have leftovers because we tend to eat it for lunch the day after we cook it for dinner. On the rare occasions when we do have some left over though, we’re in for a treat.

I first saw Arancini di Riso on Giada De Laurentiis’ show on the Food Network, Everyday Italian, and went right to their web site to save the recipe. I had never heard of this Sicilian street food, but taking one of my favorite foods, adding cheese and frying it? I knew I couldn’t go wrong.

This is a real play-with-your-food kind of snack. Here’s how you make "little oranges" (in Sicilian, arancini means "little oranges" -- the name derives from their typical color, which reminds one of an orange). We made this batch with asparagus risotto but you can make it with any variety, really.

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups leftover Risotto
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups dried Italian-style bread crumbs
2 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt

Pour 3 inches oil in a heavy large saucepan. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, risotto, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Place the remaining breadcrumbs in a medium bowl.

Using about 2 tablespoons of the risotto mixture for each, form the risotto mixture into balls about 1 3/4-inch in diameter.

Stick your thumb into the ball then insert a cube of mozzarella into the center of each ball. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs to coat.

Working in batches, add the rice balls to the hot ail and cook until golden and heated through, turning them as necessary, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rice balls to paper towels to drain. Season with salt. Let rest 2 minutes. Serve hot.

TAGS: Risotto
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Arancini di Riso

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