Arancini

Name: Arancini
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Vialone nano rice 2 ½ cups; Water 4 ¼ cups; Caciocavallo cheese aged (for grating) 3.5 oz; Butter 2 tbsp; Saffron oz; Coarse salt 1 spoonful; Ground pork 5.5 oz; Tomato purée 0.8 cup; Peas ½ cup; White onions &frac13; cup; Red wine 1.7 oz; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Caciocavallo cheese fresh 1.8 oz; Prosciutto cotto in a single slice 4.2 oz; Mozzarella cheese 1 cup; Type 00 flour 1 cup; Water 1 ½ cup; Fine salt 1 pinch; Breadcrumbs 1 ½ cup; Vegetable oil 12.7 cups

it es br de fr

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 50 min
Makes: 12 pieces
Cost: Average
Note + the cooling time of the rice (about 2 h)

PRESENTATION

Rice arancini (or arancine), pride of Sicilian street food, are small timbales suitable to be consumed both as a snack and as an appetizer, first course or even main dish. In Sicily, they are found everywhere and at any time, always available hot and fragrant in the many fry shops, together with cazzilli and panelle: they often change shape and size from city to city, taking on oval, pear, or round shapes depending on the filling. Even in Campanian cuisine there is a very similar version known as "rice balls", while in Lazio we find the famous supplì al telefono. Today we present to you the two most classic variants of arancini: with meat ragù and peas and with ham and mozzarella. Follow our recipe to prepare a timelessly flavorful dish with your own hands!

Discover other irresistible variants of arancini:

INGREDIENTS

for about 12 arancini: Vialone nano rice 2 ½ cups (500 g); Water 4 ¼ cups (1.2 l); Caciocavallo cheese 3.5 oz (100 g) - aged (for grating); Butter 2 tbsp (30 g); Saffron oz (0.15 g); Coarse salt 1 spoonful

for the ragù filling: Ground pork 5.5 oz (150 g); Tomato purée 0.8 cup (200 g); Peas ½ cup (80 g); White onions ⅓ cup (50 g); Red wine 1.7 oz (50 g); Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Caciocavallo cheese 1.8 oz (50 g) - fresh

For the ham filling: Prosciutto cotto 4.2 oz (120 g) - in a single slice; Mozzarella cheese 1 cup (120 g)

For the batter: Type 00 flour 1 cup (200 g); Water 1 ½ cup (350 g); Fine salt 1 pinch

For breading and frying: Breadcrumbs 1 ½ cup (200 g); Vegetable oil 12.7 cups (3 l)

Preparation

How to prepare Arancini

To prepare the rice arancini, first boil the rice in 1.2 liters of boiling water with coarse salt 1; this way, once cooked, the water will be completely absorbed and the starch will remain in the pot, resulting in very dry and compact rice. Stir occasionally 2. Cook for about 15 minutes; a few minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the saffron 3 and mix well.

Once all the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat and also add the butter in pieces and the grated cheese 4, then mix well to combine everything 5. Spread and level the rice on a large, low tray 6, then cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper and let it cool completely for a couple of hours at room temperature; the wrap will prevent the surface of the rice from drying out.

Meanwhile, prepare the ragù filling: peel and finely slice the onion. Sauté the chopped onion in a pan with the oil 7, then add the ground meat 8, salt, and pepper. Brown over high heat, then deglaze with the wine 9.

At this point, pour in the tomato puree 10, adjust the salt and pepper, and cook over low heat with the lid on for at least 20 minutes. Halfway through cooking, add the peas 11. If necessary, you can add a little hot water, but keep in mind that the ragù must be thick and not liquid 12.

While the peas are cooking, dice the mozzarella 13, cooked ham 14, and fresh caciocavallo cheese. You will then have all the fillings ready. Once the rice has completely cooled 15, you can form the arancini; to help shape them, keep a bowl full of water nearby so you can moisten your hands.

Take a couple of tablespoons of rice at a time (about 4 oz), then press the mound in the palm of your hand to form a hollow 16. Fill each arancino with mozzarella cubes 17 and ham 18. This type of filling is traditionally called "al burro".

Then cover the filling with rice 19 and shape it into a round form 20. Proceed this way to fill about half of the arancini, then fill the other half with a teaspoon of ragù filling 21.

Add a few cubes of caciocavallo 22 and shape the rice into a pointed shape 23. Now that all the arancini are ready, prepare the batter: in a bowl, pour the sifted flour, a pinch of salt, and the water gradually 24.

Mix thoroughly with a whisk to avoid lumps 25. Dip the arancini, one at a time, in the batter 26 making sure to cover them entirely 27.

Finally, roll them in breadcrumbs 28. In a pot, heat the oil to a temperature of 320°F-338°F, then fry 1-2 arancini at a time 29, so as not to lower the oil temperature 30.

When they are golden brown, drain and transfer them onto a tray lined with absorbent paper 31 32. Enjoy the rice arancini hot 33!

Storage

You can store the cooked rice arancini in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Alternatively, you can prepare the rice the day before, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest overnight in the fridge.

They can be frozen raw if you have used all fresh, non-defrosted ingredients and fry them as needed directly from frozen. In this case, we recommend making them slightly smaller so they cook evenly.