Baked Rice Arancini

Name: Baked Rice Arancini
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: Vialone nano rice 2 ½ cups; Saffron threads to taste; Water 4 ¼ cups; Caciocavallo cheese aged (for grating) 3.5 oz; Butter 2 tbsp; Fine salt 1 pinch; Pork ground 3.5 oz; Tomato purée ¾ cup; Peas ½ cup; Caciocavallo cheese 1.8 oz; Yellow onions ½; Red wine 1.8 oz; Butter 1 ¾ tbsp; Extra virgin olive oil 2 spoonfuls; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Eggs 6; Breadcrumbs to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste

413

Calories per serving

Energy Kcal 413
Carbohydrates g 45.8
of which sugars g 1.8
Protein g 16.4
Fats g 17.9
of which saturated fat g 7.41
Fiber g 1.4
Cholesterol mg 154
Sodium mg 395

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Makes: 10 pieces
Cost: Low
Note + the cooling time for the rice (at least 2 h) and the arancini (20 min.)

PRESENTATION

Many of you have asked for it, and finally, we have delighted you with an irresistible version of the classic Sicilian rice arancini, lighter but equally tasty: baked rice arancini! Perfect for those who don't like frying, baked rice arancini are traditionally stuffed with pea ragù and caciocavallo cheese, but you're welcome to experiment with different fillings, like spinach arancini, pistachio arancini, or white ragù arancini. Even the rice preparation does not differ from the original recipe; what changes is the breading, allowing you to achieve an excellent result even with oven cooking. Try making baked rice arancini yourself and let us know if your expectations were met!

INGREDIENTS

413

Calories per serving

For the rice (for about 10 arancini): Vialone nano rice 2 ½ cups (500 g); Saffron threads to taste; Water 4 ¼ cups (1.2 l); Caciocavallo cheese 3.5 oz (100 g) - aged (for grating); Butter 2 tbsp (30 g); Fine salt 1 pinch

For the filling: Pork 3.5 oz (100 g) - ground; Tomato purée ¾ cup (200 g); Peas ½ cup (80 g); Caciocavallo cheese 1.8 oz (50 g); Yellow onions ½; Red wine 1.8 oz (50 g); Butter 1 ¾ tbsp (25 g); Extra virgin olive oil 2 spoonfuls; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

For the breading: Eggs 6; Breadcrumbs to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Baked Rice Arancini

To make baked rice arancini, first prepare the rice: bring the water to a boil and add salt, then pour in the rice 1 and boil it for about 15 minutes (this way, the water will be completely absorbed by the rice, and the starch left in the pot will make it dry and compact). Meanwhile, dissolve the saffron in a ladle of hot water 2. When the rice is cooked, pour in the saffron liquid 3 and mix well.

Add the butter 4 and grated aged caciocavallo cheese 5, and mix again to blend well. Transfer the rice to a large, shallow tray and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon 6.

Cover the rice with parchment paper and let it cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours 7. In the meantime, you can work on the ragù: peel and thinly slice the onion 8, then melt the butter in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, add the onion 9, and let it sauté over low heat.

At this point, add the ground meat 10, increase the heat, and let it brown briefly, then deglaze with the red wine 11. Pour in the tomato sauce 12, adjust salt and pepper, cover with a lid, and simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Halfway through cooking, add the peas 13. If necessary, you can add a little water during cooking, keeping in mind that the ragù should be thick rather than liquid at the end 14. Meanwhile, cut the fresh caciocavallo cheese into cubes 15.

When the rice has completely cooled, you can proceed to form the arancini: prepare a bowl of water to moisten your hands so you can handle the rice more easily. Place a couple of tablespoons of rice (about 4 oz) in the palm of your hand and press it in the center to create a hollow 16, then fill it with a teaspoon of ragù 17 and a few cubes of caciocavallo 18.

Mold the rice to cover the filling and form a ball 19. Continue this way for all the arancini, then move on to breading: pour the eggs and breadcrumbs into 2 separate bowls and dip each first in the egg 20 and then in the breadcrumbs 21, repeating the operation twice.

Place the breaded arancini on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and let them rest in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Then, drizzle with a little oil 22 and bake in a preheated static oven at 375°F for about 30 minutes. Once cooked 23, serve your baked rice arancini hot 24!

Storage

Baked rice arancini can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 days. If you prefer, you can prepare the rice in advance and let it cool in the fridge overnight.

You can freeze them raw after breading and bake them directly from frozen; in this case, we recommend making them smaller.