White Ragù Arancini

Name: White Ragù Arancini
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Vialone nano rice 2 ½ cups; Water 5 cups; Caciocavallo cheese 3.5 oz; Butter cold 2 tbsp; Saffron (3 sachets of 0.15 g each) 0.015 oz; Fine salt to taste; Ground beef 1.8 oz; Ground pork 1.8 oz; Peas ½ cup; Celery 1; Carrots 1; Yellow onions 1; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz; White wine 1.4 oz; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Caciocavallo cheese 1.8 oz; Type 00 flour 1.6 cups; Water cold 1.4 cups; Fine salt 1 pinch; Breadcrumbs to taste; Peanut seed oil to taste

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 45 min
Makes: 12 pezzi
Note + resting and cooling times

PRESENTATION

White ragù arancini are a delicious variation of the famous rice arancini, a symbol of Sicilian cuisine and the subject of a historical, unsolved linguistic debate between arancini and arancine. What is certain is that everyone agrees on the timeless goodness of these fried delights. In this recipe, the classic tomato meat ragù is replaced with a savory white ragù, also enriched with tender peas that add a touch of sweetness. For the filling of these crunchy delicacies, we chose cubes of caciocavallo cheese, known for its irresistible melting effect during cooking. Famous as long-tradition street food, arancini are perfect both as an appetizer and as a main course. Each bite is an explosion of Mediterranean flavors: soft saffron rice, the enveloping white ragù and sweet peas, all balanced by the creaminess and strong flavor of caciocavallo cheese.

Discover here more appetizing rice arancini recipes:

Pistachio rice arancini
Spinach rice arancini
Bean ragù arancini
Baked rice arancini

INGREDIENTS

For the rice: Vialone nano rice 2 ½ cups (500 g); Water 5 cups (1200 g); Caciocavallo cheese 3.5 oz (100 g); Butter 2 tbsp (30 g) - cold; Saffron 0.015 oz (0.45 g) - (3 sachets of 0.15 g each); Fine salt to taste

For the ragù: Ground beef 1.8 oz (50 g); Ground pork 1.8 oz (50 g); Peas ½ cup (80 g); Celery 1; Carrots 1; Yellow onions 1; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g); White wine 1.4 oz (40 g); Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

For stuffing: Caciocavallo cheese 1.8 oz (50 g)

For the batter: Type 00 flour 1.6 cups (200 g); Water 1.4 cups (340 g) - cold; Fine salt 1 pinch

For breading and frying: Breadcrumbs to taste; Peanut seed oil to taste

Preparation

How to prepare White Ragù Arancini

To prepare white ragù arancini, start by boiling the rice in 5 cups of salted boiling water 1, so that once cooked, the water is completely absorbed (this ensures that the starch remains in the pot, giving you very dry and compact rice). Cook for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, grate 3.5 oz of caciocavallo cheese 2 and cut the remaining 1.75 oz into cubes for the filling. Pour the saffron into a small bowl 3.

Add a little hot water and stir until a homogeneous mixture is obtained 4. Once the rice is ready and has absorbed all the liquid, incorporate the saffron dissolved in water 5. Stir to combine 6.

Then stir in the butter in pieces and the grated caciocavallo cheese 7 and stir one last time 8. Pour the rice onto a large, low tray 9.

Level it with the back of a spoon 10, then cover it with plastic wrap to cool completely 11; the wrap will prevent the surface of the rice from drying out. Let the rice rest for a couple of hours out of the fridge. Meanwhile, prepare the ragù filling: chop the celery, carrot, and onion 12.

In a pan, pour a dash of oil, add the chopped vegetables for the soffritto 13 14 and let them stew for 5 minutes over low heat until soft. At this point, add the ground meat 15; let it brown over high heat.

Then deglaze with wine 16. Season with pepper 17 and salt 18.

Cook over low heat with a lid for at least 15 minutes. Halfway through cooking, add the peas 19 (if necessary, you can add a little hot water, the ragù should be thick and not liquid). Once the ragù is ready, season with the grated cheese 20 and stir. Set aside to cool 21.

Once the rice has completely cooled (it will take at least a couple of hours), you can form the arancini. To help with the composition, keep a bowl full of water nearby so you can wet your hands and better handle the rice. Take a couple of tablespoons of rice at a time, press the mound in the center of your hand to form a hollow 22 and place a teaspoon of white ragù filling inside, then add a few cubes of caciocavallo cheese 23. Close the base of the arancino with rice 24.

Shape it into a pointed form 25. Place the arancini on a tray as you go 26. When they are all ready, prepare the batter: in a bowl, pour the flour, a pinch of salt, and the cold water in a thin stream 27.

Mix thoroughly with a whisk to avoid lumps 28. Then dip the arancini into the batter, one at a time 29, making sure to cover them completely 30.

Roll them in breadcrumbs 31 and place them on a tray 32. In a saucepan, heat the oil and bring it to 338°F, then fry one arancino at a time 33, or at most 2 to not lower the oil temperature.

When they are golden brown, drain them 34 and place them on a tray lined with paper towels 35. Enjoy the white ragù arancini hot 36!

Storage

Cooked white ragù arancini can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.

If you have used all fresh ingredients, you can freeze them before cooking and fry them directly from frozen: in this case, it is preferable to make them a little smaller to ensure even cooking.