Arancini Di Riso

Arancini Di Riso

Never before had I heard of Arancini, and then in one week not only did my Aunt sent me a recipe from Met Home magazine but Giada also featured them on Everyday Italian. That would be called a trend. Arancini are fried risotto balls with secret surprises hidden inside, like fresh mozerella cheese, peas, or even mushrooms. Arancini are commonly found in Italy and are even sold as street snacks. It originated from finding uses for leftover risotto and soon became an excuse to make risotto! Not only can Arancini be served as a wonderful appetizer, but served over greens makes a complete meal. I served them as a tasty starter last night for friends that came to dinner. They are a bit putsy as the mixture is challenging to keep in ball shapes, but read below for some secret hints to the perfect Arancini! Next time I would serve them with a little marinara sauce.

origin - Met Home / Giada De Laurentis
difficulty - medium
health meter - low (they are fried rice with cheese....)

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 cups Risotto with Mushrooms and Peas, recipe follows, cooled *or check out the previous entry for creamy lemon risotto and follow recipe, but do not add the marscapone, lemon juice and egg yolks. Any leftover risotto will also work.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
1 1/2 cups dried Italian-style bread crumbs
2 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes *fresh mozzerella is great
Salt
1 cup flour for dredging balls
3 eggs beaten

Pour enough oil in a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Be careful that the oil is not too hot or the balls will cook too quickly and the inner cheese will not melt.

Stir the 2 eggs, risotto, Parmesan, basil and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs in a large bowl to combine. Place the remaining breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. If the mixture is too hard to shape, add some more bread crumbs, but keep in mind, it is supposed to be kind of sticky. Place the flour on a plate and the 3 beaten eggs in a medium bowl. Using about 2 tablespoons of the risotto mixture for each, form the risotto mixture into 1 3/4-inch-diameter balls. Insert 1 cube of mozzarella into the center of each ball and make sure that the rice is closed around the cheese so it will not ooze out. Dredge the balls in flour, then dip in egg and finally Roll the balls in the bread crumbs to coat. I refrigerated the balls for a few hours at this point so they would hold their shape better.

Working in batches, add the rice balls to the hot ail and cook until brown 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. The balls can be kept in a 250 degree oven until you are finished. If you don't think they are cooked enough, raise the temperature of the over to 325 and finish cooking for 5 minutes.

Mushroom Risotto with Peas: I used a very simple, basic risotto.
8 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
10 ounces white mushrooms, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or short-grain white rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, optionalBring the broth to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the porcini mushrooms. Set aside until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Keep the broth warm over very low heat.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the white mushrooms and garlic. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the porcini mushrooms to a cutting board. Finely chop the mushrooms and add to the saucepan. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and let it toast for a few minutes. Add the wine; cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, adding more broth by cupfuls and stirring often, about 28 minutes (the rice will absorb 6 to 8 cups of broth). Stir in the peas. Mix in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.