Arancini: Little Orange Joys

Arancini.  It literally means little orange.  But it is so much more than that.  These deep fried, cheese-stuffed, risotto balls look like tiny little oranges but they taste like delicious goodness (not that oranges aren’t great either).  Originating from Sicily, arancini are the perfect solution for leftover risotto – and let’s face it, leftover risotto is just not quite as good as the freshly made stuff.  But trust me, these deep-fried joys will have you tripling your next risotto recipe in order to make sure that you have enough to make a few batches of arancini. 

The more traditional kind of arancini is made with a ragu filling, but the possibilities are endless.  We made ours with a mozzarella filling and were really happy with the results.  You can also turn arancini into a dessert.  Simply swap risotto with rice pudding and fill it with nutella, chocolate, or dried fruit.

Arborio, perhaps the most common risotto rice, is the star of arancini.  So, I thought it apt to spend a little bit of time exploring the history of the short and plump grain of rice.  Rice was introduced to Italy and Spain by the Arabs in the Middle Ages.  The Mediterranean’s humid climate makes it particularly easy for the region to grow short-grain rice varieties.  In fact, it was Piedmontese rice (a variety of short-grain rice) that eventually became appreciated as risotto during the 15^th century and Milan was where it all happened.  Why Milan?  Well, the answer is two-fold.  Milan had been under Spanish rule for close to two centuries (1559-1714) and the Spanish left behind two important culinary legacies: a love of rice dishes (think paella) and a love of slow cooking (think osso bucco).  Risotto essentially marries these two things together. 

Arborio rice is the star of arancini.

But back to the arancini now.  Here is the recipe we used.  As I previously mentioned, arancini are great because they are so easy to make and there are so many ways for you to make them.   I would encourage you to play around with the types of risotto you make and the stuffings you use.  I’m sure no matter what you choose, it will turn out delicious. 

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Ingredients

(I specifically chose not to include precise measurements since I don’t think you really need them.  Start by using a bit of everything and add more if you feel like you need it.)

Leftover risotto – check out the recipe we used here.

Mozzarella cheese (cut into 1 cm cubes)

Breadcrumbs - I measure it out a cup at a time

Eggs (beaten) – I would start with two and add more as needed

Oil – make sure you have a couple of litres on hand

Take a spoonful of leftover risotto and shape it into a ball. 

Using a finger, dig a little hole into the ball and place a piece (or two, or three) of mozzarella in the middle. 

Dip each ball into the beaten egg and then role it around in the breadcrumbs until it is well covered and set aside. 

Continue shaping, dipping, and rolling until you are all out of risotto.

Now here comes the trickier part: frying.  Place enough oil to completely submerge the balls in a large heavy-bottomed pot.  It is really important that the oil be very hot when you place the rice balls in the water. 

-       I would recommend testing a rice ball out before really beginning to fry them all. 

-       You will know that your oil isn’t hot enough if your rice balls start to fall apart as they cook in the oil. 

Once you are happy with your oil’s temperature, let the frying begin.  I did about 5-6 rice balls at a time, but depending on the size of your pot you could do more or less.  Fry each batch until they are golden brown (in my case that was about 4-5 minutes).  Remove from the pot and let sit on a tray.   

(If you have a deep-fryer it’s really not that tricky.  I would recommend frying the balls for about 5 minutes at a high temperature.  It is important not to put too many into the fryer and overcrowd them.)

Because we needed to reheat our arancini the next day, we placed them directly on a cookie sheet because we wanted to reserve as much oil as possible.  If you are going to serve them right away, it might be better to lay them out on sheets of paper-towel so that some of the oil gets absorbed. 

Recently fried arancini cooling down on a cookie tray.

Arancini can also be frozen.  Once they have been fried, let them cool and place them in a large ziplock bag or in a Tupperware.  When you want to serve them just take them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven to heat them up.

Happy cooking,

Lavender