Arancini – it's not difficult

Many things in life are difficult: hitting a curve-ball, Fermat's last theorem, a wife...
These thing require a degree of skill most of us do not possess.

But many things that appear difficult are simply complex. Rebuilding an engine or framing a house both seem like a daunting effort, but when broken down we see that no one step is formidable – there are simply a large number of steps.

So it is with arancini, a task that seems monumental (or at least intimidating) is really no more than time consuming. Now, truth be told, my Sicilian grandmother would be of the opinion that making arancini from scratch makes about as much sense as tits on a bull (sorry Nonna! I'll go to church Sunday). Arancini in Nonna's house was always a way to use up leftover rice. Italians have a deep respect for food and are loath to throw anything away. However I rarely find myself with leftover rice and I think I'll be forgiven for indulging in a bit of nostalgia, so with a Saturday to myself I decided to relive a bit of my childhood and make one of my favorite dishes (plus the kids need to eat dinner and this is one thing they’re always excited about).

I'm following my grandmothers method here. I don't claim this is the most authentic old world recipe but to me it's the only way.
The first thing I need is risotto;

1 ½ cups of Arborio rice quickly browned in 3 tbs olive oil and butter
6 cups of chicken stock heated with 10 saffron threads and 1 cup white wine added ½ cup at a time until the rice is cooked (about 40-45 min.) and then cooled.
NOTE: now this is where you're most likely to go off the rails. The rice should be cooked through but not mushy. Much like meat, the rice will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat. What you want is rice that's just this side of cooked through when you take it off to cool. Too soon and you have crunchy rice, too late and you have mush – this is the ONE thing you just might screw up. So watch it carefully.




For the filling, Nonna always used a simple combination of ground beef, peas, and just enough marinara to keep it together. This is cooled and a generous amount of shredded mozzarella is added.


Now all we have to do is form the balls.
The rice has to be chilled in order to form the balls properly. An egg is added to the rice to act as a binder.


Once mixed the rice is ready for the filling.





We pat out a nice layer of rice in the palm of the hand,





Add some filling,





and gently pull the sides up and over until you have your “little orange”




Lay them out with AP flour to coat and pop in the freezer for just a few minutes to set up.




At this point it's traditional to run these through egg wash and breadcrumbs, but honestly I prefer to make sure they have a good coating of flour and just fry them this way, as is – they can stay in the oil longer without burning and develop a really nice crunchy crust. Served simply with just a bit of home made gravy these are a bit of the old country that, truth be told, are really easy to make if you have the time.





Arancini are not quick. They are not good for a fast weeknight dinner. They are time consuming.

But they aren't difficult and they're worth the effort. If you have (or as in my case, had) a Sicilian grandmother, or even if you're not that fortunate, make some arancini for someone you love.

Great method and shots - can practically taste those. Why just make risotto milanese and ossobuco when you can do them inside-out and spheroid.

Bravo!

I tell you I see a great animal-free version(maybe 2 since my husband hates soy substitutes/meat analogs, aside from tofu) of this coming soon.

It looks wonderful & yes, it is making me hungry.

Hmm, I think I'm putting it on the menu for Veterans' Day at the latest.

Thanks!
I really had a lot of fun with these.

Very nice, indeed. Inspiration taken. I'm contemplating these over xmas vacation (at the inlaws kitchen, of course) to go along with the surf/turf xmas eve dinner that I have somehow become resposible for over the years. Deep fry, or shallow? I'm assuming deep to keep structural integrity of the orbs? The kids are gonna love these.

For a vegetarian version why not chop up and saute onions, eggplant, peppers, peas, and mushrooms finely with cheese, and stuff them with that.

Santander wrote: do them inside-out and spheroid.

All over inside-out and spheroid. Nice.