Arancini — a traditional Italian dish originating from Sicily. These are fried rice balls that usually have a filling of meat, cheese, peas, or ricotta. They are coated with a crispy breadcrumb exterior and deep-fried to a golden brown.
The name "arancini" comes from the Italian word "arancia", which translates to "orange." It originated due to the shape and color of the rice balls, which resemble small oranges.
Arancini is made from the same rice used for risotto. Thrifty Sicilians often prepare them from this dish. For example, after a family dinner, there might be some leftover rice. The next day, you can make arancini from it since the rice is already cooked and doesn't need to be boiled again.
That's why we decided to make arancini, as we had 2 servings of parmesan risotto left from dinner. We explained how to prepare it in the previous post.
You can also simply boil fresh rice, and the dish will not be worse for it ;)
Time required: up to 1 hour
Difficulty: 3 out of 5
Servings: 2
Cost of ingredients: average
We will need:
400 g of boiled rice
150 g of ground beef
½ onion
¼ carrot
35 ml of dry white wine
50 g of tomato paste
mixed spices (“Italian herbs”)
breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons of flour
oil for frying
продуктовий набір
Step 1: prepare the filling
To prepare the filling, we decided to make a meat sauce bolognese. We minced the beef and finely chopped the onion and carrot.
перемелюємо яловичину
нарізка цибулі та моркви
We start by sautéing the onion and carrot, then add the wine and let it evaporate.
розігріваємо пательню
підсмажуємо цибулю
додаємо моркву
додаємо та випарюємо вино
After the wine has evaporated, we add the ground beef and season it with salt. We stir with a spatula to ensure the sauce has an even consistency, without lumps of meat.
вводимо фарш
We add the tomato paste (you can use canned tomatoes), and the mixture of Italian herbs.
додаємо томатну пасту та спеції
We simmer for another 10-15 minutes, turn off the heat, and let it cool slightly. We taste for salt and adjust the flavors if necessary.
Step 2: form the rice balls
We have 375 g of risotto left, so we divided it into portions of 60-63 grams.
поділене на порції "вчорашнє" різотто
Forming a rice ball is not difficult. In the palm of your hand, flatten the rice mixture (almost to the size of your entire palm) and place 1-2 teaspoons of filling.
розплескуємо кульку
додаємо начинку
Pinch the edges, tightly roll the ball. The filling must be completely enclosed! We form all the remaining balls in the same way.Beat the egg, prepare plates with flour and breadcrumbs. First, coat each ball in flour, then in egg, and finally in breadcrumbs.
обвалюємо у борошні
потім - у яйці
і у панірувальних сухарях
It's time to fry them.
Step 3: frying
Before we start coating the formed balls in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, we filled a saucepan with oil and placed it on the heat. By the time we were coating the balls, the oil had heated to working temperature. Carefully lower the balls into the saucepan and fry for literally 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
обсмажуємо
Remove from the saucepan, place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess fat. Serve hot, as an appetizer or a full main dish, and enjoy!
готова страва
