Sicilian Arancini

Last Updated on August 11, 2024

Sicilian national dish. Arancini [arancini] are balls of cooked rice, cheese and other ingredients fried in oil and filled with a meat ragout. Try this tried and tested recipe!

Ingredients:

400 g arborio Lagris rice 120 g mozzarella 100 g shaved parmesan 100 g breadcrumbs for coating 50 g butter 1/2 tsp ground saffron 3 pcs egg yolks 2 pcs egg for coating vegetable oil for frying For filling: 300 g ground meat (beef/pork mix) 150 ml 2 tbsp tomato puree 2 tbsp olive oil 1 pk onion freshly ground pepper dried oregano salt

Procedure:

First, make the ragout: heat olive oil in a pan, add the finely chopped onion, fry it to perfection, add the minced meat, fry for a few minutes and then add the tomato paste. Fry for about two minutes with the puree, stirring constantly. Then pour the wine into the pan, season with salt and pepper and add the oregano. Let it bubble slightly until the mixture gets the right thick consistency (so that you can stuff rice balls with it) – it will take about 20 minutes. You can easily make the ragu the day before.

Prepare the rice: put it in 0.8 litres of boiling salted water, add the saffron, and cook it over a low heat until tender. The water should boil off completely (if this happens and the rice is not yet soft, add a little more water and continue cooking for a while). Let the cooked rice cool for a while, meanwhile you can stir in the chopped butter, parmesan cheese and finally the egg yolks. Let the mixture cool down completely, it will be easier to work with.

Prepare everything else: in a bowl, whisk the remaining two eggs, in another bowl pour the breadcrumbs, prepare a plate on which we will put the formed balls. Tear the mozzarella into small pieces. Put a lump of rice porridge in your moistened palm, make a well in the middle, fill it with ragout and a few pieces of mozzarella, cover with rice from above and form a ball the size of a tennis ball.

Coat the ball in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs. Before each subsequent ball, rinse your hands so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands. When the balls are ready, heat the oil in a pan (about half the height of the arancini) and fry them on all sides.

Recommendation:

Serve alone, or topped with various sauces, or perhaps with a crisp salad!