This Arancini recipe will help you create those delicious little rice balls that are stuffed, breaded & fried Sicilian finger food tradition!
It’s key to use Arborio rice (risotto) due to this rice having more starch in it, resulting in a firmer & creamier rice- perfect for making rice balls!
Our recipe calls for minced onion and garlic but did you know if you don’t have fresh on hand just use our dried forms of minced onion and garlic? Add an equal part of water to the amount you need in a little dish and let it reconstitute/rehydrate, only takes about a minute and then good as fresh for your recipes.
This Sicilian snack food has been around for over 1000 years originally eaten as a feast celebration food, then taken on hunts and now a favorite appetizer on most Italian restaurant menus
And you can cook these in your instant pot too!!!
Arancini : Sicilian Rice Balls
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (or our dried Chopped Onion)
1 clove garlic, crushed (or our dried Roasted Minced Garlic)
1-2 tablespoons Italian Herb Seasoning
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
2?½ cups boiling chicken stock
½ cup frozen green peas
2 ounces finely chopped ham
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil for deep frying
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring until onion is soft but not browned. Pour in the rice, and cook stirring for 2 minutes, add the Italian Herb Seasoning then stir in the wine, and continue cooking and stirring until the liquid has evaporated. Add hot chicken stock to the rice 1/3 cup at a time, stirring and cooking until the liquid has evaporated before adding more.
2.) When the chicken stock has all been added, and the liquid has evaporated, stir in the peas and ham. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Transfer the risotto to a bowl, and allow to cool slightly.
3.) Stir the beaten egg into the risotto. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and milk with a fork. For each ball, roll 2 tablespoons of the risotto into a ball. Press a piece of the mozzarella cheese into the center, and roll to enclose. Coat lightly with flour, dip into the milk mixture, then roll in bread crumbs to coat.
4.) Heat oil for frying in a deep-fryer or large deep saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the balls in small batches until evenly golden, turning as needed. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while the rest are frying.