Arancini di Riso

More commonly known as Rice Balls, these Sicilian treats are usually eaten as appetizers, but because of their size they can also make a great meal. We eat them smothered in homemade sauce, sometimes with a dollop of Ricotta cheese on top. In my opinion, they taste better the next day, after all the flavors have had a chance to merge. The best way to re-heat is in the oven. This recipe is time consuming, there are many steps and a lot of the ingredients need to be made ahead of time and cooled before using. I only make this for special occasions because it's so labor intensive, however you can split the work over 2 days, and then it's not so bad. The other really nice thing about this recipe is that it's so versatile, you can omit the filling, or the peas or put whatever you like in the middle, it's really up to you.

The Sauce

Ingredients

• 2-28 oz cans of crushed imported Italian tomatoes
• 1-28 oz can of peeled imported Italian tomatoes
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large bunch of fresh basil

Method

note: This makes a large "vat" of sauce. I usually make extra and freeze the leftovers.

Wash the fresh basil and set aside. Remove the peeled tomatoes from the can, reserve the liquid, pierce the tomatoes with a fork and squeeze the juice and seeds into a bowl. Strain the liquid to remove the seeds and set aside with the other liquid. Chop the tomato pulp into large chunks and set aside. In a large saucepan, over medium heat sautè the garlic until just brown. I use at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil or enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the garlic is just beginning to brown, add the crushed tomatoes, the chopped tomato pulp and all the reserved liquid. Stir, and reduce heat bringing the mixture slowly to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and if the sauce taste a little bitter, add a pinch of sugar to sweeten it a bit. Once the sauce starts to boil, tear the basil leaves and begin adding to and stirring them into the sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins. and voila! the sauce is done.

The Meat

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste diluted with a ladle full of hot water
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 small onion diced

Method

Sautè the onion and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Add the ground beef and continue cooking until just brown, add the tomato paste that has been diluted with a ladle full of hot water, stir, add salt and pepper to taste, reduce heat and cook for 10 more mins. The mixture should resemble this.

The Peas and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1½ cups fresh or frozen peas
• ½ pound Mozzarella cheese cubed

Simmer the peas until just tender. Drain, and set aside to cool. Once cool, toss the peas with the mozzarella and then combine with the already prepared meat mixture and set aside once more.

The Rice

Ingredients

• 1½ cups Arborio Rice
• 1 teaspoon saffron
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs

Boil the rice in copious amounts of lightly salted water. While the rice is cooking, beat the 2 eggs and set aside. (I know there's a lot of "setting aside", bear with me, the recipe really is worth it). When the rice is tender, drain it and transfer it back to the pot, let it cool slightly, and CAREFULLY FOLD IN the beaten eggs, then add the parmesan cheese and saffron. I can't stress enough the need to be very careful when adding the eggs at this stage, although cooler the rice is still pretty hot and if you're not careful you can actually scramble the eggs while trying to add them in. The mixture should look like this. Allow the mixture to cool enough so that when you are ready to assemble, it will not burn your hands.

Assembling all the Ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 eggs beaten
• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 3 cups of vegetable oil for frying

Add the parmesan cheese to the seasoned bread crumbs and put in a bowl, put the flour in a another bowl, and in another bowl beat the 2 eggs. Assemble your ingredients in a way you find easiest to work with and get reay for the fun part! Thoroughly coat hands with flour,(this is the best way to handle the gooey rice without it sticking to your hands) scoop mixture into one hand, make a well and add about a tablespoon or more of the meat mixture. With your other hand, grab another handful of rice and place on top and do your best to form a ball. Coat with flour, dip in egg, then dip in breadcrumb and set aside, repeat this until you have run out of mixture. Heat Oil to 375 degrees, if you are like me and don't have one of those fancy fryers, please please please invest in a candy/oil thermometer to make sure your oil is at the right temperature. If the temp. of the oil is too low, the rice balls will absorb oil while they are cooking and you will end up with thick greasy balls of rice. Once the oil is at the right temp, add the balls 2 at a time, frying until golden brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Yeild: 4 large rice balls or 8 smaller ones. To serve: Ladle sauce into a dish, add a rice ball and ladle more sauce on top. Enjoy! Written by Deb on December 25, 2002 09:16 PM