members recipes

Arancini (Sicilian Stuffed Rice Balls)

Added by Allora Andiamo | Wed 28 Jan 2009 @ 12:03

Report recipe
Print
Send to a friend

Ingredients
Makes approx• 10 arancini

For the rice mixture:
500g risotto rice
approx• 800ml of hot chicken/beef stock
1 tbsp butter
1 med.egg
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan

The filling:
200g minced beef
3/4 cup peas,frozen or fresh
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup passata (pureed tomatoes)
10 small cubes of cheese (edam, mozzarella,or any good \'melting\' cheese)
Salt and pepper to taste.

For the coating:
2 beaten eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper
about 300g dried breadcrumbs

Oil for deep frying

Optional:
A good book
1 bottle of wine
Some almond biscotti

Method
[b]Arancini (Little Oranges) are another Sicilian specialty. Just about every Italian housewife has her own special recipe and this is mine. The arancini can be stuffed with meat sauce and cheese, just cheese, cheese and ham and even with chocolate (using a sweet version of the risotto). The possibilities are endless !
Oh and start preparing them at least 2 hours before you need them , to allow cooking time for the sauce and cooling down time for the rice mixture.[/b]

[i]First things first-the rice mixture[/i]
You\'re basically going to be making a simple risotto. Just melt the butter in a large pan and add the rice. Fry it gently for a few minutes. Next add a ladleful of stock, stirring it into the rice, until most of the stock has been absorbed. Add the next ladeful and repeat the process till the rice is cooked and creamy (about 15-20mins). Let the mixture cool down to room temerature then add the beaten egg and parmesan cheese, mixing well with your hands. Put it in the fridge and let it get really cold (at least 1 hour).

Now sit down for a few minutes, read your book, drink a glass of wine and nibble some almond biscotti.:)

[i]Next, make the sauce[/i]
Start by frying the minced meat in the olive oil. When its lightly browned add the garlic and fry for another couple of minutes. Next, add the tomato paste and fry gently for a further minute or so. Then add the passata, peas and some salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer gently for about 30mins , stirring often. You should end up with a dryer version of bolognese sauce. Leave to cool.

Sit down again, have another glass of wine and more biscotti...if you can still read then do so !;)

Now comes the fun part. Get all of your ingredients together on your work surface (close to the sink is best !).Wet your hands with cold water then start by picking up a handful of the rice mixture. Put it in your left hand. Now cup your hand and push the rice in and around your hand to make a mould for the filling. Take a good tablespoon of the meat sauce and place it in the mould. Add a cube of cheese. Wet your \'working\' hand again and pick up some more of the rice mixture (a bit less this time). Lay it in your right hand and using the back of your left hand press the rice down a bit to make a little lid. Place on top of the filling, gently squeezing and rolling the arancini till you get a nice round shape (about the size of a tennis ball). When you\'ve finished rolling the arancini put them back in the fridge for about 30mins to firm up.

Whilst your waiting, lie down on the sofa, have another glass of wine and some biscotti, then have a little snooze:)

Take the arancini out of the fridge and coat them with the beaten egg and then the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil over a medium heat. A one inch bread cube should take about 60 seconds to brown at the right temperature. Fry the arancini till golden and crispy (about 5-6 mins) then drain on some kitchen paper. You can eat them as a snack or if you prefer to make a meal out of them, serve them with a nice rocket salad.

Enjoy :D

tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by John on Sun 07 Apr 2013 @ 21:46

Come on Mary, give it a rest... if Sicilia is famous for anything it's the number of cultural influences in the architecture, history and yes... cucina !!! Traditional Sicilian is Italian, Greek, Arab, Spanish, Gothic........

2. by Rebecca on Wed 06 Mar 2013 @ 10:22

Does anyone know if I can re-heat theses in the oven the next day? I realise they are best cooked fresh in the fryer but I need to re-heat and make the day before if possible. Any suggestions appreaciated :)

3. by BevDowg on Fri 27 Jul 2012 @ 17:56

The riceballs can also be baked at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, instead of frying, and made with brown rice or a mixture of arborio and brown rice for a healthier version. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or spray with cooking spray before baking to get a rich golden color

4. by Jen on Sat 02 Jun 2012 @ 03:08

Great arancini. My family love these. Easy and delicious. Mary - take a chill pill. You obviously did not read this recipe and neglected to drink the wine. Watch out Susan you will end up with a horses head in your bed!

5. by GG on Mon 21 May 2012 @ 13:23

My favourite version of these has always been with spinach & mozzarella but really looking forward to trying with various "left overs" now. The garlic yoghurt sounds a yummy alternative also. - Mary, don't be so aggressive! Different cultural influences lead to some amazing food evolution, shame on you for such negativity!

6. by dinner.teaser on Wed 02 May 2012 @ 22:14

hi!! we are running a blog with short video recipes. have a look at our version of arancini here: http://dinnerteaser.tumblr.com/post/21841125945/ingredients-onion-carrot-celery-peas-minced buon appetito

7. by Kim on Tue 24 Apr 2012 @ 17:40

I love Umberto's of New Hyde Park's rice balls and these are the closest i've ever made. Thanks for the recipe!

8. by Sarina on Sun 22 Apr 2012 @ 10:21

Shush Mary you weirdo you can have anything with anything no matter if its sicilian or not.. jees. Food should be fun there shouldnt be any rules...

9. by Mary on Fri 13 Apr 2012 @ 05:09

A message for Susan: you DO NOT pour yoghurt on Arancini, they are Italian NOT Turkish. I think I know what I am talking about as arancini have been in my Sicilian family for many many years. Sicilian food ought to be eaten the traditional way not with other culture influences on top it.

10. by Lisa Hailes on Fri 16 Dec 2011 @ 22:01

Im from a very traditional English family but have lots of Italian friends as I live in a huge Italian community. I'm always trying lots of things their family have made (namely their nona) so my friend Sabrina told me to give these a try @ Christmas as I'm quite a guru in the kitchen. I had them @ my friend Natalias daughters holy communion so I know how good they taste 'hot & cold'. If they're good I shall bake some for my Italian friends for crimbo! Xx

11. by J0 on Mon 05 Dec 2011 @ 09:11

Close but being a Sicilian and helping my mother make these since I was 5 dont use Mince meat but chunks of chuck steak. Dont have to worry about making risotto, boil the rice and mix in the sauce ( passata) then use egg yolk to bind.Only use Pecorino cheese for flavour and some diced up good qualify ham for the middle together with the chuck steak cooked in sicilian home made passata.

12. by Hannah Lawrence on Sat 06 Aug 2011 @ 15:23

tried these in Italy when i was about 10 or so and new them to be named as "left overs" as the local people called them. for years I wanted to try them again and when visiting your italian in London (which is amazing by the way best service and food you will get anywhere) came across them 9 years later. loved them and thought i would try making them my self. may have come out a bit oddly shaped but were delicious thanks Jamie :)

13. by Geneve on Fri 05 Aug 2011 @ 22:13

This is the best arancini recipe on the internet, hands down. I come from a long line of Sicilian arancini-making women, and was looking to supplement my current recipe notes (dictated by a grumpy nonna who at the time was really in no mood to be playing the role of "teacher"). It really filled in the gaps, though, and this recipe is really the most realistic, readable, and delicious one out there. Seriously, guys, don't waste your time with fancy FoodNetwork.com stuff on this one. These do the trick and give you the general "gist" of arancini cooking for you to be able to improvise if you want to. I used ground hot Italian sausage, added saffron to my chicken stock, and added parsley to the finished risotto and basil to the stuffing. This recipe, though, gave me the footing to do everything that I remembered eating as a kid.

14. by Susan Diffey on Sat 30 Jul 2011 @ 03:01

My beautiful neice & I tried these from her memory after previously reading the recipe- bloody delicious but we also made a mix of tub Greek natural yogurt in a saucepan, mixed with same tub of water and add 10 crushed garlic cloves. Heat slowly on low (careful as intense heat will break the yogurt and then it will curdle) You can add a small handful or fresh or dried mint to the yogurt for freshness in the mouth. When Aranchini is ready pour the garlic yogurt over the balls - double delicious as it is thick like a soup ...yummmo

15. by Jacqui Shiels on Mon 13 Jun 2011 @ 01:03

I love trying different variations to this recipe i made some fresh basil pesto and added goats cheese, also pumpkin, pinenuts and goats cheese... served with chiili jam very yummy....... everyone wants the recipe.... oh and a few glasses of vino too!!

16. by Avi on Fri 29 Apr 2011 @ 18:36

A chicken vindaloo version would be well pukka!!!

17. by francesca on Sat 16 Apr 2011 @ 11:28

ive tried these in italy and didnt know what they were called absolutely loved them!!! now its about time i made them ,,,, thanks jamie :) xxx francesca x

18. by kiran varma on Thu 10 Mar 2011 @ 14:44

i tried ang got nearly same thing as it is in the picture .but they were great with tomato sauce :)

19. by kate on Tue 15 Feb 2011 @ 06:23

I havent tried these yet, but am very keen - but wondered if its possible to bake these instead of deep frying them?

20. by Vivian on Sun 30 Jan 2011 @ 09:29

I made a slightly varied version of these just now - more as a way of using up left over risotto from last nights dinner. I used a slightly varied version of Jamie Oliver's basic risotto recipe, and turned it into a mushroom and asparagus risotto which was delicious in its own right, then used some mozzarella from the fridge as an ad-hock filling for the arancini (partly as we're a vegetarian house too). Delicious! My other half is spoiling his dinner as we speak from them being just too good to resist! Thanks guys!

21. by James Blake on Sat 01 Jan 2011 @ 07:15

chimminey cholesworth

22. by Sonya on Wed 29 Dec 2010 @ 00:09

I 1st tasted these when I want to Jamie's Italian in Cardiff back in Oct....I love cooking and love food...when I tasted these I knew I could make them and must admit that I did the minute I arrived back in Ireland I prepared them all....I love the recipe you have here, However I don't use the parmesan or egg in the rice when risotto is finished cooking and I normally use Paella rice which is the same really....I usually fill mine with cubes of mushroom, Mozzarella and some Basil......and normally make a nice marinara sauce to pour over them when they have finished cooking...so far all my friends and family who have tasted them loved them......the best thing about them is that you can put anything into the centre it's entirely down to your likes which is perfect........

23. by Little Mato on Tue 16 Nov 2010 @ 13:00

Now here is my recipe, I hope this is not a Complete Heresy ;))
I make the arancini's rice mixture with... Basmati rice :)
It gives to the 'risotto' this fabulous aroma, but softness too. The balls are not so hard as the original arancini, but are still absolutely delicious! I stuff them with goat cheese, or feta, or bulgarian sheep kashkaval cheese :) m-mmm ;)

24. by Kirsty on Sun 14 Nov 2010 @ 20:55

This recipe is brilliant, it's the best recipe for Arancinis by far! They always turn out really well from following this one, although I'm not sure if it's because of the instructions to drink wine and read a book whilst making it, I'm sure this adds to the end result!!!

25. by Jazz on Wed 03 Nov 2010 @ 19:39

Awesome recipe! I've just come back from Sicily and i loved these, so the first thing i looked up was how to make them and i got this recipe, i'll be using it this weekend! Thanks!

26. by Nima Boscarino on Fri 24 Sep 2010 @ 20:44

Hiya! I know im a bit behind the times here, but I wanted to put my two cents in. Im only a teenager, with no real cooking skills (other than the fact that im in an italian family), so for my parents anniversary i decided to make arancini. (My parents have made arancinis in a looong time due to a ton of stuff going on => no time) So here I was! I DID modify the recipe using mayonnaise instead of eggs (:P) because we didnt have any, and I mixed long brown rice with short risotto rice because there wasnt enough. But anyways, I'm still waiting for the arancini to finish cooling before I fry them, and Im really excited! Your recipe is easy to read and easy to execute! I just hope I did everything right and that my parents will love the arancini!

Thanks :D

27. by Maria on Fri 10 Sep 2010 @ 02:06

I come from an Italian background and have used this recipe many times over, for the family and for parties etc. Everyone who has eaten them has commented on how delicious they were. On one occasion I made them the night before but found that they lost their firmness when I fried them. Made on the day they are just delicious!

28. by Adam on Thu 31 Dec 2009 @ 15:50

I made mini versions of these for Canapés, but coated in fine cous cous/ semolina instead of breadcrumbs. It gave a realy crunchy filling which contrasted nicely with the creamy rice and melting cheese.

29. by Lisa on Thu 24 Dec 2009 @ 02:15

I''m going to have my first go at making these for Christmas lunch tomorrow. I hope they work and hope my Sicilian in-laws are suitably impressed. I'd better go and get started, these instructions have been really helpful.

30. by Jacqui on Fri 24 Jul 2009 @ 19:12

Perfect! After eating these lovely arancini in Sicily I looked for and at many different recipes, this is the best and closest to what I remembered. Yum yum!