When you get children, a lot of things change. You might dress differently and care more or less about things you respectively cared for less or more. You start to scrutinize everything around your babies as either friend/ foe- by this I mean whether it’s safe or not to keep them around. Yes, the usual stuff. But you also start to worry about what YOU eat. Because it might (or not) suddenly hit you that they somewhat end up eating what you eat.
It’s hard enough trying to get your kids to eat anything at all but now top that with trying to get them to chow down on veg. Nudges and fake promises of her getting strong like Popeye the sailor went out the window as I gave in to a pathetic defeat. Where does spinach arancini fit in all this? Keep reading…
While in Sicily I was a bit concerned about what Jenny would and couldn’t eat. The joke was on me when we ordered her a plate of al dente- emphasis on AL DENTE pasta and when she was done it looked like she had dived into the plate from all the sauce on her face. She ate slice after slice of sfincione. And so much arancini I felt stupid for having played it so safe with her meals thus far. But she was my first so you know how it goes….
Anyway, we got back home and I tried to sneak veg in wherever I could. First stop? Arancini with spinach of course. Even though it has taken her a while to get past the chewy consistency of mozzarella, she didn’t have too many problems with the rest.
Arancini doesn’t just have to be filled with only delicate saffron-infused rice. Bolognese sauce, ragu or thank the heavens for arancini filled with fried eggplants. You can safely play around with it to suit your budget and preference. I have since then also made arancini with sautรฉed courgette that I think might be worth your time. Stay tuned for the recipe.
This recipe makes 8 arancini
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Want More Arancini Recipes?
Stir that rich bolognese sauce into some al dente risotto. A heap of parmesan then hide the milky creamy buffalo mozzarella within. Don’t forget to share!
Spinach arancini
(+10 rating, 2 votes)
Loading...Sauteed spinach, mixed in with parmesan filled risotto. The perfect bed for smoked mozzarella to hide underneath. Rolled, breaded and fried to awesomeness!
Ingredients
- 70g spinach
- 100g Arborio rice
- 50g Parmigiano reggiano
- 1 vegetable stock cube/ 1 litre vegetable stock
- 50ml dry white wine
- 125g smoked mozzarella
- 1 finely chopped brown onion
- Olive oil
- Parmigiano rind (optional)
- 1 Cup plain flour
- 1 Cup natural breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
Instructions
Wash the spinach, tip into a pan with a dash of water and steam covered until withered.
Take it off the pan and lay out to cool before squeezing all the water out. After it has cooled, chop it up to as little pieces as possible
Bring water/ vegetable stock if using to a boil
In a wide deep heavy bottomed pan heat 4 tbsps of olive oil and saute the onions until translucent. Add in the rice to toast over high heat for about 1-2 minutes.
Splash in the wine before the onions start to brown and leave that to dissolve then Pour in a few ladlefuls of hot vegetable stock (if using. If you are using a vegetable stock cube then put that in with a few ladlefuls of hot water. Leave to boil on high heat, stirring every so often to avoid the rice sticking. Add the parmigiano rind during this stage if you will be using that as well.
The rice should cook for about 22-25 minutes during which you should have used about 1 litre of water. When the rice is nearly done, at about 18 minutes in- start to add a ladleful at a time to avoid using more water than you need.
When the rice is ready, take it off the fire and scatter the spinach over the rice and sprinkle in the parmigiano; give it a good mix then taste for salt before layering on a wide plate to quicken the cooling period.
In the meantime prepare a bowl with plain flour, another with a whisked egg and the last with the breadcrumbs. Dice the mozzarella
After the rice is cooled, scoop with a tablespoon and make a well with your thumb. Put in the mozzarella and cover with the rice. Shape into a ball then put aside- proceed with the rest of the rice and mozzarella.
Finally use one hand to coat the rice ball with the egg and another to seal with the breadcrumbs.
Bring your frying oil to 190C and fry in small batches making sure not to overcrowd.
Layer on a kitchen towel to soak up excess oil
Serve hot or store leftovers in the fridge for later.
Storage:
Keep in the fridge and consume within 2 days, packs well for lunch
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