I had a completely different article prepared- that was before I went to Sicily. The birthplace of arancini; but that doesn’t mean they don’t make a killer arancini elsewhere! I have been making this ‘hip enhancing’ deliciousness for quite a while now so I have a rough idea of what it’s all about… well I thought I did.
The authentic Sicilian arancini will vary from my below version which I preferred to omit the peas. I hope you like it
My first Arancini brings us to Naples which is so far one of my favorite places to be. Do not let the Camorra documentaries scare you off, because this is one place that you will go to and might end up not wanting to leave.
Apart from the fact that the southern coast is not far off, there is the food, the scenery, and the little cafes with to die for coffee and pastries. The hospitality, the gelato that doesn’t leave you feeling worried you will lose a tooth! I love this city and cannot wait to go back!! But let’s get back to the arancini introduction, shall we?…
It’s not just rice
Driving through Torre Annunziata, we decided to make a stop at a little family ‘rosticceria’ (a place that sells fried foods) insisting that I needed to try their arancini and croquette. I was intrigued, but as with many places in Napoli- looks can be deceiving.
"Napoli is the place for cozy cafes or 'bar' as they call them with 'to die for' coffee and pastries. And let's not forget gelato that doesn't leave you feeling worried you will lose a tooth." Click To TweetSo we stopped by the store and the structure before me seemed less than appealing. It was an old dilapidated building with a few stools by the window and no customer in sight (I would soon find out that this was because it was lunchtime– eh ehm they take meal times seriously around here). We walked in and for an establishment that sells fried food I expected to be thrown off by the smell but this wasn’t the case.
The service was quick and soon I had these massive rice balls filled with a rich bolognese sauce and mozzarella cheese. I had one, then another, and then I had Fran’s leftover, need I tell you if I liked it? I’ll let you fill in the blanks.
We walked out and I instantly knew this was something I had to try making. I thought “How hard could it be to cook rice and minced meat stew and then put that together into a ball with some cheese in the middle coated in breadcrumbs?”. I was sure I would nail this!!!!
Pride Comes Before a Fall
Well, a lot of things have gone wrong in my endless pursuit to make the perfect arancini. They cracked open during frying, and the end result of the rice was either too dry or too wet. And oh yeah, there was that moment when I shaped them into balls instead of oval shapes and almost got exiled from home. Well, the shape is debatable if you are from Catania or Palermo.
Arancini can be served as an appetizer, at cocktail parties, for lunch, and as a main course. But be warned as they can be very filling so put that into consideration when choosing which course to use them for. This recipe makes 9 arancini.
How to Make Arancini With Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese Sauce
If you don’t already have some bolognese sauce, you can use my recipe below:
3tbp brown onion finely chopped
1 stick celery
100g carrots
150g Minced meat
50ml red wine (optional)
1 vegetable stockpot
400g passata or puree canned plum tomatoes (without seeds)
2 Bay leaves
Leftover parmesan rind (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
In a heavy-based saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes until soft and translucent.
Toss in the celery and leave to sauté with the onions for at least 3 minutes before you add in the carrots for another 2 minutes. Take the vegetables off the fire and set them aside in a bowl as you will now use the same pan to cook the meat.
Tip the meat into the pan and using a wooden cooking spoon ‘break it apart’, make sure there isn’t any ‘water’ from the meat before you add in the wine. Combine well and leave to evaporate then add in the vegetables, bay leaves, parmesan rind, and vegetable stock pot to cook for about 5 minutes.
Pour in the passata, stir the beef, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and leave to simmer for 2 hrs. Stir from time to time to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Leave to cool and portion leftover to freeze and the rest? Well, make someone a special, well-deserved dinner! eh ehm I mean you…
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How About Some Spinach in Your Arancini This Time?
SpinachArancini (Arancini con Spinachi)
Sauteed spinach, mixed in with the parmesan-filled risotto. The perfect bed for smoked mozzarella to hide underneath. Rolled, breaded, and fried to awesomeness!
Arancini with bolognese sauce
(+15 rating, 3 votes)
Loading...Arancini with mozzarella and a rich bolognese sauce.
Ingredients
- 200g bolognese sauce
- 250g arborio rice
- 50ml dry white wine (optional)
- 1 sachet saffron (optional)
- 1 litre plus half cup vegetable stock
- 30g Parmesan
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp finely diced brown onion
- 125 fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup plain flour
- Fine breadcrumbs
- 2 small eggs
- 1 litre of vegetable oil
Instructions
MISE EN PLACE
Stir saffron and wine until dissolved and set aside
Cube mozzarella into sizeable pieces for filling the arancini
Bring vegetable stock to a boil and reduce heat to simmer
RICE
Saute onions over medium heat for 2 minutes or until translucent then add the rice. Constantly stir the rice to toast for about 1 minute. Stop when the onions start to brown
Pour in the wine and quickly coat all the rice until it evaporates then add ladleful of vegetable stock at a time as you constantly stir
Keep adding the veggie stock and stirring until the rice is ready- about 25 minutes (taste for doneness after 20)
Take off the fire and immediately transfer the rice into a large plate or wide bowl to cool completely
ASSEMBLE & SHAPE
Mix the rice with cold bolognese sauce (to bring down the temperature of the rice) and parmesan and leave until completely cooled
Using a tablespoon scoop out a helpful of the mixture and place on the palm of your hand, make an indentation and lay a cube of mozzarella in the middle then cover by folding in the rice mixture over the cheese- set aside on a plate and repeat with the rest of the rice and cheese. Alternatively use an arancinotto for shaping
Set 3 deep plates each with flour, egg and breadcrumbs
Begin breading by rolling the rice ball in flour then egg then breadcrumbs, repeat process with all rice balls
FRYING
In a saucepan bring vegetable oil to an optimum frying temperature on high heat, using a mesh lower rice ball into the oil and deep fry for no more than 3 minutes. (After dropping the rice ball in the oil do not tamper with it, turn it after a minute and a half then remove from the fire after another minute and a half and leave to drain excess oil on a plate layered with a kitchen paper towel.
Serve hot and store leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
Make sure the rice is completely cold before shaping, this will also enable the arancini to remain upright (if using an arancini mould) and keep it from looking floppy after frying.
Storage:
Keep in the fridge and consume within 2 days. Perfect for packed lunch, just heat them up in the microwave and you’re good to go.
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