Arancini (Rice balls)

Arancini (Rice Balls)

Duration: 1 h 30 min

Difficulty: Medium

Origin: Sicily

Rice arancini, or arancine are a Sicilian specialty known and appreciated throughout Italy. Small rice balls generally stuffed with peas, cheese and ragù,  but there are many variations, they are then breaded and fried and eaten hot both as a single meal and as an appetizer. Real street food, they are called this because of their size similar to that of an orange.

Ingredients

For 4 people:

• 400 g of rice
• 1 sachet of Saffron
• 4 tablespoons of grated Pecorino
• 6 Eggs
• 100g of Provola
• Breadcrumbs to taste
• Flour to taste
• Fry oil
• salt

To prepare the pea ragout:

• 200 g of minced beef
• 80 g of peas
• 1 Onion
• ½ glass of white wine
• 2 tablespoons of tomato concentrate
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Pepper
• salt

How to proceed

Let’s start with the preparation of the pea ragù used to fill the arancino.

Take a saucepan, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a finely sliced onion. Brown the onion until it is well browned (4-5 minutes) then add the minced meat, browning it well until it is browned (about 10 minutes). Stir often so that the minced meat does not stick together and form lumps. Finally, add half a glass of white wine and season with salt. Let all the wine evaporate then add the pomegranate peas and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, after diluting it in a cup of hot water. Add a grated black pepper and cover. Let the ragù cook for about three quarters of an hour. Check it every now and then to make sure it isn’t drying too much.

In the meantime, let’s take care of preparing the rice. Take a pan, fill it with water and bring to the boil. When it boils, add a pinch of salt and pour in the rice. Boil the rice and drain it when it is still al dente. Drain it well and then pour it into a bowl. Add a sachet of saffron dissolved in a spoonful of water, then 4 spoons of grated pecorino. Separately, shell 2 eggs in a bowl and then beat them. Pour the beaten egg into the rice and mix all the ingredients so that they blend well. Then let the rice cool.

Cut the provola into slices and then into large cubes. Separately, beat 2 more eggs. And finally prepare two containers or plates with the breadcrumbs and the flour. Wet your hands, and with wet hands form rice oranges by inserting a cube of provola cheese and a spoonful of pea ragù into the center. Then compact it well and pass it in flour. Wait a couple of minutes for them to dry and then dip them in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.

Take a frying pan and fill it with frying oil. Bring it to a high temperature and fry the rice balls one after the other. Once golden and crispy, remove them from the frying pan.

Serve the rice balls as soon as they are removed from frying. If anything, no problem. You can then serve them in a future meal by heating them a little in the oven.