See the quilt in the opening photograph?  I made that.  A lot of you probably know that I like to make things.  I cook, of course, but I like to knit and sew. I've started writing about what I'm sewing (mostly quilts) for fun and if you are into that sort of thing, I hope you will jump on over to Beech Tree Lane Handmade and follow me there!

Use Arborio Rice to make the risotto 

The recipe I'm sharing with you today is a long time favorite.  It is a popular thing to eat in Sicily. They are fried rice balls, made with risotto and stuffed with various fillings. I've written about them before, making them and stuffing them with meat sauce.  These are smaller and only stuffed with mozzarella.  The risotto is super easy to make - it only takes about 25 minutes and you can make it the day before, which is what I usually do. That breaks up the time it takes to make these over two days. And these freeze great!  So make a batch for the holidays, place them in the freezer until they are frozen and stick them in ziplock bags.  No need to defrost them when you want them - just heat them up in the oven. 

The name arancini comes from the Italian word "arancia", which means orange.  Obviously, these fried rice balls do resemble oranges.  You can make them as big as an orange or as small as a ping pong ball.  It's up to you!  To serve as an appetizer, I do like to make them on the smaller size so they are just a couple of bites. I have made them a bit larger in this post, but you can make them any size you wish. 

I use Japanese bread crumbs, called Panko, for this because I love the extra crispy crust it gives to the arancini. You can certainly use regular bread crumbs if you want to.  

I used to have a Fry Baby for frying foods but after it died, I didn't bother buying another one.  I just use a small sauce pan with high sides to fry things. Works fine. 

these are so delicious - you will love them!

Arancini Stuffed with Mozzarella

for a printable recipe, click here

You can make the batch of risotto the day before, let it cool and stick it in the fridge and then make the arancini the next day if you want. 

If you can't find the little mozzarella "pearls", just buy the larger balls and cube them. 

It helps a lot to have a handled spider strainer to fry these with. 

this recipe makes about 4 cups of risotto - enough to make about 24 small or 16 medium sized arancini 

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons finely minced onions
1¼ cups arborio rice
3 cups chicken broth (approximately)
pinch of saffron threads
¼ cup white wine (optional)
⅓ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1½ cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
½ teaspoon sea salt
about 24 fresh small mozzarella balls, packed in water (called pearls by some brands)
about 3 cups canola oil, for frying 

In a medium sized saucepan (one with sloping sides, like a Chef's pan, is ideal), heat the oil and onions and saute over medium low heat until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and cook, toasting it a bit, for a couple of minutes. Add the white wine and stir, cooking that for a minute.  Add about a cup of the broth, the saffron and keep the heat at medium low, just so the risotto is actively simmering.  When the broth has been absorbed and you can run a spoon through it and see the bottom of the pan, add more broth.   Don't let the rice stick to the bottom.  Stir and let the rice absorb the broth.  It will take about 25 minutes until the risotto is done.  Taste it and see if the kernels are tender.  Keep adding broth until the rice is just tender and has absorbed all the liquid in the pan (but not mushy - you want just a little firmness) and has absorbed all the liquid in the pan.  Remove from the heat, add the cheese and blend.  Spread the rice out onto a large rimmed metal baking sheet and allow to cool.  You can stick it in the fridge at this point until the next day if you want.

placing the risotto on a metal sheet pan and spreading it out cools it down quickly

you can make the rice balls as small or large as you like -
I also like to make them about the size of ping pong balls
for a great appetizer size. You don't need much rice to 
completely cover the mozzarella 

Once the risotto is completely cooled, transfer to a bowl and add the beaten egg.  Blend and refrigerate again for about 10 minutes.  

In a shallow bowl, blend the bread crumbs with the sea salt.  Drain the mozzarella balls of their water. Get a clean rimmed baking sheet out to put the rice balls on. Take a scant ¼ cup of rice (depending on how big you want the arancini) and place it in your hand. Make a dent in the center, stick a mozzarella ball in and cover it up with the rice.  Form into a ball.  Roll around in the bread crumbs until coated and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with all of the rice until you have all the arancini made. 

Take another rimmed baking sheet and place a  wire rack inside.  This is to place the fried rice balls on.  You can place paper towels underneath the rack if you wish.