Arancini. Italian for “loves food”

Have you ever tried arancini? These are rice balls that originated in Sicily, Italy. Basically, arancini are small, savory street food snacks or antipasti. But arancini aren’t just well-known for being delicious. There’s also much dispute about what they call them, made more dramatic by the fact that Sicilians are extremely passionate about their food. In Eastern Sicily, people call one of these balls arancino (the masculine form of the word). In Western Sicily however, particularly in the Palermo region, they refer to the snack in the feminine, as arancina. There, they believe that the word is feminine because the spherical-shaped snack reminded the creator of an orange (arancia in Italian).

They offer a satisfying bite of rice, cheese and tangy ragu sauce, but probably the best thing about them is how easy and affordable they are to make. I really like this recipe because it is not only easy, but the flavours really POP and the overall bite (mouthfeel) is extremely nice – creamy and cheesy and wonderful.

Overall, I need to make these more often! Especially given that my boyfriend is rather extremely Italian and has as much of a love of food as I do. Maybe this week sometime…?

Italian Rice Balls (Arancini):

· 3 tbsp. salted butter

· 1 tbsp. olive oil

· ½ cup onion, diced

· 2 cloves garlic, minced

· ½ cup white wine

· 1½ cups long-grain white rice (jasmine is nice)

· 1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

· 1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped

· 1 tsp. fresh basil, chopped

· 4 cups chicken broth, divided

· ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for garnish

· Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

· 8-oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 18 chunks

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

· 3 large eggs, beaten

· 1 ½ cups Italian-style breadcrumbs

· Vegetable oil, for frying

1) In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and oil. Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and translucent and beginning to caramelize (about 15 minutes). Add garlic to the pan and saute for 1 or 2 minutes longer

2) Pour the white wine into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half (about 5 minutes)

3) Add rice and fresh herbs to the pan and stir to combine

4) Stir in 2 cups of the chicken broth and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Add the remaining broth, a single ladle full at a time, stirring and allowing the liquid to be absorbed into the rice before adding the next ladle of broth. Continue cooking, stirring, and adding broth until the rice is soft and cooked completely, and all of the liquid has been absorbed (about 30 minutes)

5) Remove rice from the heat and stir in parmesan cheese until melted and evenly distributed. Season to taste with salt and pepper

6) Spread the rice mixture into a pan to cool (cool for an hour or two or even refrigerate overnight)

7) Use a large spoon or a cookie dough scoop to scoop the rice into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Flatten the rice into a pancake or open bowl shape. Place a chunk of mozzarella cheese in the center of the rice and wrap the rice up around the mozzarella chunk. Roll the rice into a smooth ball

8 ) Begin heating the cooking oil in a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven. Make sure the oil is several inches deep. Heat the oil to precisely 375°F (this will take 15 minutes or so)

9) Prepare your dredging station. Set up three shallow bowls – one with the flour, one with the eggs, and one with the breadcrumbs

10) Dip each rice ball in the flour, then into the eggs, and then into the breadcrumbs. Coat all of the rice balls on all sides. Roll them around until they are golden brown (about 1 minute total)

11) Lift the fried rice balls from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to soak up any excess oil

12) Garnish with a bit of parmesan cheese and freshly chopped herbs. Serve hot with marinara or your favorite dipping sauce