May 3, 2020–I do not remember exactly where I had my first arancini but I’m pretty sure it was somewhere in Europe. I made these once before for a housewarming in 2013. Arancini are a cheese-filled Sicilian snack. Traditionally you would make them from left over risotto. You use the risotto to make cheese-stuffed balls, then coat them with breadcrumbs and deep-fry them. It is a VERY laborious task but once you make them you will immediately have new friends. They are great as an appetizer or a main meal. I had some arborio rice that I was trying to get rid of so I decided to make a batch. This is A LOT of work so before you undertake this task make sure you have the time and patients. First thing first, let’s make some risotto. You can find numerous recipes on the inter-web. I’m unsure where I got this one from but it required the items below.
Traditionally you would warm up your broth while prepping the rice. In one of the recipes I saw they added a bay leaf, I decided to also add the steams from the mushrooms.
While they were simmering I sautéed the mushrooms followed by the garlic and shallots, then the rice until it turned translucent.
Next I added the vermouth until it was absorbed. Normally you would add about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and stir it until it was absorb. The inter-web had a no stir version where you add all of the stock, reduce to low, and simmer until it is absorbed.
Once the rice was the right consistency I stared in the chopped mushrooms then three different types of cheese until it was creamy.
I had some green onions that I had lying around so I decided to add those for a pop of color.
If you wanted you could just end here and enjoy a big bowl of mushroom risotto. From start to finish, I’ve invested about 2 1/2 hours which includes the time to take pictures.
The next part goes a bit faster especially if you have some help. The risotto needs to cool for a minimum of one hour. I used a procedure from Serious Eats. Set up your mise en place of chopped mozzarella cheese, Italian breadcrumbs, and a flour/water slurry.
The process is straight forward. I used a cookie scoop to dose out equal sized balls. Once the balls were formed I filled them with a piece of cheese, rolled them in the flour/water slurry, then the breadcrumbs.
At this point you can freeze the balls or fry them up until golden brown.
Once cooled, enjoy with some fresh basil and your favorite homemade or store bought Mariana sauce or pesto.
