A 'Super Bowl' di Arancini (recipe)

On Sunday we headed off to watch the Super Bowl with some friends. As an appetizer, I decided to make Arancini. Arancini means "little oranges" in Italian, and they are the dish I miss the most since since moving home from Italy. The breaded balls are traditionally filled with risotto and cheese, but sometimes contain meat (sausage or pancetta) or vegetables (such as peas or diced mushrooms). The arancini in Italy were about the size of real oranges- a single one would be enough for lunch, and I liked how the rice, cheese, and entire meal came in such a tidy and delicious package. It was nice to order one and be able to eat it single handed while walking down the street. They were easier to find in southern Italy-Napoli and Siracusa, but I remember eating them in Rome as well, and I have never found anything quite the same in America. I actually love arancini so much that I was afraid to make them- it's intimidating to try and replicate something so wonderful, and I wasn't sure I would actually be able to make them hold together and fry them without ruining them. Well, the good news is- it can be done! Since I was attempting appetizers, I settled on the simple risotto and cheese varity, and made them about the size of golf balls, rather than the baseball sized ones I remember so fondlly. They were not as daunting as I imagined, and were worth the effort! The recipe below is for the small, vegetarian arancini that I just described. I plan to try large ones with different fillings next.

Arancini
(makes 20-25 individual balls)

Ingredients:

Several cups of Olive oil
or alternate cooking oil (not extra virgin- it becomes bitter when used with high heat)
2 shallots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons dried basil leaves, ground
freshly ground salt and pepper
1 1/3 cup dry Arborio rice
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
Provolone cheese, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (20-25 total)

Step 1: Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, once around the pan. Saute shallots, dried basil, salt, pepper, and garlic (until fragrant, with shallots turning translucent ~2 minutes), then add dry rice. Stir, mixing shallots, garlic, oil and rice, and continue to cook for 2 minutes more.

Step 2: Add 1 cup vegetable stock. Turn heat to medium-low, and simmer. Stir constantly, until liquid is nearly gone. Then add the next cup of vegetable stock. Continue to stir, and reduce liquid once more. Then add water, 1 cup at a time, continuously stirring until liquid is nearly absorbed. (you can reduce 4 cups of stock if you prefer, but I didn't want it to be too salty) Risotto should be creamy, but individual grains of rice should be just tender- not mushy. The whole process of reducing and stirring to cook risotto should take about 20 minutes.

Step 3: Set risotto aside in a bowl or dish and let it cool to around room temperature. Add eggs, and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs to risotto, stir to evenly mix. Pour 2 cups breadcrumbs into a bowl for breading.

Step 4: Run hands under water until just damp. Pick up a small handful of risotto-egg mixture in one hand. Gently squeeze it and form it into a golf ball sized sphere that will hold its form. Take one cube of cheese, and press it into the center of the ball. Pinch/pat risotto into place to fill hole. Roll stuffed risotto ball in the bowl of bread crumbs, coating with a thin but even layer. Place ball onto a dish or cookie sheet. Repeat this process, making a total of 20-25 arancini. It works best to rinse/dampen hands between each ball.

Step 5: Place a sauce pan over the burner, and fill with olive oil so that the oil is about 1 1/2 - 2 inches deep. Heat over medium heat to around 350 degrees. I don't have a thermometer for this- but I know the temperature is correct when small bubbles are continuously rising, and the balls immediately sizzle when dropped into the oil. The balls should not be falling apart or sticking to the bottom (oil is too cool). They also should not be blackening, and the oil should not be smoking, popping, or emiting a burning/stinky smell (too hot).

Step 6: Cook arancini in batches. Gently drop 4-5 arancini into the oil, and cook for 2-3 minutes. They need to cook all of the way through, and the cheese needs to melt. The outside should become crisp and firm. Use metal tongs or a slotted spoon to remove arancini from the oil, and place them on a plate, on top of a couple of paper towls to drain any excess oil. The arancini should be golden brown, with a crispy shell.

Step 7: Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes atop paper towels. Serve hot (cheese inside should be melted). If you are not going to eat/serve immediately, heat the oven to 200 degrees, and put a baking dish or tray inside as you start to cook the arancini. After they have drained for a couple of minutes, transfer them to the warming dish inside of the oven until you are ready to serve them or take them to your party. Enjoy!

(A guy at an Italian deli once told me that these also reheat in the microwave fairly well- but I didn't try it because there weren't any left).

variations: as mentioned above, you can make any type of risotto for this recipe. I have had arancini with mushroom risotto and with lemon-Parmesan risotto before. Red pepper flakes, pesto, or sage are nice herbs for seasoning. They are also good stuffed with peas, sausage, or other favorite foods.