Arancini de Riso
Arancini di Riso means "Little Oranges of Rice" in Italian. My Auntie Maria told me that as a child walking home from school she and her friends would buy Arancini from the street vendor in Rome. The little Arancini were piping hot, freshly fried, crispy balls of rice. One evening she whipped up a batch, using the deep fryer out on the deck. Heavenly. The following recipe is an alteration from her’s and from Arthur Schwartz’s, "Naples at the Table."
- 1 Cup Arborio Rice
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tbsp tomato puree*
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch white pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 cup plus dry bread crumbs**
- 2 balls fresh Mozzarella
- 20 fresh whole basil leaves
- oil for deep fat frying (avocado, peanut or canola)
- 1 jar home made Marinara***
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Boil rice until tender. Put rice in a mixing bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
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Stir in the beaten eggs, tomato puree or marinara, salt and pepper and the grated Parmigiano. Refrigerate until cold. -
Place the breadcrumbs on a plate.
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Cut Mozzarella into ½” cubes, take a basil leaf and wrap the Mozzarella.
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Keeping hands moist and using a soup spoon, scoop up rice and insert the Mozzarella with basil leaf. Surround the Mozzarella with rice creating a small ball. -
Roll the ball in breadcrumbs, attempting to maintain a round shape.
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At 375 degrees, deepfry the balls until golden, about 3 minutes depending on the size of the ball.
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Test one to insure that the temperature is hot enough to create a firmly crisp exterior. If the balls begin to break, you are either cooking too long or at too high a temperature. Serve as they are or with Marinara Sauce.***
*I prefer to use my homemade Marinara, which I can in the summer using the best fresh tomatoes, etc.
**If I don’t have a ready supply of dried breadcrumbs, I will toast a few slices of Gayle’s Capitola Sourdough and put them in the food processor.
Making the balls
Roll the balls in bread crumbs
