Italian Rice Balls

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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Active time: 45 minutes

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Start to finish: 3 hours, including 2 hours to chill mixture

VARIATIONS

Add ¹/₂ teaspoon crushed saffron to the stock, and the rice balls will take on a bright yellow color.

Cook ¹/₃ pound chopped wild mushrooms in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and add them to the risotto as it cooks.

Add 2 cups chopped fresh spinach or ¹/₂ of a 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach to the risotto as it cooks.

Stir 1 cup pureed cooked asparagus into the stock while making the risotto.

Add ¹/₄ cup chopped fresh herbs (some combination of parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary) to the risotto as it cooks.

Instead of mozzarella, form the rice balls around a cube of cooked Italian sausage.

In Italian, arancini means “little oranges,” and these cheese-stuffed rice balls are a staple of Sicilian cooking. They go together quickly if you have some leftover risotto, so be sure to make some extra.

Risotto:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups arborio rice

³/₄ cup white wine

5 cups chicken stock, heated to just below simmer

³/₄ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rice balls:

2 large eggs

2 cups risotto, chilled

¹/₂ cup freshly grated Parmesan

1¹/₂ cups seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, divided

2 ounces whole milk mozzarella, cut into ¹/₂-inch cubes

3 cups vegetable oil for frying

1. For risotto, place butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add rice, and stir to coat with butter.

2. Raise the heat to high, add wine, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium, and ladle 1 cup hot stock over rice. Stir constantly and wait for rice to absorb stock before adding next 1 cup, while stirring constantly. Repeat with stock until all 5 cups have been absorbed; this should take 12 to 15 minutes.

3. Stir cheese into rice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Scrape rice into a 9 × 13-inch pan, and chill for at least 2 hours.

4. For rice balls, whisk eggs in a mixing bowl, and stir in risotto, cheese, and ¹/₂ cup breadcrumbs. Place remaining 1 cup breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl.

5. Measure out 1 tablespoon of rice mixture into your hand, and press a mozzarella cube into it. Top with another 1 tablespoon of rice mixture, and form into a ball; be careful to totally enclose cheese cube. Roll balls in breadcrumbs, and repeat until all of rice mixture is used.

6. Heat oil in a deep-sided saucepan or deep-fryer to a temperature of 375°F. Preheat the oven to 150°F, and line a baking sheet with paper towels.

7. Add rice balls, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook rice balls for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Remove rice balls from the pan with a slotted spoon, and drain well on paper towel–lined baking sheet. Keep fried rice balls warm in the oven while frying remaining balls. Serve immediately.

Note: The rice balls can be prepared for frying up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. They can also be fried in advance; reheat them in a 400°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until hot and crusty again.

Arborio is a medium-grain rice imported from Italy and used primarily in making risotto or risotto-based dishes such as fried rice balls stuffed with cheese. When the technique of adding liquid slowly while stirring constantly is used, the resulting risotto is creamy from the slow release of starch and the rice is still firm to the bite.