Arancini are stuffed rice balls coated in crispy breadcrumbs, which originated from Sicily. They are made from risotto, traditionally filled with a meat sauce, encased in breadcrumbs and then deep fried. In this recipe we use mozzarella to fill them, so that it oozes out as you cut into them, and we bake them in the oven so that they are more child friendly.
Arancini can be tricky to make, so have patience and make sure your hands are always wet when handling the rice so that it doesn’t get stuck to your fingers. I keep a bowl of water on the side so that I can dip my hands in when I need to. Use the risotto recipe below and allow it to cool before assembling the arancini, or use left over risotto you’ve made already. Also, feel free to add any extra ingredients to make it super tasty. You can also add herbs when you add the mozerella or sprinkle some on top of your arancini before baking it. Serve with a homemade tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Risotto
- 1 Onion
- 100g Butter
- 300g Risotto Rice
- 1 Litre Vegetable Stock
- Salt and Pepper
Arancini
- 100g Plain Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 200g Fresh Breadcrumbs
- 100g Mozzarella
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive Oil Spray
Tomato Sauce, for serving
- 1 onion, chopped
- Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic, crushed
- 2 x 400g Tins Chopped Tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
- 2 Tsp Oregano
- 1 Tsp Basil
- Salt and Pepper
Directions
For the Risotto:
- Finely dice the onion.
- Heat half the butter in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a medium heat until the onion begins to soften.
- Add the rice to the pan with the onion and stir to coat in butter.
- Measure the stock in a measuring jug, using boiled water.
- Pour a little of the stock into the pan and wait for it to absorb into the rice.
- Continue to add small amounts of the stock until the rice is soft and cooked through. Make sure you cook the risotto until you have a thick consistency, there shouldn’t be excess stock.
- Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool before assembling arancini.
For the Tomato Sauce:
- Heat a little oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes and add the garlic.
- Add the tomatoes, puree, oregano and basil. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for about an hour, until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
For the Arancini:
- Preheat the oven to 200ᵒC. Line two baking trays with silicon or greaseproof paper.
- Cut the mozzarella into 1x1cm cubes.
- Break the eggs into a bowl and use a fork to beat them until smooth.
- Put the flour into a large bowl and the breadcrumbs onto a plate. Season the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper.
- Wet your hands, take a small handful of the risotto and flatten it on one hand. Place a mozzarella cube into the middle of the risotto and roll it up into a ball, encasing the mozzarella. Repeat this until you have used all of your risotto.
- Take each risotto ball and firstly roll in the flour (making sure it is completely coated), dip into the egg and then roll around in the breadcrumbs. Shape the arancini into balls in your hands and then place on the baking tray.
- Spray the arancini balls with the oil, making sure they are coated evenly.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are crisp and golden on the outside.
