This is a healthier version of the classic Sicilian street food.
My husband and I spent a few weeks in Sicily this year. A perfect summer holiday. We made it all about the wonderful and tasty food that you can get pretty much everywhere on the island.
Our plan was to try every typical dish at least once - Cannoli, pasta di mandorla, gelato in brioche, granita, fish and seafood, pizza, pasta ... and of course Arancini. We didn't stop after trying them once though. In fact, they became our goto lunch. Sooo delicious.
In case you don't know what they are: Arancini are deep fried risotto balls stuffed with ragout and cheese coated in bread crumbs. Nowadays many different varieties are offered on the streets of Sicily, including sweet Arancini filled with pistachio cream or nougat.
Back home in New Zealand I attempted to make a healthier oven baked version. The deep fried crust is of course very crispy which is hard to achieve in the oven but this recipe produces a nice crispy crust that is pretty close to the real deal.
The one's in the picture are made with breadcrumbs from dark bread rolls. I achieved the best taste when I used bread crumbs from sourdough bread.
Prepare the risotto: Finely chop the onion. Put the saffron threads in a tablespoon of very hot water and leave to soak.
Heat a wide pan over low heat, add olive oil, butter and add the onion. Fry until soft and translucent, stirring constantly. Turn up the heat to medium. Add the rice and fry for about a minute until fragrant. Deglaze with the white wine. Boil stirring frequently until the wine has dissolved. Add a ladle of broth, season well and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and boil really slowly stirring occasionally.
Continue to add the broth, one ladle every time the risotto looks dry and stir well. It takes about 15-20 minutes to cook. Continue to try the rice as you go as it should be al dente and not too soft.
Once the rice is almost cooked, stir in the the saffron and water and mix well. Continue to boil until the rice is cooked al dente. The risotto should be fairly dry and "sticky" so that it can easily be rolled into a ball and hold its shape.
Finally, take the risotto off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and butter. I usually leave out the butter to save calories. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave the risotto to cool completely before using it.
Prepare the ragout: Finely chop the onion. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until they just start to brown. Turn up the heat to high and add the mince. Break up any big chunks. Leave the meat to brown without stirring too much. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped tomatoes. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the herbs and vinegar and stir well. Add the peas and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Make sure that the ragout is quite dry.
Taste and season with salt, pepper and finish off with a little bit of sugar to bring out the tomato flavour. Leave to cool.
Make the Arancini: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C top/bottom heat).
Mix the egg with the flour until it forms a smooth paste. It needs to be runny enough to coat the Arancini with. Add a splash of hot water to loosen it if necessary.
Divide the risotto into 6 even portions.
Either on a plate or in the palm of your hand, flatten out a portion of the risotto. Put about 1-2 tablespoons of the ragout and a few cubes of cheese in the middle. Shape the risotto into a tight ball around the filling so that there is no filling leaking out. Repeat until you've used up the risotto. Don't worry if you have leftover ragout, it makes for a fantastic pasta sauce.
Coat the rice balls first with the egg and flour mixture and then with the bread crumbs. Roll them in your hands to make the crumbs really stick to the Arancini.
Spray with olive oil. I don't have a spray bottle so I usually pour a little bit of olive oil in my hands and roll the Arancini again with my oiled hands.
Place them on an oiled baking tray. Space them out so that they can brown evenly. Bake until golden brown and the crust is crispy, about 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy, for example with a glass of good Italian wine!
Variations
If you don't like saffron risotto, you can use risotto bianco. I encourage you to play around with the filling, for example vegetable ragout or fennel and salmon.
For a sweet variation, use rice pudding and nougat and pistachio or hazelnut filling. Coat with breadcrumbs mixed with ground nuts.
My husband and I spent a few weeks in Sicily this year. A perfect summer holiday. We made it all about the wonderful and tasty food that you can get pretty much everywhere on the island.
Our plan was to try every typical dish at least once - Cannoli, pasta di mandorla, gelato in brioche, granita, fish and seafood, pizza, pasta ... and of course Arancini. We didn't stop after trying them once though. In fact, they became our goto lunch. Sooo delicious.
In case you don't know what they are: Arancini are deep fried risotto balls stuffed with ragout and cheese coated in bread crumbs. Nowadays many different varieties are offered on the streets of Sicily, including sweet Arancini filled with pistachio cream or nougat.
Back home in New Zealand I attempted to make a healthier oven baked version. The deep fried crust is of course very crispy which is hard to achieve in the oven but this recipe produces a nice crispy crust that is pretty close to the real deal.
The one's in the picture are made with breadcrumbs from dark bread rolls. I achieved the best taste when I used bread crumbs from sourdough bread.
Crispy oven-baked Arancini
makes 6 small or 4 large Arancini
for the saffron risotto
225 g risotto rice (such as Arborio)
1/2 yellow onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
600-700 ml beef or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp saffron threads
25 g grated parmesan cheese
125 ml dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp butter (optional)
for the ragout
for the saffron risotto
225 g risotto rice (such as Arborio)
1/2 yellow onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
600-700 ml beef or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp saffron threads
25 g grated parmesan cheese
125 ml dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp butter (optional)
for the ragout
150g minced beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 yellow onion
200g chopped tomatoes from a can
1/2 cup frozen peas
a splash of balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano or a spring fresh rosemary
sugar, salt and pepper to taste
a few slices of Cacciocavallo or Mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 yellow onion
200g chopped tomatoes from a can
1/2 cup frozen peas
a splash of balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano or a spring fresh rosemary
sugar, salt and pepper to taste
for the coating
4-5 slices of toasted and sourdough toast made into breadcrumbs OR 3/4 cup of bread crumbs
1 small egg
1 tbsp flour
cold water
1 small egg
1 tbsp flour
cold water
a few slices of Cacciocavallo or Mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
Prepare the risotto: Finely chop the onion. Put the saffron threads in a tablespoon of very hot water and leave to soak.
Heat a wide pan over low heat, add olive oil, butter and add the onion. Fry until soft and translucent, stirring constantly. Turn up the heat to medium. Add the rice and fry for about a minute until fragrant. Deglaze with the white wine. Boil stirring frequently until the wine has dissolved. Add a ladle of broth, season well and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and boil really slowly stirring occasionally.
Continue to add the broth, one ladle every time the risotto looks dry and stir well. It takes about 15-20 minutes to cook. Continue to try the rice as you go as it should be al dente and not too soft.
Once the rice is almost cooked, stir in the the saffron and water and mix well. Continue to boil until the rice is cooked al dente. The risotto should be fairly dry and "sticky" so that it can easily be rolled into a ball and hold its shape.
Finally, take the risotto off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and butter. I usually leave out the butter to save calories. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave the risotto to cool completely before using it.
Prepare the ragout: Finely chop the onion. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until they just start to brown. Turn up the heat to high and add the mince. Break up any big chunks. Leave the meat to brown without stirring too much. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped tomatoes. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the herbs and vinegar and stir well. Add the peas and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Make sure that the ragout is quite dry.
Taste and season with salt, pepper and finish off with a little bit of sugar to bring out the tomato flavour. Leave to cool.
Make the Arancini: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C top/bottom heat).
Mix the egg with the flour until it forms a smooth paste. It needs to be runny enough to coat the Arancini with. Add a splash of hot water to loosen it if necessary.
Divide the risotto into 6 even portions.
Either on a plate or in the palm of your hand, flatten out a portion of the risotto. Put about 1-2 tablespoons of the ragout and a few cubes of cheese in the middle. Shape the risotto into a tight ball around the filling so that there is no filling leaking out. Repeat until you've used up the risotto. Don't worry if you have leftover ragout, it makes for a fantastic pasta sauce.
Coat the rice balls first with the egg and flour mixture and then with the bread crumbs. Roll them in your hands to make the crumbs really stick to the Arancini.
Spray with olive oil. I don't have a spray bottle so I usually pour a little bit of olive oil in my hands and roll the Arancini again with my oiled hands.
Place them on an oiled baking tray. Space them out so that they can brown evenly. Bake until golden brown and the crust is crispy, about 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy, for example with a glass of good Italian wine!
Variations
If you don't like saffron risotto, you can use risotto bianco. I encourage you to play around with the filling, for example vegetable ragout or fennel and salmon.
For a sweet variation, use rice pudding and nougat and pistachio or hazelnut filling. Coat with breadcrumbs mixed with ground nuts.
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