Arancini are Rice Balls. I mentioned them once before but I had never made them. Until this week. Since Arancini are a family thing, I decided it’s time for me to see whether or not I could handle making them. As it turns out, I can:
I also found out why my family does not make them too often. Making rice balls involved scooping up the rice with your hands, making an indentation in it and filling it with a meatball/mozzarella mixture. This is what they look like on the inside:
Did I mention picking up the rice? I would have taken a photo of my hands during the process except that I couldn’t very well hold a camera when my hands were covered with rice. Naturally, the phone also decided to ring while I was making them. And not just once. (Sure I could have ignored the phone but I didn’t. )
After you stuff the rice balls, you dip them in egg, coat them with bread crumbs & fry them. I’m sorry but I cannot post the recipe. It is a family secret. If I were to post in great detail about how they are made, I would be disowned.
January 2nd, 2010 at 6:47 pm Quote
They look great. You need to make an online cookbook of all of your secret recipes. No one in your family would think to look there….
LOL.
January 2nd, 2010 at 10:20 pm Quote
Ummmmm. I love arancini. There’s an Italian place near me that serves a six-course Italian dinner on Sunday nights, and promote it with the line: “From arancini to zeppole,” and these two items are probably the best things on the dinner.
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:06 am Quote
There’s been quite a few notes on Facebook between my cousin & I about arancini, due to the whole contest thing with my Dad. Don’t anyone tell my family I said this here but these are the basics – you cook a cup of rice. (There is some discussion as to whether or not it is cooked in plain water or chicken broth.) When the rice is done, let it cool down, add an egg & Parmesan cheese. Then you take some of the rice & make an indentation in it. That’s where the mashed up meatball & mozzarella go, maybe a teaspoon of it. Cover it up with more rice & shape it into a ball. Dip it in egg & breadcrumbs & let it sit for 45 minutes. Then fry them in a couple of inches of oil.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:11 am Quote
Too bad I can’t cook rice at all! They look interesting!
January 6th, 2010 at 12:27 am Quote
Lanny…get a rice cooker!
these look fantastic! I haven’t heard of them before but they sound like they are easy albeit messy to make. I may have to give it a try. Happy New Year…jj