Sicilian Arancini

Traditional Sicilian dish from rice

Time of preparation: 45 minutes Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Round Rice___ 300 grams
Parmesan_50 grams
Olives____10
Cheese___70 grams
Cherry Tomatoes__70 grams
Peas_____ 70 grams
Yolks_____2
Saffron___1 packet

For the breading:
Eggs____ 2
Breadcrumbs

Additionally: One Sicilian boyfriend (or similar) to control the process and crack two eggs (you can guess who asked me to include this “ingredient” in the recipe).

1. Cook rice in the proportion 1:2 (a glass of rice – two glasses of water): let it boil, then keep on the low flame till all water is absorbed.
2. Melt saffron in small amount of water. Add it, butter, yolks and grated parmesan into the rice, mix well. Let it cool.
3. Cut cheese, tomatoes and olives in the small pieces. If necessary, cook peas.
4. Crack two eggs in a bowl, slightly whip. Prepare a plate with breadcrumbs.
5. Take a good amount of rice, spread it on your palm, put cheese and vegetables (at least one table spoon of stuffing). Cover with rice, and press well to form a dense ball. After dip it into the eggs and roll into the breadcrumbs at least twice. Put on the baking dish.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes on 220C (450F). Alternatively, you can fry arancini in plenty of oil.

Notes: you can add a little bit of béchamel sauce to rice to make it less dry. Try to put as much stuffing as you can, otherwise the dish will be too dry. If you have some remaining risotto, it will perfectly suit for making arancini. Buon appetito 🙂