Description
Authentic Sicilian Arancini—crispy, golden rice balls with creamy saffron rice and rich fillings like ragu or cheese béchamel. These traditional Italian street food delights are crunchy on the outside, soft inside, and bursting with flavor in every bite.
Ingredients
For the Rice:
2.5 quarts vegetable broth
1 bag saffron (about 0.125 g)
Salt, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small–medium onion, finely chopped
2 lb Arborio or Roma rice
2 oz butter
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
For the Cheese Filling (makes 9 arancini):
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp butter
2/3 cup whole milk
3 oz finely chopped cooked meat
4 oz white scamorza or mozzarella cheese, diced
For the Meat Sauce Filling (makes 9 arancini):
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
3 oz ground beef
3/4 cup tomato pulp or crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste dissolved in 6 tbsp water
Salt, to taste
For the Batter:
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper (optional)
For Breading:
3 2/3 cups breadcrumbs
For Frying:
3 1/8 quarts corn oil
Instructions
- Cook the rice: Heat vegetable broth with saffron and salt until warm. In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté onion until soft. Add rice and toast for 3 minutes until pearly. Gradually add warm broth, stirring until rice is al dente and sticky. Remove from heat, stir in butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and cool quickly. Spread rice in a pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Prepare the cheese filling: Melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking until thickened. Let cool slightly, then stir in cooked meat and scamorza cheese.
- Prepare the meat sauce filling: Sauté half the onion in olive oil, add peas and salt, cover with water, and cook 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In the same pot, sauté remaining onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaf until soft. Add ground beef and brown for 5–7 minutes. Add tomato pulp, tomato paste mixture, and salt; simmer for 30 minutes until thick. Stir in peas and cool.
- Make the batter: In a bowl, whisk flour, water, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
- Shape the arancini: Divide rice into 18 portions. Shape half into balls (for meat filling) and half into cones (for cheese filling). Make an indentation, fill with desired filling, and seal completely, rolling gently to smooth the surface.
- Bread and fry: Dip each arancini into batter, then coat evenly with breadcrumbs. Heat corn oil to 390°F (200°C) and fry in small batches for 2–3 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve: Enjoy hot, with marinara sauce or a fresh salad on the side.
Notes
Use Arborio or Roma rice for best texture and stickiness.
Chill the rice thoroughly before shaping to prevent crumbling.
For a lighter version, bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes until golden.
Freeze un-fried arancini and cook directly from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the fry time.
Reheat leftovers in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes for crispness.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 arancino
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 380mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
