Spicy Stuffed Arancini

Arancini are balls of rice, stuffed with anything from cheese to ragu, then fried to a golden hue.  They are a traditional Sicilian dish served in December for the Feast of Santa Lucia, commemorating the arrival of a grain ship to the island in 1646 during a time of famine.  What does that mean to us?  An excuse to turn risotto into cheesy, fried appetizers, guaranteed to impress your holiday guests.  The green peas and the red Traina Foods Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup also give these an extra punch of holiday flair.

(Full printable recipe at the bottom of this post.)

Start by making risotto.  Saute garlic and rice in 2 Tbs. butter over medium low heat until fragrant.  Seriously, a minute or two sautéing garlic in butter and people will be sniffing their way into the kitchen.  There’s something about that combo that is simply intoxicating.  Next, increase the heat to medium high and add in 2 cups of the chicken broth until it boils. Then add in the remaining two cups of broth and lower the heat so the broth is at a simmer. Continue stirring occasionally until the broth is absorbed and you have a creamy risotto.  Taste test the rice to make sure it’s cooked through.  Then, add in frozen peas and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup water if the risotto gets too dry.  It should look like the below picture:

Then, transfer the risotto to a large bowl and allow it to cool. Stir it occasionally to expedite the cooling process.  Once the risotto is lukewarm, add in the parmesan cheeses, parsley and breadcrumbs.  Mix it all together until fully incorporated.

Next, taking small handfuls of rice mixture (approx 1/4 cup or less, depending on the size of arancini you prefer) create a ball and then smash into a flat round disc. Place a heaping teaspoon worth of Traina Sun Dried Tomato Sriracha ketchup into the center and top with a 1/2 oz cube of mozzarella. From there, take the edges of the rice mixture and fold them up to the top to envelop the ketchup and cheese, sealing the seam and rolling it into a ball.  The ketchup and cheese should be sealed up inside the ball.

Once you have rolled all of the rice mixture (makes approximately 12 to 15 arancini depending on how large you make them), heat up your frying oil in a pot (cast-iron is preferable for heat consistency) over medium high heat.

Roll an arancini in the whisked eggs, coating the entire arancini. Next, roll the egg-washed arancini into a bowl of panko until fully covered in panko. Then, drop the ball into the heated frying oil to cook. If the arancini cannot be fully submerged in the oil, turn occasionally until cooked and browned on all sides.

Once browned, place fried arancini on a baking pan covered with a paper towel in a 200F oven to keep warm and absorb excess frying oil. Repeat with all arancini.

From there, you’re all set and ready to serve.  If you make them smaller, they are perfect party finger-food.  If they’re larger, like the ones pictured, they are an impressive first course, served individually.  Either way, make sure to have extras on hand because they will be gobbled up in a flash.

*original recipe by Joanie Simon (joaniesimon.com)

Spicy Stuffed Arancini

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• Author: Joanie Simon
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Yield: 14 1x

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Description

Arancini stuffed with Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup and Mozzarella, studded with peas.

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Ingredients

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• 2 Tbs butter
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup aborio rice
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 Tbs parsley minced
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• ¼ Traina Foods Sun Dried Tomato Sriracha Ketchup
• 4 oz cubed mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs whisked
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• Frying Oil (approx 2 cups)

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Instructions

1. Make risotto by sautéing garlic and rice in 2 Tbs. butter over medium low heat until fragrant. Increase heat to medium high and add in 2 cups of the chicken broth until at a boil. Add in remaining two cups of broth and lower heat so the broth is at a simmer. Continue stirring occasionally until broth is absorbed and you have a creamy risotto. Add in frozen peas and remove from heat. Add in ½ cup water if it gets too dry.
2. Transfer risotto to a large bowl and allow it to cool. Stir occasionally to expedite the cooling process.
3. Once the risotto is lukewarm, add in the parmesan cheeses, parsley and breadcrumbs and stir until fully combined.
4. Next, taking small handfuls of rice mixture (approx ¼ cup or less, depending on the size of arancini you prefer) create a ball and then smash into a flat round disc. Place a heaping teaspoon worth of Traina Sun Dried Tomato Sriracha ketchup into the center and top with a ½ oz cube of mozzarella. Next, take the edges of the rice mixture and fold them up to the top to envelop the ketchup and cheese, sealing the seam and rolling into a ball, so that the cheese and ketchup are sealed inside.
5. Once you have rolled all of the rice mixture (makes approximately 12 to 15 arancini depending on how large you make them), heat up your frying oil in a pot (cast-iron is preferable for heat consistency) over medium high heat.
6. Roll an arancini in the whisked eggs, coating the entire arancini. Next, roll the egg-washed arancini into a bowl of panko until fully covered in panko. Then, drop the ball into the heated frying oil to fry. If the arancini cannot be fully submerged in the oil, turn occasionally until cooked and browned on all sides. Place fried arancini on a baking pan covered with a paper towel in a 200F oven to keep warm and absorb excess frying oil. Repeat with all arancini.
7. Serve arancini warm with a side of extra Traina Foods Sun Dried Tomato Sriracha Ketchup.

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Appetizer
• Cuisine: Italian