Arancini di Riso – Sicilian rice balls

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g risotto rice
• 1 jar white wine, dry
• 1 liter vegetable broth
• 1 can saffron threads or powder
• 70 g Parmesan, grated
• 500 g minced beef
• 1 tbsp, heaped capers, small
• 3 anchovy fillets, pickled, soaked
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 eggs
• 200 g breadcrumbs
• 1 bunch basil or bay leaves
• 1 tsp, heaped oregano, dried
• Tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• frying oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

For the rice balls, finely chop one of the onions and a clove of garlic. Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and keep warm over low heat. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot (enough for the rice once it has swollen) and sauté the chopped onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent. Sprinkle in the rice and stir until translucent. Deglaze with half of the white wine and let it evaporate. Dissolve the saffron in 2 tablespoons of warm water and add to the rice. Gradually add a ladleful of the vegetable stock, stirring constantly as you would with risotto, only when the rice is almost dry again. This process takes exactly 20 minutes. It’s important that the stock is always hot. The rice should be almost dry but still sticky. Remove from the heat and let cool. When the rice is lukewarm, stir in half of the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Let the rice cool completely. For the filling, finely chop the second onion, the capers, and the remaining garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a wide pan. Sauté the chopped capers, onion, and garlic until translucent, then add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and roast for 3 minutes. Add the minced meat to the pan and fry over medium heat, but do not allow it to brown. Deglaze with the remaining wine and let it evaporate. Mash the soaked anchovies with a fork and stir into the minced meat mixture along with the cayenne pepper and oregano. Stir in the remaining Parmesan cheese. The mixture should be dry, almost crumbly. Stir in some breadcrumbs, if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Shape three-quarters of the rice into 8 balls. Make an indentation in the center of each with your thumb and fill each ball with about 1 heaped tablespoon of minced meat. Seal the balls with the remaining rice. Beat the eggs in a deep plate. First, roll the rice balls in egg, then in breadcrumbs, and fry them in a deep fryer or a deep pan with hot frying oil (175°C) until golden brown. Pierce a hole in the balls with a thick needle and garnish with basil. Fresh bay leaves also work well. If you don’t have a deep fryer, a deep pan with plenty of oil will suffice. The balls should float in the fat. Tip: It’s important not to fry too many balls at once, so the fat doesn’t cool down too much, which could cause the rice balls to absorb the warm fat and fall apart!