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I recently broke out my arancini ball recipe for a garden party in the local village. Italian party food is always a hit. Having tried one en route to the party, and then another as I laid them out on the table, I made sure I got to the front of the queue when the food table opened to ensure I could pinch another two.

Sorry neighbours!

Fortunately, I had made enough that others did get to try some, and they did not hang around. By the time I came back for seconds (technically ‘fourths’, I guess…) they were all gone.

Seems like they went down well…

What the hell is arancini?

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Risotto? Good. Breadcrumbs? Good. Cheese? Good. Deep fried things? GooooOOOooood.

Arancini is a Sicillian dish, where little balls of rice are coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. They’re usually served with a tomato-based dip, and taste delicious.

There is probably an authentic, it’s-only-real-arancini-if-you-use-these-ingredients recipe out there, but this is my take. I assure you it’s good.

Recipe

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Serves: side dish or snack for four greedy people, or six normal people
Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• Two handfuls of risotto rice
• One small onion, finely chopped
• One cup of white wine
• One stock cube
• Two bay leaves
• Mozzarella – one dice-sized cube for every ball you make
• Two handfuls of breadcrumbs (home made are best, but any will do)
• A dry Italian herb blend (typically a mix of oregano, thyme, basil, sage, garlic and black pepper)
• One medium egg
• A handful of finely grated hard cheese (e.g. parmesan)
• Oil

Start by frying the finely chopped onion in a pan on a high heat with a dash of oil, until it starts to brown. Once browned, toss in the risotto and stir for a moment until the rice and the onions are mixed through.

Add the cup of white wine. Pour yourself a glass too whilst you’re at it because you deserve it.

Once the white wine has been mostly absorbed by the rice, throw in the bay leaves, stock cube, and enough boiling water to adequately cover the rice. Stir to ensure the bay leaves and the stock cube don’t just sit on the top. Turn the heat down to medium.

There are all sorts of nonsense rules about how often you should or shouldn’t stir risotto. Ignore them. You’re going to be cooking this for twenty to twenty-five minutes (check your risotto packet for the time, because it can vary), and all you need to do is ensure the boiling water remains topped up and never drying out until the last five minutes of that. So keep checking it, and stir periodically, and then when you have five minutes left to go top up the water for the last time. By the time that five minutes is up, you want any excess water to have been absorbed or evaporated.

Once cooked, decant the rice from the pan (remove the bay leaves too) onto a tray and set aside to cool down for five minutes – or until it’s cool enough that you can handle it without burning yourself. You want it to stay relatively warm still, so don’t let it completely cool down.

Whilst the rice is cooling, grab a bowl and throw in the breadcrumbs, herb blend, and the hard cheese. Stir until combined.

Now grab a shallow bowl and crack the egg into it. Break it with a fork and mix it briefly to combine the white and the yolk.

Ok, here comes the messy part.

Take a large dessert spoon and scoop out enough risotto from the tray that you could form a golf-ball sized lump with it. Make a ball, and then flatten it in the palm of your hands. Place a single dice-sized cube of mozzarella in the middle of the flattened risotto, and then curl it up into a ball once more. The idea is that you want the mozzarella cube in the centre of your ball.

Now dip your ball into the egg mix, ensuring every part of the surface is covered, then immediately roll it around in the breadcrumb mix until fully coated.

Repeat this until you have no more risotto left.

All that’s left to do is cook it. Remember – the rice is already cooked, so all you’re doing here is browning the breadcrumbs, and melting the mozzarella.

Grab a pan, set it on a high heat, and pour in enough oil that you have at least half a centimetre’s depth of oil in the pan. With a pair of tongs, gently (and carefully – the oil will be crazy hot!) lower your risotto balls into the oil. Keep turning until every side of every ball has turned a golden brown, and then remove and place the balls on a piece of kitchen towel to remove any excess oil.

Serve your arancini balls whilst hot, along with a salsa or tomato-based dipping sauce. And top up your glass of white wine whilst you’re at it.