Want to know how to kick arancini up a notch? Fill them with goat cheese, then dip them in a tangy tomato and red pepper sauce. I guarantee your guests will simply want to come back for more.
Preparation:
Cook:
Level: Easy
Serves: 5
Ingredients
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- ¾ pounds, 2-⅛ ounces, weight Canned crushed tomatoes
- 7 ounces, weight Roasted red peppers in jar
- 1 whole Red chile, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons Tomato Paste
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 cloves Garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 bunch Fresh basilic
- FOR THE ARANCINI:
- 1 pound, 5-¼ ounces, weight leftover cold risotto
- 3 whole Eggs, divided
- 1 ounce, weight Goat cheese
- 5-⅓ ounces, weight Plain flour, mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper
- 5-⅓ ounces, weight Breadcrumbs, Mixed With A Pinch Of Salt And Pepper
- Vegetable oil, as needed for frying
Preparation
For the dip (optional):
Put the canned tomatoes, red peppers, chili pepper, tomato paste, olive oil, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth, then transfer to a saucepan. Alternatively, if you don’t have a blender, you can just put all the ingredients in the pan and use a hand blender instead.
Bring to a boil over high heat on the stove. Once the sauce boils, lower the heat and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. I recommend half covering the pan with a lid as the sauce may splatter a bit while cooking. Turn off the heat, mix the basil leaves with the sauce, then set aside.
For the arancini:
Put the risotto in a bowl.
Take one of the eggs, then separate the yolk from the white. Add the yolk to the risotto mixture and the white in a separate bowl. Mix the yolk with the risotto.
Take a bowl of water, then lightly wet your hands. Take a piece of risotto rice the size of a golf ball in your hand, then press a small bump into it with your finger. Fill it with some goat cheese, then shape the risotto rice around the cheese into a ball. Do the same with the rest of the risotto and set aside.
Crack the remaining eggs into the bowl with the egg white, add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk well with a fork. Put the seasoned flour on one plate and the seasoned breadcrumbs on another plate.
Roll some of the rice balls on a plate with the flour, making sure they are all coated. Shake off the excess flour then dip it into the bowl with the egg. Finally, transfer to the bowl with the breadcrumbs and coat well. Once all the rice balls are coated, arrange them on a plate and put them in the fridge to firm them up.
Put enough oil in a pan to fry, then put it on the stove over high heat. Preheat for about 8 to 10 minutes. You can test to see if the oil is hot enough by adding a piece of bread; if it floats and bubbles, you’re ready to start frying the arancini. Prepare paper towels. From there, simply lower the heat to medium.
Carefully submerge the rice balls in the oil, about 4-5 at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Fry for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the rice balls to paper towel to drain.
Leave to cool slightly, reheat the sauce and serve. Enjoy!
