Arancini

Sicily's great street food: cold risotto shaped into oranges, filled with ragù and molten mozzarella, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried to a shattering golden crust: the world's most satisfying way to deal with leftover rice

Origin: Sicily, Italy

From the journey of Rice.

Arancini (singular arancino in eastern Sicily, arancina in Palermo; a debate rivalling the jollof wars in its intensity) are one of Sicily's most beloved street foods, sold from 5am at fryers (friggitorie) across the island. The name means 'little oranges': an homage to the colour and shape of the golden fried balls. Their origin goes back to Arab-influenced Sicilian court cuisine of the 10th century, when Arab conquerors brought rice to Sicily and the Sicilian tradition of forming rice into balls (either for cooking or preservation) began. The classic filling, slow-cooked beef ragù and molten, stretching mozzarella, represents the synthesis of Sicily's Arab rice heritage with its Italian culinary development. The great Palermitan arancina is perfectly spherical; the Catanese arancino is cone-shaped (said to represent Mount Etna). Both are encased in a thick shell of rice (bound with egg and Parmigiano), coated in fine breadcrumbs, and deep-fried until the outside is deep golden and the inside is steaming hot with the mozzarella pulling into strings with each bite.

Ingredients

Rice

500 g Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1.2 litres chicken or beef stock (hot)
1 medium white onion, very finely diced
80 ml dry white wine
60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
2 large eggs, beaten (for binding the rice)
0.5 g saffron, steeped in 3 tbsp warm water
40 g butter

Ragù filling

200 g minced beef
100 g minced pork
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
50 ml red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste

Filling

150 g fresh mozzarella, cut into 1cm cubes
50 g frozen peas, thawed

Coating

3 large eggs, beaten (for coating)
200 g fine dried breadcrumbs (pangrattato)

Frying

Neutral oil for deep-frying (at least 1 litre)

Method

Make the ragù: in a heavy pan, fry the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until soft. Add the minced beef and pork. Brown thoroughly. Add the red wine and let it evaporate. Add the tomato paste and fry for 1 minute, then add the chopped tomatoes. Season. Simmer over low heat for 45–60 minutes until thick and rich. Stir in the peas in the last 5 minutes. Cool completely before using as a filling.
Make the rice: cook the rice as a risotto base; sweat the onion in butter, toast the rice, add white wine, then add hot stock ladle by ladle. Add saffron water halfway through. Cook to just beyond al dente (slightly more cooked than you would eat it straight). Remove from heat, beat in the eggs and Parmigiano while hot. Spread on a large tray to cool completely (at least 1 hour; refrigerate if possible).
Wet your hands with cold water. Take a heaped serving spoon of cold rice (about 80g) and flatten it in your palm into a disc approximately 10cm wide. Place a teaspoon of ragù and 1–2 cubes of mozzarella in the centre. Fold the rice disc over and around the filling, then press firmly into a smooth ball or cone shape.
Roll each arancino first in beaten egg, then in fine breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere well. For the crispest result, repeat the egg and breadcrumb coating (double-coat).
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 180°C. Deep-fry the arancini in batches of 2–3 for 4–5 minutes, turning occasionally, until uniformly deep golden. Drain on paper towels.
Rest for 3 minutes before eating; the mozzarella inside will be molten. Eat while still hot. Arancini are served plain in Sicily, with no dipping sauce.

Notes

Arancini reheat well in an oven at 180°C for 12 minutes from room temperature; far better than microwaving, which makes the crust soggy. They can be assembled and breadcrumbed, then frozen uncooked on a tray, transferred to a bag and deep-fried from frozen at 170°C for 7–8 minutes. The fillings for arancini are many: burro (butter and mozzarella), spinach and ricotta, ham and cheese, mushroom and truffle. The ragù version described here is the Catanese classic; the Palermitan arancina al burro (butter and mozzarella, no ragù) is the Palermitan alternative.

The Gastrographer

Name: Arancini
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 500 g Arborio or Carnaroli rice; 1.2 litres chicken or beef stock (hot); 1 medium white onion, very finely diced; 80 ml dry white wine; 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated; 2 large eggs, beaten (for binding the rice); 0.5 g saffron, steeped in 3 tbsp warm water; 40 g butter; 200 g minced beef; 100 g minced pork; 1 medium onion, finely diced; 1 medium carrot, finely diced; 1 stalk celery, finely diced; 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes; 50 ml red wine; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 150 g fresh mozzarella, cut into 1cm cubes; 50 g frozen peas, thawed; 3 large eggs, beaten (for coating); 200 g fine dried breadcrumbs (pangrattato); Neutral oil for deep-frying (at least 1 litre)

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control