Spinach Arancini (rice Balls)
"Courtesy of the fine folks at the HBO The Soprano's BBs."
- Ready In:
- 1hr 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 16
- Serves:
-
20
ingredients
- 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely minced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 1⁄2 cups arborio rice
- 1 cup white wine
- sea salt, to taste
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups vegetable broth, heated
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1⁄2 cups grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 1 lb mozzarella cheese, cubed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
- vegetable oil, for frying
directions
- In large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Add the onions and saute for about 1 minute. Add the garlic stir. After another 5 minutes, add the rice and white wine and a pinch of salt stir and allow to cook down for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add 2 (8-ounce) ladles of broth. Allow to absorb into rice for about 10 minutes, stirring, then add another 2 (8-ounce ladles) of broth and allow that to absorb for about 10 minutes.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Add spinach to broth and rice and stir in with sweet butter. Add 1 cup of the Parmigiano.
- When all ingredients are hot and mixed, pour and spread onto a parchment lined cookie sheet to cool. Once cool, cover with a layer of plastic wrap to avoid skin forming and refrigerate until completely cooled and firm. Refrigerate overnight if necessary.
- When completely cooled, cover rice and spinach with remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano. With hands, roll into 1 1/2-inch balls. With fingers, make a small hole in the rice ball's center and insert 1 small cube of mozzarella, and cover with more rice.
- Place flour, beaten eggs, and seasoned bread crumbs in separate bowls. Coat each ball with flour, then with whisked egg, then with seasoned breadcrumbs. Repeat with all rice balls and lay the coated balls on a cookie tray and refrigerate until ready to fry.
- In a heavy large pan, heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees F.
- Fry the balls, in batches, until golden brown. Remove each ball with a slotted spoon and place on parchment paper or paper towel lined cookie sheet to dry. Serve hot.
Questions & Replies
-
So you're using FIVE cups of liquid to 1.5 cups of rice? That's quite a lot of liquid. Even the instructions on the rice say only 3 cups of broth to one cup of rice. Can the wine replace one of the cups of rice? Can the wine be eliminated (if you don't like the tste of wine)? Thanks
Reviews
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Delicious! I've been wanting to try making arancini for years and this was a great recipe. I didn't have any trouble with them holding together (possibly because I used a very thick vegetable broth, so even when the rice was done, it was still very moist). Since I made these for Valentine's Day, I also added a few bits of pimiento in the center. These have a great flavor - the wine really comes through, and although I was skeptical of the seasoned bread crumbs, they were a nice addition - and they fried up beautifully. A definite party hit. -
These are the best ! Very flavorful. It was little hard to keep them from falling apart when frying,but we did not care,we ate them anyways:)I already made them several times and we love the recepie. Thank you. -
I made this today and it turned out really well! Creamy and cheesy inside, crispy outside. I had no problem with the balls breaking apart - when inserting cheese, I packed the balls in a bit more. Will definitely make this again. -
I made this recipe for a large party and tripled the amounts. Although it took all day to make (it made about 100 rice balls), they were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! This recipe will be used over and over again. THANKS. -
I made these earlier this year and forgot to rate them - sorry! I loved the taste & texture, they were very moreish. The only downside was that they were a bit fiddly to make & some of them fell apart in the pan. In the end I made smaller balls (with smaller cubes of cheese inside) than you recommended (I think mine ended up being about 1 inch) and they seemed to hold together better. Thanks!
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
DeSouter
United States
Being a born and bred New Yorker with lots of varied ethnic food influences growing up, you can find me enjoying anything from Bloodwurst to Chicken Jahlfrezi to PBJs with fresh-ground honey roasted peanut butter and yummy homemade strawberry jam, and don't forget my friend Anna's mother's Pomodoro Sauce (via Bari, Italy). When it comes to eating and cooking, many native New Yorkers seem to be of whatever background that is on their plate at the moment.
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<br>I notice that a good number of Zaarites list "pet peeves" here. Many list whiny people as their peeve. Hey...I live in NYC where almost EVERYONE whines and complains, so I don't notice anymore. What burns my biscuits is seeing recipes that call for some really funky ingredients like Kraft (cough cough) Parmesan cheese in the green can and chicken from a can. I had never even heard of chicken in CAN(???) until last year. Get the best quality ingredients you purse will allow. That includes spices. Those jars of spices that sell for 99 cents are no bargain if you can afford something better. Do yourself a favor and if possible, go and explore any ethnic food markets in your area. They have the most wonderful spices and herbs and they are usually priced well. And you'll find so many other goodies you'd never have even known about. (I know this isn't possible for everyone, but then there's always the internet)
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<br>Sorry, I am the product of an "ingredient snob" father and I just can't help having inherited that gene to a certain extent. And again, I'm a New Yawka...we are SLIGHTLY opinionated. You're reading about the person who drives (I kid you not) 3 hours upstate and 3 hours back just to get THE sausage I need for my Thanksgiving stuffing. So call me fanatical.
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<br>I am a rather good baker and for a short time I had my own dessert biz...until I found out how hard it can be to work for yourself. So I went back to working as an Art Editor in publishing.
