Sicilian Arancine – Filled Rice Balls

Arancine, also known as arancini, are Sicilian rice balls that have become a beloved street food. These crispy delights are typically 8-10 centimeters in diameter.

They consist of saffron-flavored rice molded around flavorful fillings, such as meat with herbs and tomato sauce, mozzarella, or other cheeses, and sometimes ham with béchamel sauce.

After stuffing, they’re coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried to perfection. Whether you call them arancine or arancini, these quintessentially Sicilian snacks are a testament to the island’s rich culinary history, influenced by various cultures over the centuries

Quantity for 20 Arancine of 230gr

Preparation Time:  4 hours
Portion for: 8 People

Ingredients for the Rice:

• 1Kg of Arancine Rice 
• 2.5 litres or water
• 200 grams of butter
• 20 gram of salt
• 2 Vegetable Stock cube ( 20gr )
• 2 sachets of saffron
• 100gr Grana Padano Cheese 

Ingredients for filling:

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 bay leaves
• 250gr of mince beef
• 250gr of mince pork
• 125ml of white wine
• 2 spoon of tomato paste
• 200gr of frozen peas 
• 5gr of salt ( if require add a bit more )
• Olive Oil

Ingredients for assembly:

• 100gr of Provola ( eventually mozzarella )
• 250gr of breadcrumbs ( or better corn flour )
• 1 medium egg 
• 50 gr of wheat flour 
• 50 gr of water

Cooking:

• around 1lt of Frying oil ( Ideal Sunflower seeds )

Filling Alternatives:

Arancine can also feature alternative fillings, such as béchamel and mushroom, ham, or nduja (a spicy spreadable Calabrian salami). However, the crucial factor is that the filling sauce should be well-dried and dense.

Useful Kitchen Tools:

While you can shape arancini by hand, we recommend using our Arancine Mould – Pointed, available on our website. Additionally, you’ll need a large oven tray for baking the arancini.

Preparation:

Making the Rice:

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add 2.5 liters of water. Also, include the vegetable stock, salt, and saffron. Bring the mixture to a boiling point.
2. Once the water starts boiling, add the rice and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
4. When the rice is almost dry, add the Grana Padano cheese and butter. Mix these ingredients into the rice.
5. As soon as the water has completely evaporated, transfer the contents of the pot into a wide baking dish or container.
6. Enjoy your flavorful rice base for your delicious dish!

Make the Filling sauce:

1. Fine chop the onion carrot and celery
2. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté until softened (about 8-10 minutes).
4. Add minced beef and pork, mix it with the vegetables and after 1 minute add the half glass of wine and cook for a couple of minutes until the meat is brown.
5. Add tomato paste, the green peas, bay leaves and the salt, and If is too dry add half glass of hot water. Simmer with the lid on for at least an hour low fire. Let it cool.
6. At the end the sauce cold down should be tick enough to stay in a tea spoon.

TIP: Before making the Arancini, the rice and the filling sauce need to be cold, ideally to cold down overnight in the fridge to allow all flavour in the rice to be mixed and enhance the flavour.

Preparing for the Assembly

Prepare a light batter made with water, flour and egg (it must be quite liquid) and breadcrumbs.

Assembly

1. Once the rice and the filling are cold you can start to assemble them.
2. If you have the Arancini mould, follow the instructions how to assemble the arancini with the right shape and the right quantity of filling ( as is critical not to overfill it )
3. Once the arancini are ready with the filling and the right shape, then dip the arancini in the previously prepared batter  (flour, water and egg ) and then coat with breadcrumbs

Cooking:

Allow the arancini to rest for 10 minutes before starting the cooking process.

Use a medium-sized pan and heat the oil to a temperature of 180°C (ensure there’s enough oil to fully submerge the arancini).

Once the oil reaches the correct temperature, carefully add the arancini. They should take around 5 minutes to achieve a golden brown color.

Remove the arancini from the pan and place them on a large baking tray lined with paper towels (preferably highly absorbent ones). This step ensures they remain dry and not oily.

Let the arancini cool down for 10 minutes, and then enjoy!