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"Arancini
means "little oranges," referring to the golden color of these
fried rice balls and to their usual round shape.
A popular Italian snack, Arancini are often filled with
meat, cheese or vegetables. |
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Appetizers |
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INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
1/2 small onion, minced
1 1/4 cps Arborio rice
1/4 cp dry white wine
4 cps water
2 tbs chopped thyme
Finely grated zest of
1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground
pepper
1/2 cp fresh ricotta
cheese
1 tbs freshly grated
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
All-purpose flour, for
dredging
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cp fine, dry bread
crumbs
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DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan,
heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and cook over
moderately low heat until softened.
Add the rice and stir
over moderately high heat until it is coated with oil and
sizzling, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the wine and
simmer until evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add the water and bring
to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally,
until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20
minutes. Transfer the rice to a bowl and let cool to room
temperature.
Stir the thyme and
lemon zest into the rice and season with salt and pepper. In a
small bowl, blend the ricotta with the Parmigiano and season with
salt and pepper. Put 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture in your
moistened palm.
Make an indentation in
the center of the mound and fill it with about 1 teaspoon of the
ricotta mixture. Fold the rice around the filling to enclose it
and pat the rice into an oval. Repeat with the remaining rice and
ricotta.
In a medium saucepan,
heat 2 inches of olive oil to 300°. Set a rack over a large baking
sheet. Put the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in 3 shallow bowls.
Dredge the rice ovals in the flour, shaking off any excess.
Dip the ovals in the
egg, then coat with the bread crumbs. Deep-fry 5 ovals at a time
until golden brown, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon,
transfer the Arancini to
the rack to drain while you fry the rest. Serve the arancini
hot or warm.
Servings:
20
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