2008-01-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

THE

Beginning.

I woke up on 30 December thinking 'Arancini'. I had no clue at that moment in time who, or what, Arancini was. The word itself, however, was strangely exciting. And I had to learn more. And then, I decided I had to share it with you all. (and there is no all, it's only me and my desire to have a recipe blog). So, maybe someone, somewhere in the world, will wake up whispering 'Arancini' and will 'google' that word and wind up here. And to that singular strange person who is on my wavelength, I say: Welcome. Wilkommen. Bienvenidos. (Sorry, those are all the languages I speak).

So, onto the Arancini. What are they? They are are Sicilian appetizer...and the name means 'little oranges' which comes from their shape and color. Essentially they are fried rice balls or croquettes, filled with cheese, meat or vegetables. For our New Year's Eve celebration, I decided to be a purist. Basic rice balls filled with gooey cheese.

Arancini (makes about 15 3 inch balls)

1 tbs olive oil

1/8th pound pancetta, finely minced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 c. onion, finely minced

1.5 c Arborio rice

4 c. boiling chicken stock

1/4 c. grated Parmesean

2 eggs

Mozzarella (fresh) cut into 1.4" cubes

flour

bread crumbs

oil for frying

Heat olive oil and saute pancetta, onion and garlic until soft but not browned. Stir in rice and continuing sauteing for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time stirring til broth is absorbed or evaporated before adding next 1/2 cup.

Season with salt and pepper and stir in Parmesean cheese. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cool, beat one egg and stir into rice. Roll 2-3 Tbs of rice into a ball and mold around cube of mozzarella. Coat with flour, beaten egg and bread crumbs and set aside. Continue with remaining rice and cheese.

Heat oil to 350 degrees and fry balls until golden. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in low oven.

N.B. These are good served on a bed of greens, feta cheese and viniagrette but I really think a sauce would serve them well. I'm still experimenting with the sauce but I will keep you posted.

Stone Soup