Bolognaise Arancini - Flavour Bombs

Arancini is an Italian dish using small balls of Arborio rice, filled with a savoury filling, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. Arancini is synonymous with Sicily.

It’s raining, cold, and miserable. Everyone has fires roaring in the grate, and comfort food is calling, creating a cozy, inviting atmosphere that makes you want to try making these flavour bombs.

I made a bolognese sauce for lunch, increased the volume slightly, and just before adding the chopped tomatoes, removed some mince for my arancini. Here's my simple recipe-delicious, melt-in-the-mouth flavour explosions that make you feel capable and eager to try it yourself.

Please note that the bolognese filling, AS WELL AS THE RISOTTO, MUST BE PREPARED BEFOREHAND AND LEFT TO COOL COMPLETELY.

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BOLOGNAISE MINCE FILLING

Method

1. Melt the butter and heat the oil in a saucepan.
2. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, keeping the mixture as dry as possible; I used high heat.
3. Add the mince and stir-fry until browned and crumbly.
4. Add seasoning, chilli, and herbs. Stir-fry.
5. Add the finely chopped mushrooms and stir-fry, keeping the heat up so the meat doesn't become too saucy.
6. Finally, add the finely chopped yellow pepper.
7. Add tomato paste or a small bottle of bolognese sauce. Cook through.
8. Remove half the mince and set aside to cool completely.

To the remaining mince which you'll serve with pasta, add:

Risotto

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter and oil until softened.
2. Add the Arborio rice and sauté until it has absorbed the fat.
3. Add stock ladle by ladle to the risotto, turn the heat down, and simmer gently on the lowest heat, adding stock when the rice becomes too dry.
4. It takes about 20 minutes of slow cooking for the rice to be cooked but still al dente; I only used about 675ml of stock.
5. Stir in the grated cheese and stir well, then set aside to cool completely.

For the Arancini Assembly

1. Spoon equal amounts of cooked Risotto and Bolognese mince (cold) into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the cheeses, a little at a time,  and mix thoroughly.
3. With slightly damp hands, roll the arancini into golf ball-sized balls. The balls must be rolled firmly.
4. Place gently onto a wooden board to rest.

Set up an assembly line with separate bowls of seasoned flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs to streamline coating the arancini efficiently.

Dust the balls in the flour, dip them into the slightly beaten egg, then coat with crumbs.  Set aside for 15 minutes while you prepare and heat the oil.  Deep-fry at 180C until golden. (I don’t have an electric fryer; I made sure my oil was very hot before adding the arancini balls. I used a small saucepan and made sure the balls were submerged.)

Fry for about 4 minutes until golden and crispy. Using a wire spoon, remove the cooked balls from the oil; drain on a kitchen towel while you prepare the Aioli.

NOTE:

12 balls would be too much for us. I only cooked 4. I refrigerated the remaining balls and used them later.

For lunch yesterday, Butch and I had an arancino each, on the side, with a lovely Curried Butternut and Sweet Potato soup.

Next time I make a Risotto, I’ll use the leftovers for arancini. Once you’ve tasted these flavour bombs, you’ll feel inspired to find many ways to enjoy small amounts of leftovers, like serving them as part of a Tapas board, which adds to your confidence in improvising in the kitchen.

TO SERVE:

Make a delicious Aioli–60ml Homemade Mayonnaise (or commercial, you choose); add a finely chopped clove of garlic and 30ml Salsa Verde (I used Basil Pesto)

Aioli, allioli, or aïoli is a sauce made with garlic, salt, and olive oil, found in the cuisines of the northwest Mediterranean, from Valencia to Calabria. The names mean “garlic and oil” in Catalan/Valencian and Provençal. Traditional in the cuisines of the Mediterranean coasts of Spain, France and Italy.

This weekend I’m going to make a delicious Waterblommetjie Bredie! (Water hyacinth Casserole). Traditional in the Western Cape.  Winter food at its best

The photos below show how the veggies should look when chopped.

Ready for frying, into the hot oil