Whether you are entertaining or heading to a party this New Year’s Eve, this Arancini di Riso is sure to be a hit with your guests. New Year’s is a time for celebration, parties and appetizers…lots of appetizers! I will be serving my Arancini di Riso with a platter of Italian antipasti. These are best served right out of the deep fryer, but are almost as good prepared in advance and oven heated prior to serving. The dish is extremely versatile and for this reason, it is commonly found at both elegant Italian restaurants and at Italian street fairs. 

This past summer I was lucky enough to attended Vinalia, a wine and food festival in Guardia Sanframondi, Italy. During the festival, I indulged in many different types of Arancini di Riso that were being sold in the main square in town.  Some were made with ground beef, peas and tomatoes and others were made with cheese. Each had a style and flavor of its own. Mothers and grandmothers prepare them at home and then sell them at food stands during the fairs to demonstrate their culinary powers and bring home a little extra income.

In Italy, Arancini di Riso is made with bread crumbs but I prefer panko to plain breadcrumbs because it makes the dish lighter and crunchier.  The point here is that once you get familiar with the basic recipe, there are many options if you want to get creative.

Use only arborio rice for this dish.

If the mixture is overly moist, you can add an extra tablespoon of panko.

Place a piece of fontina cheese between equal amounts of mixture and form them into balls.

Serve the Arancini with your favorite marinara sauce or try mine.

I would like to say a big thank you to all of you who have supported me in 2017. Thanks for all the follows, likes, and comments. Your support and encouragement make this blog worthwhile!

May your New Year be filled with success, health, prosperity and happiness!

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Arancini di Riso

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 12 balls

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 shallots
• 4 Tablespoons butter divided
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6 ounces fontina cheese cubed
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups japanese panko flour
• Oil for frying

Instructions

• In a saucepan hit up the chicken broth. Set aside and keep it on simmer.
• In another saucepan heat the butter, add the shallots and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice, cook stirring it for 1 minute. Add wine, stir and cook until absorbed. Add one ladle of broth at the time and cook stirring often, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more. Continue adding the broth until the rice is cooked, but still al dente, about 20 minutes.
• Take off heat. Add 2 Tbsp butter, the parmesan cheese and parsley. Taste the rice. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Let it cool and refrigerate. If the rice is chilled it will be easier to roll into balls.
• It's time to form the balls. Place some rice on the palm of your hand. Place a piece of the fontina cheese between equal amounts of mixture and form them into balls. Continue forming balls until all the rice mixture is used.
• Set 3 plates side by side. Beat 2 eggs in a plate to blend. Place flour in another onel. Place panko in another one.
• Roll the arancini balls in flour shaking off the excess. Then roll them in the beaten egg. Then roll them in the panko.
• Fry balls in 3 inch oil at 375 degrees for 4 1/2 minutes or until they are golden brown. Drain them on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Serve them plain, or with marinara sauce on the side.
• If you would like to serve them at a later time, just before serving, place them on a baking sheet and re-heat in the oven at 400 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes.
• Note: (If you are able to make the risotto the day before, this will work in your favor as it can be refrigerated and the balls will stick together much easier that way).
• Enjoy!

The post Arancini di Riso appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

When zucchini is in season, it is typically sweet and plentiful. Many Italians celebrate by making this wonderful Italian Zucchini Risotto and often find ways to compliment the dish with the beautiful zucchini flowers. This risotto is a colorful and flavorful summer dish that can be served as an appetizer or an entree.

When I am in the mood for comfort food, Italian Zucchini Risotto is one of the first things to come to mind. Its creamy, and there is something healing about the process of stirring and adding the broth slowly that is reminiscent of the way foods must have been prepared many years ago. Making risotto is wonderful not only because almost anything can be added to a risotto, but because it cooks slowly allowing you enough time to prepare another dish simultaneously while occasionally reaching over to give it a stir. Add a nice glass of wine to complete the scene and help you completely unwind.

Here is what the dish looks like as we move through the process.

Adding broth a little at a time…..

Mixing in the Basil, Parsley and Parmesan Cheese…..

It’s important to note that you really must use arborio, carnaroli or vialone rice. You cannot substitute for other rices, otherwise you won’t get enough starch out of it in order to make your risotto creamy and not sticky. Also, don’t be worry about the butter. It’s all natural and and skimping will not give you the same flavor or results. When it comes to butter I usually make every attempt to minimize or avoid it all together, but there are cases like when it’s really necessary. There comes a time when it really pays off to indulge, and this Italian Zucchini Risotto is a beautiful indulgence. If you want to be creative, try substituting some mushrooms, proscuito, fresh peas or any combination of the three.  The results will be equally delicious.

Here is ready to be plated. You can almost feel the creaminess!

I am confident that you will enjoy making it, and eating it will be even better!

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Italian Zucchini Risotto

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 6-7 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 7 tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 zucchini about 3/4 pound, diced
• 1 large onion chopped very fine
• 1 parsley spring minced, and 1/4 cup minced
• 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves minced
• 1 1/2 cups Italian short-grain rice Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• In a medium sauce pan heat up the broth and keep it at simmer.
• In a large skillet or heavy saucepan, combine 3 TBSP of butter and the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and sauté, stirring until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, transfer the zucchini to a bowl and reserve.
• Return the saucepan to the heat, add the remaining butter and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, parsley sprig and basil, and sauté, stirring often, until the onion is soft, about 7 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the rice and saute, stirring, until the rice starts to stick to the pan. Immediately add a 4-ounce ladleful of the stock at a time.
• Cook, stirring until the stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock in this fashion and cooking until the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, stir in the zucchini, remaining parsley and parmesan cheese.
• Serve immediately. Enjoy it!

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