Arancini

Fontina Arancini

Often when making risotto there will be leftovers and what to do with them becomes a question.
A good idea is to make Arancini, which are little balls of rice filled with either meat or cheese, dusted in breadcrumbs and fried till golden. It has origins in Sicily and that's where the name derives from. The shape and color of the cooked rice ball looks like a little orange -and that's what Arancina means. These little bites are perfect for a snack or served as a hot appetizer at parties.

Arancini
Ingredients:
Cooked and cooled Arborio rice (risotto)
Small half inch diced cheese or meat (Fontina is really nice)
Good quality bread crumbs or Panko
Vegetable oil for frying

Method:
1. Form small bite size balls of the cooked rice, a small ice cream scoop works well.
2. Push a piece of cheese into the center of the ball and close up the opening.
3. Roll in the bread crumbs to evenly coat.
4. Carefully heat the vegetable oil to about 300-325F, a deep fryer thermometer helps
5. Gently place the balls into the hot oil and fry till golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
6. Keep warm in low temperature oven till ready to serve.

Note: These can be made ahead of time and even frozen till ready to fry. In the photo I used Fontina cheese and saffron risotto which gives the rice the deep yellow color.