Arancini or rice balls, a Sicilian specialty, are small delights perfect as a snack, appetizer or single dish. They are found everywhere in Sicily, in different shapes and sizes.

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🍳 INGREDIENTS 🍳
Vialone nano rice 500 g
water 1.2 l
saffron 1 sachet
butter 50 g
grated fresh caciocavallo 130 g
Salt to taste

For the ragù filling (6 arancini)
mixed ground beef and pork 125 g
tomato puree 200 g
extra virgin olive oil 30 g
onion 20 g
red wine 30 g
shelled peas 45 g
caciocavallo cheese 40 g

For the ham filling (6 arancini)
cooked ham in a single slice 60 g
mozzarella or provolone 60 g

For breading
flour 00 200 g
medium eggs 4
breadcrumbs 400 g

For frying: Peanut oil 1.5 l

🍳 PREPARATION 🍳
00:00 - For the arancini, boil the water, salt it and add the saffron sachet. Cook the rice until it has absorbed all the water.
01:46 - Turn off, add the butter, grated caciocavallo and cream. Then distribute the rice in a pan and let it cool.
02:46 - Let's prepare the ragù, chop the onion and sauté it over low heat with the oil. Turn up the heat, add the meat and brown it. Deglaze with the wine and pour the sauce. Lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the peas, add salt and cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce thickens, then let it cool.
04:10 - Let's compose arancini with meat sauce. When the rice is completely cold, compose the arancini. Wet your hands in the water and take about 120 g of rice. Flatten it on the palm of your hand and, holding it like a bowl, place 20 g of ragù and a few cubes of caciocavallo (about 10 g) in the centre. Close the arancini with your hands forming a well sealed ball: with this filling make 6. And now the breading: first pass the arancini in the flour, then in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs.
05:49 - Let's prepare the pointy arancini. Always in the same way, take the same amount of rice, flatten it on the palm of your hand and put 10 g of mozzarella or provola cheese and 10 g of cooked ham in the centre. Close the arancino forming a ball with a point, this is to differentiate the filling once cooked. Also bread these arancini like the others.
07:26 - Let's fry the arancini. Heat the oil to 170/175 °C and fry a couple of arancini at a time until they are golden brown. Drain them on absorbent kitchen paper to remove excess oil and serve piping hot.