Arancini

Prep time: 45 mins

Makes: 6-8

Ingredients

- 125g Risotto (you can flavour the risotto however you like, or leave it “au naturale”).

- 2 tbsp Cooked spinach, lightly chopped

- 4 Baby mozzarella balls, cut in half

- 3 tbsp Parmesan or pecorino

- 8 Basil leaves (keep the stalks)

- 3 Eggs, beaten

- 3 tbsp Flour (for coating)

- 6 tbsp Breadcrumbs, for coating

- Vegetable oil for deep frying.

- 2 Tins of Plum tomatoes

- 2 garlic cloves

- Salt & Pepper to taste

- Olive oil to finish

Method

- In a small saucepan, add a little olive oil and bring to a gentle heat. Grate in the garlic cloves and fry for 1 minute until you smell the aromas, then add the basil stalks, and pour in the tomatoes.

- Leave to simmer for 20 mins with a generous pinch of salt & pepper. once the tomatoes are fully broken down into a rich sauce, check the seasoning and leave to one side.

- Divide the risotto into 6-8 equal portions (depending on how big you like them). Take each portion of risotto in the palm of your hand (wet your palms first to stop the risotto sticking) roll into a ball, then make a hole with your other thumb.

- Push some cubes of mozzarella, plus a basil leave, then close up your hand so that the risotto encloses the filling in a ball.

- Smooth the surface so that there are no gaps in the risotto casing by rolling a little more, then dip each ball first in the beaten egg, then into some flour, then back into the egg, and finally into some breadcrumbs. This technique is known as “pané”. Make sure each coat of flour and breadcrumbs are as even as possible to create the perfect crust on your arancini.

- Repeat until you have used up all the risotto.

- Deep fry the arancini at 170ºc (not too many at a time, depending on the size of your fryer or pan, if using a pan, fill no more than 1/3rd full with oil as oil increases in volume as it heats, and you don’t want your pan to over flow once the arancini is in).

- Fry for at least 4-5 minutes, according to the size, stirring them around all the time until evenly golden and sizzling all over. Once cooked, remove from the oil season well and leave to drain on paper towel.

- Serve with your rich tomato sauce, a sprinkle of pecorino cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lots of black pepper… enjoy!