Arancini di Riso Siciliani – Sicilian Rice Balls Recipe

Crispy on the outside with a cheesy and meaty center, Arancini is a well-known Italian classic that hails from Sicily. Every family has its own version, but the most common fillings are just a few. It’s composed of breaded balls of risotto that have been stuffed with flavorful creamy fillings and then fried to crisp perfection. In this arancini recipe, we cover 2 types that are both easy to make and absolutely delicious!

What is arancini?

Arancini are basically balls of cooked risotto rice that have been stuffed, coated with breadcrumbs, and then fried in hot oil until beautifully golden brown and crisp. They are said to have originated in the 10th century in Sicily when it was under Arab rule and are believed to possibly have been inspired by the middle eastern kibbeh. This is also around the time that saffron was introduced and added to risotto.

In Sicily, arancini are a common street food served year round that you can easily find in Palermo, Cantania, and Messina. Yet, they can be served as a lovely appetizer as well as a snack or quick lunch. The Italian rice balls can be filled with both savory and sweet ingredients. For example, arancini con cioccolato is filled with chocolate! This is why different shapes are used to distinguish one filling from another. 

However, the most common types are arancini al ragu, which is filled with a meaty ragu and arancini al burro, which is filled with a mixture of ham and cheese that has been mixed with bechamel. And these are the 2 varieties that we will be covering in this recipe. 

What do you need to make this recipe?

Equipment:

• Saucepans – You need a few saucepans to make the rice and fillings.
• Large Pot – A deep pot is needed to fry the arancini.
• Sheet Pan- To place the formed arancini while you are assembling them.
• Ice Cream Scoop – Can be used to help portion out the risotto into equal size balls.
• Slotted Spoon – Helps to safely remove the Italian rice balls from the hot oil once they are cooked.
• Kitchen Thermometer – Need to monitor the temperature of the frying oil.

Time:

• Prep – 15 minutes
• Cooking the rice – 20 minutes
• Making the fillings – 45 minutes
• Chilling and resting the rice – 90 minutes
• Assembling – 10 minutes
• Frying – 10 minutes

What ingredients do you need to make this recipe? 

• Arborio Rice – You need arborio rice or Rome rice to make the outer rice layer for the arancini. Other types of rice will not compact and hold together to form arancini.
• Vegetable Broth – Used to both flavor and cook the rice. You can also use chicken stock if you prefer. 
• Saffron – A classic spice used to season risotto that adds a lovely aromatic layer of flavor. Make sure it is dissolved in the broth before you add it to the rice.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Used to saute the veggies. Choose a high-quality extra virgin olive oil for the most flavorful arancini.
• Butter – Always use unsalted butter in cooking to control the amount of added salt. The butter is used to add richness to the rice and bechamel sauce. 
• Flour – Simple all-purpose flour is all that is needed to thicken the bechamel sauce and make a batter to coat the arancini before covering them in breadcrumbs. 
• Milk – Use whole milk for the bechamel to produce the best taste and texture.
• Peas – Fresh or frozen peas will work.
• Onion – You need finely chopped onion to make the rice and ragu. Brown or yellow onion will add the most flavor.
• Carrot – Finely chopped carrot is used in the ragu for a bit of sweetness.
• Celery – One stalk of finely chopped celery is sauteed with the onion and carrot to add more flavor to the ragu.
• Bay Leaf – Just one leaf of this aromatic is cooked with the ground meats to add herby flavor.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano – A higher quality of Parmesan cheese that adds amazing salty aged cheese flavor. Use the best Parmigiano-Reggiano you can afford for the most flavorful arancini. It needs to be grated and helps to bind the rice. 
• White Scamorza Cheese – A semi-soft cheese made of cow’s milk or a mixture of cow and sheep. It’s very similar to Mozzarella. For this recipe, it’s cubed and used to fill half of the arancini.
• Ham – Mixed together with the bechamel and scamorza cheese to fill the arancini. Use quality ham.
• Ground Pork and Veal – Equal parts of these 2 ground meats are used in the ragu. Veal is traditionally used in Italy, yet you can use ground beef if you can’t find ground veal.
• White Wine – A bit of dry white wine is needed for the tomato sauce to add a bit of acid and develop the flavor. 
• Tomato Pulp – Also known as crushed tomatoes in some countries, it’s needed for the ragu and adds some texture. 
• Tomato Paste – A concentrated tomato product thinned out with water and used in the red sauce.
• Salt – The most important seasoning used to enhance the natural flavors of all the ingredients. 
• Breadcrumbs – Regular breadcrumbs are used to coat the arancini before frying. Panko will work too, but classic breadcrumbs are more traditional.
• Oil – Corn oil was used in this arancini recipe. However, you can use any type of oil for frying as long as it has a high smoke point.

How to make this recipe step by step 

1. Make the rice

To start, you need to cook the rice to al dente. Just like when making traditional risotto, it’s important not to overcook the rice for the best texture. Then chill it for at least 3 hours. The rice must be cold in order to both form and stuff the arancini. 

2. Make the fillings and batter

While the rice is cooking you can prepare the two fillings. Once they are made, they both need to be cooled off just like the rice. Room temperature is fine for them. Then whisk together the batter to bread the arancini and move on to the next step.

3. Organize the ingredients 

Before you begin making the arancini you want to have everything you need laid out like an assembly line. This includes the cooked chilled rice, fillings, batter, and breadcrumbs as well as any baking trays or racks you are using. Being organized will make the process a breeze. 

4. How to form and the fill arancini

To make the arancini first form 18 tennis ball size portions of chilled rice into balls. The rice must be chilled to do this step. Then keep 9 of them as balls and form the 9 into an oval shape. Now, place all the molded rice balls onto a baking sheet or a baking dish lined with parchment paper and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Giving them this time to rest will make them easier to fill. 

Once they have sat for 30 minutes, grab one of the risotto balls in one hand and make a hole on the top of it using the thumb of your other hand. Next, make the hole bigger by carefully pushing down into the center. Do this one risotto ball at a time, placing them back on the tray as you finish making a hole in each one. 

Now, divide both of the fillings into 9 portions before you begin stuffing the Italian rice balls. The round balls will be filled with ragu and the ovals will be filled with the ham mixture and then molded into cones. To do this, take a rice ball and fill the hole with the portioned out filling. Then push the filling down while pushing the rice over it to close the hole. Finally, roll the stuffed Italian rice ball in your hands to form its shape and smooth out any cracks. This is also when you will turn the ovals into cones. Again, do this one arancini ball at a time and then place it back on the tray.

Here you see a ham and cheese filled arancini formed into a cone shape after being filled.

5. How to bread the arancini

Now that the arancini are stuffed and formed, you need to bread them. First, give your batter a quick whisk to make sure it’s smooth. Next, dip each rice ball into the batter. 

Then add it to the bread crumbs and roll it around to coat. You will want to press the breadcrumbs into the balls with your hands to help them adhere. Then set the breaded arancini back on the tray and continue with the rest.

Here’s the traditional shape of the Sicilian ball. This is what your meat sauce breaded and filled rice balls will look like before being fried.

6. How to fry the arancini

To begin, heat the oil to 390°F in a deep pot. For safety reasons, it’s important that you do not heat the oil until just a few minutes before you are ready to fry the arancini and use a kitchen thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. Then add the breaded arancini to the hot oil and fry them for about 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. You may need to fry the arancini in batches depending on the size of your pot. Then place the fried arancini on a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to drain a bit of the oil and serve immediately.

Expert Tips 

• Use high-quality meats, cheeses, and extra-virgin olive oil. Italian cuisine is based on recipes with fewer ingredients which means that their quality matters more. 
• Do not add more than half of the stock to the rice to start. Doing so will impact how the risotto cooks. Adding a small amount of stock at a time is crucial.
• You must chill the cooked rice so that it becomes more compact and moldable. It is not possible to skip this step and have success forming arancini.
• Completely cool the bechamel before mixing it together with the ham and cheese. You don’t want hot bechamel to melt the pieces of cheese.
• Create an assembly line before you begin stuffing the rice balls. This will make the process much easier and create more uniform arancini.
• Wet your hands when forming the risotto balls to prevent the rice from sticking to them. 
• Do not overcrowd the pot when frying the arancini. This helps them brown more evenly and also prevents you from possibly burning yourself.

FAQs

Other street food recipes to try out!

• Mozzarella in Carrozza
• Erbazzone
• Porchetta Recipe

Other traditional recipes:

• Authentic Tomato Sauce Recipe
• Authentic Steak Pizzaiola Recipe
• Chicken Parmigiana Recipe