Sicilian arancini: Home-cooked magic in every bite

Arancini is a Sicilian dish that can easily be made in the comfort of your own home. Its roots trace back to classic Italian cuisine, but the preparation process is quite simple and yields fantastic flavour results.

Arancini consists of rice balls that are coated in breadcrumbs and fried. The name of this delicacy comes from the Italian word 'arancia', meaning orange, which describes the appearance of these rice balls—their colour and shape resemble the citrus fruit. Standard arancini are filled with a combination of meat, peas, and mozzarella, but there are many other variations. You might try fillings like butter, mushrooms, eggplant, sausage, salmon, chicken, or seafood. Uniquely, you can find sweet arancini in Sicilian pastry shops once a year. They are available during St. Lucy's Day, when the rice balls are filled with sweet ingredients and sprinkled with sugar.

Enjoy a meaty-vegetable filling, crispy coating, and creamy rice. Below is the simplest version that even beginner cooks can master.

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes,
• half an onion,
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
• 100 grams of ground beef and pork,
• 250 grams of frozen green peas,
• salt and pepper to taste,
• 250 grams of risotto rice,
• 3 tablespoons of butter,
• 50 grams of Parmesan cheese,
• 2 eggs,
• breadcrumbs for coating,
• oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. First, scald the tomatoes, peel them, and puree them.
2. Next, sauté the onion in heated olive oil until it turns golden.
3. Add finely chopped meat and thawed green peas to the onion. Fry everything briefly, then add the tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer the mixture on low heat until the sauce thickens.
4. Cook the rice according to the package instructions, then mix it with butter, grated cheese, and eggs.
5. Shape balls from the prepared rice mixture and fill them with the previously prepared filling.
6. Coat each ball in breadcrumbs and fry them until golden brown.