Sicilian Rice Balls
Ingredients
4 cups water
1¾ cup arborio rice
2 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated pecorino cheese
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup peas
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups pureed canned San Marzano tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
3 Tbsp finely chopped onion
fresh basil
salt & pepper
For the coating:
approx. 1 cup flour
3 eggs, whisked
approx 2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs {I add just a bit of grated cheese & chopped parsley}
vegetable oil for frying
Preparation
1
Place the water, arborio rice, garlic powder and butter into a pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2
Cook and continue to stir until the water is all absorbed and the rice is tender.
3
While the rice is cooking you can make the meat, pea and sauce component. In a saucepan, over medium low heat, add the olive oil, ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook until softened.
4
Add in the pureed tomato, peas, fresh basil and a little salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes and allow to reduce a little bit. Set aside.
5
Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Add a small amount of the hot rice and stir. You want to slowly warm the eggs so they don't scramble.
6
Then go ahead and add the egg to the rice mixture, along with the grated pecorino, mozzarella & meat sauce. Stir until well combined. Allow to rest for 10 minutes so the arborio rice can soak up some of the sauce.
7
Scoop the mixture, using a cookie/ice cream scoop, onto a lined baking sheet. Pop into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until completely cooled.
8
Set up your breading ingredients. Roll each into a ball then coat in flour, then the egg and finally into the breadcrumb.
9
Place back onto the baking sheet and continue coating all the rice balls.
10
Get a pot ready, filled with about 3-4 inches of vegetable oil, over medium high heat. The oil is ready when you carefully drop a pinch of breadcrumbs into the oil and bubbles immediately form around them and they rise to the top.
11
Carefully add a 3-6 rice balls to the pot {depending on the size of the pot} and cook until golden. It should take about 45 seconds to brown. Repeat with the remaining rice balls.
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About
These are an absolute staple in an Italian kitchen and commonly found as a grab and go street food. Whats not to love here; creamy risotto with pecorino cheese, mozzarella cheese, ground beef, peas and tomato sauce all in a crispy perfect package.
Added:
Tuesday, August 18, 2015 - 5:35pm
