Baked Italian Rice Balls Arancini With Creamy Marinara Dipping Sauce Recipes

ARANCINI (RICE BALLS) WITH MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil to rise 4 inches in the pot.
• Combine the rice, Parmesan and 1 egg in a medium bowl and use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture.
• Form each arancini by taking a small portion of the mixture, squeezing it firmly and stuffing one cube of mozzarella inside each ball. Repeat this process to form 8 arancini.
• Whisk together the remaining 2 eggs. Dip each arancini in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.
• Once the oil reaches 375ºF, add 2 or 3 of the breaded arancini to the pot and fry them until golden brown and cooked throughout.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried arancini from the pot and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately salt the arancini. Repeat the frying process with the remaining arancini.
• Serve the arancini warm with a side of warm marinara sauce.

BAKED ITALIAN RICE BALLS (ARANCINI) WITH CREAMY MARINARA DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Simmer risotto rice in 1 cup of water + 1 cup of vegetable broth with tomato sauce, herbes de provence, sea salt and paprika.
• While the rice is cooking, prepare the bread crumb mixture. Stir together all of the bread crumb ingredients in a medium size bowl (breadcrumbs through to optional cayenne powder). Set aside 3 tbsp of the bread crumb mixture (you will mix this in with the cooked rice).
• Once the rice is cooked, add in the nutritional yeast and 3 tbsp of the bread crumb mixture to the warm rice. Stir together, cover and leave to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Once rice is cool, pre-heat oven to 400F/200C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With an ice cream scoop (or spoon), scoop rice mixture onto a lined baking sheet. You should have 11 equal sized balls on the baking sheet.
• Prepare a small bowl of cold water to dampen your hands slightly before rolling the rice balls. This helps the breadcrumbs to stick to the rice balls and helps the rice to not stick to your hands. Roll the rice mixture into round balls. Dip them generously into the breadcrumbs and place again on the baking sheet. Do this with all the rice balls until they are all evenly round and coated with the breadcrumb mixture.
• Bake for 25 minutes until crispy and brown. Broil for the final two minutes (but watch them closely not to burn the rice balls) to make them extra crispy. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before eating - they are hot!
• Toss all the ingredients for the dipping sauce into a blender and blend until creamy (I used an immersion stick blender but any blender should do). Serve the warm rice balls fresh out of the oven with the cold creamy marinara dipping sauce.

ARANCINI WITH MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Place rice and 6 cups of water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium-low and cook, covered, stirring often, until water is completely absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside until completely cooled.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Stir 3 eggs, one at a time, into cooled rice. Add Parmesan, parsley, and reserved cooked garlic; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
• Fill a large bowl with water. Dip your hands into the water and then form rice mixture into a 2 1/2-inch ball. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat process until all of the rice has been used. Using 2 fingers, make an indentation in each ball. Fill each ball with 1 piece of mozzarella cheese and 1 piece of capicolla or proscuitto. Press together to enclose. If necessary, add more rice mixture to cover.
• Beat remaining 2 eggs in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dip each rice ball first in egg mixture, and then in breadcrumbs to coat. Gently remold rice balls if they begin to loose their round shape. Return to parchment paper-lined baking sheet; set aside.
• Heat 5 inches of oil in a large Dutch-oven until it reaches 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower one rice ball at a time into hot oil, working in batches if necessary. Cook rice balls, turning, until brown and crispy on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with marinara sauce.

ARANCINI (ITALIAN RICE BALLS)

Steps:

• In a bowl lightly beat 2 eggs.
• Stir in cooked rice, melted butter, Parmesan cheese, garlic (if using) parsley, seasoned salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll into 1-1/2-inch balls.
• Press a cheese cube into each ball then reshape rice balls.
• Place the flour into a small bowl.
• Whisk 2 eggs in a small bowl.
• Place the dry breadcrumbs in a small bowl.
• Dip each ball into flour, then into the egg and then lastly into the breadcrumbs.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees, then fry rice balls until golden brown (about 4 minutes).
• Drain on paper towels.