Tuesday, March 11, 2014

“Sicilian Rice Balls” For "Wordless Tuesday"




Welcome to “Wordless Tuesday!” Where there are no more words, just a mouth watering recipe which I know you have been waiting for…..


“Sicilian Rice Balls”
Arancini di Siciliani

Nanni Sauchelli's fabulous recipe, adapted from "Ciao  Italia"

Ingredients:


1 cup Arborio rice
3 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup diced mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced prosciutto or ham
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
2 cups fresh bread crumbs, toasted
1/4 cup homemade tomato sauce
Vegetable oil for deep-frying



Directions:

In a saucepan, bring 2-1/2 cups water to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 15 minutes. The rice should still be quite firm. Drain and transfer to a bowl.


Lightly beat one of the eggs and add to the rice, along with the grated cheese, parsley, 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce, plus salt/pepper. Mix well. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. In another bowl, mix the mozzarella cheese, prosciutto or ham, and the remaining 2 tablespoons tomato sauce.

With floured hands, divide the rice mixture into 8 or 10 portions and roll each portion into a ball the size of a small orange. Poke a hole into the center of each ball with your finger and insert about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the mozzarella mixture. Reshape and smooth the balls to enclose the filling.


In a shallow dish, beat the remaining 2 eggs. Spread the bread crumbs on a plate. Dip the balls into the eggs, turning to coat them well. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs to coat them evenly. Then let them dry on a plate and in your refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

In a deep fryer or deep heavy pan, heat the vegetable oil to 375°F  Now; fry the rice balls until they are golden brown on all sides. Drain them on brown paper and serve immediately, with the fresh tomato sauce. 


Till Next Time……………………………….......................


Copyright © 2014 “Family Plus Food Equals Love” All Rights Reserved

12 comments:

  1. Your arancini look perfect! Can you imagine never having tried these, Dottie?! I can't! They are one of my very favorite foods-I say whoever invented them is a genius! :)

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    1. Hi Christina, Thank you so much for visiting today. Christina, I can no imagine never having tasted one of these delicious Arancini! They are one of my many favorite foods...I remember when my Nanni (grandmother) would make these, she would show me how to shape them, then we would fry them, and after they cooled we had to taste them. There were like eating something from Italy. Fabulous! We would make them for the family but by the time everyone came home, the dish was almost finished. I guess we couldn't wait for everyone, but my Nanni would say that is ok, it would give us an excuse to make more....Whomever it was that invented them, thank you and genius is definitely the word. Have a great week, Dottie :)

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  2. Happy Tuesday Dottie!
    I LOVE Rice Balls! My sister surprised me with a visit from New York this past weekend and although I was thrilled, I wish I would have know she was coming, I would have made Rice Balls. We have such memories of eating them together, lol...Thank you so much for sharing, Dottie...

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    1. Good Morning, dear Louise...
      That was so wonderful that your sister surprised you this weekend. I can understand what you mean, it is a great idea to surprise someone, but it is also nice to know a head of time. I do hope that you and she had a fabulous time. I agree with you these rice balls are so good! Just writing this post I got hungry again. Glad that I was able to bring you back to many memories. Thank you for stopping by and visiting. Have a blessed rest of the week...Dottie :)

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  3. Hi Dottie, These were such a fabulous treat growing up. My mother made these and loved trying the recipes of different regions of Italy. Sometimes she made them with peas and sauce, others with the cheese and always had the red sauce on the side. They really are a delicious treat.
    Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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    1. Dear Catherine, Thank you for visiting! I agree they were a wonderful treat growing up. You are correct, they can be made in a number of ways. I have had them with the peas and sauce a number of times. But anyway you eat them, they are just so delicious. I always enjoyed the crispiness when you bit into them. Glad that you enjoyed this post...Blessings on the rest of the week...Dottie :)

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  4. Mmm.. these look extremely tempting. I love these so much. To me they are a real treat especially if they are homemade.
    Beautiful (and tasty!) post Dottie! XX

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    1. Dear Alida, Thank you for stopping by! I never knew anyone that has not loved these. They are such a special treat and really not hard to make as you know. So glad that you enjoyed this post. it really has brought back a lot of memories for me with my Nanni who showed me how to create these little balls of love! Have a blessed week...Dottie :)

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  5. My dad was telling me that I should make rice balls, but I didn't know what they were. This looks fantastic, I should DEFINITELY try making them!

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    1. Hi Cathleen, Welcome and thank you for visiting today! We should always listen to our parents, and definitely create these marvelous rice balls. They really are a special treat that you will love forever. I hope that you love them as much as my family loves them. If you need anything just let me know...Have a blessed week..Dottie :)

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  6. Hi Dottie , rice balls was always a favorite when I was growing up , now I make them often , the family loves them and you are right , they are addicted and ever so delicious . Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Hi Nee, So glad that you could visit with me today...These rice balls are very special and besides being so delicious they always seem to bring back memories from long ago. SO glad that you enjoyed this post on Wordless Tuesday! Have a blessed week, Dottie :)

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