Arancini
Just a quickie today from me; I've wanted to do something on arancini for a while and I made them for some friends the other day so it seems like a good time. Arancini are those excellent little fried risotto balls - they can come in almost any flavour - and are usually filled with mozzarella, although there can just as easily be a ragu centre or a basic pomodoro sauce even. Saffron risotto is a good start, or a simple bianca with white wine, parmesan and stock. These are Arrabbiata, which is tomato, chilli and lots of basil and have a mozzarella centre.
Arancini are a godsend if you've got some risotto leftover from having in the week and you have friends over for dinner or drinks. There's not much else you can do with leftover risotto as it doesn't enjoy reheating too much. Instead, form it into little balls around a nubbin of mozarella / ricotta / whatever and then dip each one into some whisked egg. The balls can be any size you like although Carluccio (aka God) suggests aiming for a clementine, as this is what would traditionally have been taken by agricultural workers into the fields for their lunch. If you're making them to go with a dainty glass of prosecco you may prefer yours smaller; I do.
After they've been coated in egg I roll mine in polenta or cornmeal. Some people use breadcrumbs. Either will work for a nice crunch. Then, heat a pan half full of oil (I used groundnut) to deep fry them over a high heat. They take about 3 minutes, but you can tell by the colour. Once golden, remove and blot on kitchen paper.
Serve over rocket and grate parmesan to finish. Fab for aperitivo time, a starter, antipasti, a snack or even a full on meal if you make big ones. Yum.