I won’t try to misleadl you: this recipe has a lot of ingredients and takes a significant amount of time to prepare. The good news is that Arancini (Sicilian Rice Balls) are delicious, and everything but the frying may be prepared a day ahead of serving.

Arancini are often served as a street food,  particularly in Palermo, where it can be eaten in the hand. However, they can also be served as an appetizer or a main course, as I generally do. There are a multitude of fillings available throughout Sicily, but my recipe for Arancini (Sicilian Rice Balls) uses the traditional ragu filling. 

They are called arancini because they look a bit like small oranges, especially with the saffron infused color of the rice. However, on the eastern coast of the island, they tend to be shaped like a pyramid, resembling Mount Etna. For a brief history of this Sicilian specialty, click here.

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For the Ragu

The meat in the sauce can be ground beef, sausage meat (which is what I use), or even venison. Skin the sausage (if that’s what you’re using), and finely chop the meat.

Prosciutto is often used with a bechamel sauce as an arancini filling, but I like to add it to my meat sauce for added richness and flavor. Cut the prosciutto into tiny dice.

In a large kettle, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the sausage or ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it begins to lose its color. Add in the diced prosciutto, and cook until the meat is browned.

Remove the meats with a slotted spoon. If the sausage or ground beef is still a bit clumpy, chop it some with a heavy knife, or break it up with your fingers.

In the same kettle, heat the remaining olive oil. Chop a red onion, and grate a carrot .

Add the onion, grated carrot, chili flakes, parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very soft, but not browned. Add the minced garlic, and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the passata or tomato purée, diced tomatoes, and the tomato paste. Because of its top-quality tomatoes, I use Mutti’s Passata with Basil.

The tomato paste is used to thicken the sauce. You don’t want it to be runny when used as a filling. Stir until well combined. Snip in the fresh basil.

Add the cooked meats to the sauce.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Only if the sauce seems very sour, add the sugar. When the sauce is very thick and seasoned well, add the peas to the hot sauce, but turn off the heat. Do not cook the peas.

If possible, use petite frozen peas, such as. Woodstock Organic.

Cool the sauce, and refrigerate it overnight.

For the Risotto

Cold, day-old risotto, I find, is the best choice for arancini. When made a day ahead and refrigerated, it sticks together nicely in a ball.

In a medium pot, heat the chicken stock. When it becomes hot, remove 1⁄2 cup of the stock and stir the saffron into it to dissolve. You don’t want to cook the saffron too long or it loses some of its flavor and color, making your Arancini (Sicilian Rice Balls) less authentic.

Then bring the remaining stock to the simmer.

In a heavy pot, heat the olive oil, and add the minced onion, cooking until the onion is soft and translucent, but not browned.

Stir in the rice (Arborio or Carnaroli, which I use), and toast it for 2 minutes until the edges become translucent.

Pour in the wine, and stir it until it has evaporated. Begin adding the simmering stock 1⁄2 cup at a time. Stir the stock into the rice until it has been absorbed, making certain the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue adding stock 1⁄2 cup at a time until most of it has been used.

When you are down to about 1 cup of remaining stock, stir in the dissolved saffron. Then use up the the rest of the stock. This process of adding stock should take 20-30 minutes, by which time the rice should be fairly tender. Taste for salt.

Remove the risotto from the heat, and allow it cool to lukewarm. Gently stir in the grated Parmigiano.

Then add the minced parsley.

Finally stir in the beaten eggs, mixing gently but thoroughly.

The addition of eggs serves as an additional binder for the rice. Spread the rice in a large baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it overnight.

Forming the Arancini (Sicilian Rice Balls) 

Cut the mozzarella into very tiny dice.

Line up all your assembly ingredients.

Wet your hands, and place a scant 1⁄2 cup of the rice in one palm. Slightly flatten out the rice into a disk, and make a small indentation in the middle with your thumb. Add about 2 teaspoons of cold ragu into the little well you’ve created. If you are very comfortable with the molding, you can add a little more than 2 teaspoons. Add 3-4 cubes of mozzarella into the ragu.

Cover the ragu with more rice—about a tablespoon. Then roll the rice into a ball, enclosing the ragu and mozzarella in the middle. If any of the sauce seeps through, just patch it over with a bit more rice mixture. Refrigerate these balls on plates or a baking sheet for at least 1 hour to make them easier to coat.

Line up the coating ingredients on your counter.

On one plate, sift the flour to prevent clumping. In a shallow bowl, beat the 3 eggs. On another plate, spread the bread crumbs. Season all three items lightly with salt and pepper. Because the coating needs to be quite thick, you want each element to be well seasoned. Carefully remove a rice ball with a thin, metal spatula, as it may be stuck to the plate. Roll each rice ball in the flour.

Then dip it all over into the egg.

Finally, coat the arancini thoroughly with the bread crumbs.

You may end up having to reshape the balls. Place the coated balls back on plates or the baking sheet, and refrigerate them for at least 2 hours or even overnight, if you wish.

Heat enough oil in a deep fryer, deep Dutch oven, or an electric fry pan. If you are not deep frying, use enough oil so that at least 1⁄2 of the ball is submerged. Heat the oil to 375°. If your are deep frying, fry no more than 2 arancini at once. If you’re using a frying pan (I use a large electic fry pan), fry the balls a few at a time (do not overcrowd).

When they are nicely browned on one side, carefully turn them over and fry the other side. This method tends to flatten the balls somewhat, as you can see in the photos. Drain the arancini on paper towels.

In the meantime, reheat the remainder of the ragu, which you may now thin out with some water. Spread some ragu in the bottom of each serving plate, and place the hot arancini on top.

Arancini are best eaten immediately, but they can also be served at room temperature. If necessary, arancini can also be refrigerated and reheated in a 350° oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on their size.

This Arancini (Sicilian Rice Ball) recipe makes about 14 arancini.

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