Arancini – Leftover Risotto Gets Even Better

Arancini. I had never even heard of this amazing appetizer until several years ago. And that was about the same time I learned to make risotto. 

That was also when I began to realize that Italian cooks hate to waste anything. So when I ended up with leftover risotto I discovered that creamy, cheesy rice can become a brand new dish. Those crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside rice balls called arancini.

Last week I whipped up a pot of Parmesan and Arugula Risotto to accompany a slab of seared salmon. (I’ll share that risotto recipe at a later date.)

I was looking for a way to use many of the fresh herbs I grow right outside our front door.

So I searched online to see if anyone had ever used Arugula in risotto. And low and behold…there it was! A new use for that yummy green plant!

I shared my recipe idea with a friend of mine, but he informed me he can’t stand the taste of arugula. He says he’s tried it many different ways…but no matter how it’s been served he says it always  tastes like DIRT! I am still laughing at that description. Of course I couldn’t resist telling him he should try WASHING it first. LOL! (I’m not sure he saw the humor in my suggestion.)

Well…I DID wash those leaves and I gave them a quick chop before adding them to my risotto.

And I added LOTS of fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

The results were quite tasty…at least to me!

Sadly, Peepaw and I can’t invite company to share our meals these days, thanks to Covid 19. And I was left with about two cups of uneaten risotto. So I threw that leftover rice mixture  into a plastic bowl and stuck it in the refrigerator until the next day. 

Let’s Make Arancini!

The next day happened to be Wednesday. And in THIS house, that day is known as WINE Wednesday! It’s a day when I DON’T cook a big dinner. Our evening meal is usually a charcuterie board and “finger foods” to go with…wine! 

Back in the good old days we would find ourselves in one of our favorite restaurants or bars on Wine Wednesdays. Meeting folks. Eating great foods. Sipping good wines. Someday I’ll write a blog post about those good times…and I’ve got tons of photos to share. But I digress. Back to those Arancini!

I pulled the chilled, leftover risotto out of the frig. And I set out the other ingredients I needed…including ONE EGG that I forgot to photograph. Dang! (That egg had already found it’s way into the leftover risotto.)

I diced up several sliced of crispy cooked bacon I found in the refrigerator, and I grabbed some fresh parsley from my herb bed.  And I added more Parmesan cheese…just because! (This time I just used the “cheap” stuff in the plastic container.) 

After I stirred those ingredients into the mixture I rolled it into balls. Then I poked a hole in the middle and stuck in a chunk of fresh mozzarella. Looks like I rolled this one in crumbs before I stuck in the mozzarella. Then I rolled it again. Who cares? The more crumbs the better I say!

Next I sealed the hole and re-rolled the rice into a ball before rolling each ball in Italian bread crumbs to thickly coat each one.

Several inches of cooking oil were then added to a small heavy saucepan. (I used a small pan so I wouldn’t have to use so much oil since I was only frying about twelve arancini balls…three at a time.) When the oil was hot I dropped a “test ball” into the oil to determine the oil temperature and the cooking time needed. Then I quickly fried the remaining rice balls until they were golden brown.

Wine Wednesday – Yes Please!

And here we are…hunkered down for another Wine Wednesday…at home.

But those delicious arancini made that Wednesday just a little more special than usual.

Those crispy rice balls were the perfect accompaniment to pair with a glass (or several) of Cabernet. And nobody would ever guess they started out as leftovers.