LeMoine Family Kitchen

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Sicilian Rice Balls :: Italian Street Food

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Sicilian Rice Balls :: Italian Street Food | LeMoine Family Kitchen. In Italy these are called Arancini because of the orange color these have. Tender arborio rice with cheese, beef, peas and sauce. Fried until perfectly crisp and golden.

 

I have to tell you, I am really excited to share this recipe for Sicilian Rice Balls {or Arancini} with you for the second Italian Street Food post. Did you catch the first Italian Street Food post? My Fried Prosciutto Tortellini have been quite the hit! These are an absolute staple in an Italian kitchen and commonly found as a grab and go street food. Whats not to love here; creamy risotto with pecorino cheese, mozzarella cheese, ground beef, peas and tomato sauce all in a crispy perfect package. 

Sicilian Rice Balls :: Italian Street Food | LeMoine Family Kitchen. In Italy these are called Arancini because of the orange color these have. Tender arborio rice with cheese, beef, peas and sauce. Fried until perfectly crisp and golden.

As with most dishes, the rice ball has a ton of varieties, like my 3 Cheese Arancini. This one with the ground beef & peas happens to be mine and my families very favorite. Where I live, in NJ,  if you walk into any Italian speciality store you will likely find this variety and the cheese variety. I will say this, if the store doesn’t use arborio rice, its not a good one in my book. The arborio rice is so important here, its the same rice you’d use to make risotto. It is plump and super creamy, giving the filling of the rice ball the perfect texture.

Sicilian Rice Balls :: Italian Street Food | LeMoine Family Kitchen. In Italy these are called Arancini because of the orange color these have. Tender arborio rice with cheese, beef, peas and sauce. Fried until perfectly crisp and golden.

I won’t lie, they do take a little patience and time to prepare but they do cook up really quickly and they are so so worth it in the end. From the flavor to the texture, these are perfection {and i’ll admit they are a bit addicting, like no way will you be able to stop after one or two!}.  This recipe makes a nice big batch {about 36} so there are plenty to go around. You can freeze some too and then just pop in the oven to warm them. I served them as is but you can “parmigiana” it by cutting them in half, topping with some more sauce and some mozzarella and popping them in the oven to get bubbly and extra delicious.

{NOTE: there are numerous steps to this recipe so please read through the entire recipe first so you understand each step and the time allotted for each}

Sicilian Rice Balls :: Italian Street Food
Author: Angela LeMoine
Ingredients
  • 4 cups water
  • 1¾ cup arborio rice
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 cup peas
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups pureed canned San Marzano tomatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
  • 3 Tbsp finely chopped onion
  • fresh basil
  • salt & pepper
  • For the coating:
  • approx. 1 cup flour
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • approx 2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs {I add just a bit of grated cheese & chopped parsley}
  • vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
  1. Place the water, arborio rice, garlic powder and butter into a pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  2. Cook and continue to stir until the water is all absorbed and the rice is tender.
  3. While the rice is cooking you can make the meat, pea and sauce component. In a saucepan, over medium low heat, add the olive oil, ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook until softened.
  4. Add in the pureed tomato, peas, fresh basil and a little salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes and allow to reduce a little bit. Set aside.
  5. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Add a small amount of the hot rice and stir. You want to slowly warm the eggs so they don’t scramble.
  6. Then go ahead and add the egg to the rice mixture, along with the grated pecorino, mozzarella & meat sauce. Stir until well combined. Allow to rest for 10 minutes so the arborio rice can soak up some of the sauce.
  7. Scoop the mixture, using a cookie/ice cream scoop, onto a lined baking sheet. Pop into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until completely cooled.
  8. Set up your breading ingredients. Roll each into a ball then coat in flour, then the egg and finally into the breadcrumb.
  9. Place back onto the baking sheet and continue coating all the rice balls.
  10. Get a pot ready, filled with about 3-4 inches of vegetable oil, over medium high heat. The oil is ready when you carefully drop a pinch of breadcrumbs into the oil and bubbles immediately form around them and they rise to the top.
  11. Carefully add a 3-6 rice balls to the pot {depending on the size of the pot} and cook until golden. It should take about 45 seconds to brown. Repeat with the remaining rice balls.

 

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