Sicilian culinary tradition
My very good friend and home cook Matilde Misseri from http://pachino sicily , shares her precious and creative ‘Arancini’ recipe for us to enjoy!
Recipe in 3 easy steps
Makes about 20 Arancini
STEP 1
Rice
- 1 kg rice ( 500 g Roma & 500 g Originario )
- 2,2 litres water
- 120 g butter
- 20 g salt
- 20 g stock cube
- 2 sachets saffron; the stamen of a flower.
Saffron is the most precious spice in the world. Ideal for arancini, risotto, fish, paella and lots of desserts. The result is a fragrant yellow rice with an exotic flavour which enhances the taste of arancini.
How to proceed
- Fill a pot with the water, add stock cube, salt, butter, and saffron. Bring the water to boil and add rice.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer for about 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
- Spread the rice onto a parchment lined baking tray and let cool. The rice must be cold when preparing Arancini.
STEP 2
Ragù / Ragout Filling
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk (rich in vitamins and minerals )
- 2 bay leaves
Language tip: plural form of leaf. Some nouns change their spelling completely when they become plural. Words ending in -f- usually change their endings to -ves. Add two bay leaves to the sauce.
- A pinch of nutmeg
- 250 g pork mince
- 250 g beef mince
- ½ a glass white wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 200 g frozen peas
Language tip: peas freeze (verb) and in the process they become frozen (adjective). I bought two bags of frozen peas for the recipe. I always freeze peas. The peas were frozen when I took them out of the freezer.
- Salt q.s (Quantum satis. Latin, meaning the amount to taste)
- Pepper q.s
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (high quality EVOO)
How to proceed
- Sauté onion, carrot, and celery in a pan and add extra virgin olive oil (EVOO is an unrefined oil made from the first press of the olives). Allow to sauté for a few minutes. Add the meat and wine. Allow wine to evaporate and add bay leaves, nutmeg, peas and tomato paste dissolved in a glass of water.
Language tip: The word ‘sauté’ comes from the French verb ‘sauter’, meaning to jump. It is a wrist action technique to toss food in a pan.
STEP 3
How to proceed
Cooking the Arancini / la cottura
Marinella’s magic tip with the help of her daughter Katia
Language tip: Cottura can also mean: baking, frying, steaming, and stewing.
- Shape with the Arancini (http://aranciotto maker) maker mould.
- Ideal Shape and size with the mould: fill the base of the Aranciotto with rice, place the lid and plunge down. Remove the lid and fill with with a generous amount of the ragout filling. Cover filling with rice.
- For the batter: coat first in flour, then in egg, and finally in breadcrumbs.
- For frying: immerse the Arancini in hot oil until golden brown, drain and let them cool down.
Enjoy!
