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Fried Arancine cut open to show the ragù, peas and melted cheese filling.

Arancine Recipe (Sicilian Rice Balls)

A Sicilian favourite, Arancine combine saffron risotto with rich meat ragù or creamy cheese sauce, creating savoury rice balls with a crisp, golden breadcrumb coating.

Course: Main, Street Food
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 10 – 12 Arancine

Ingredients

For the Meat Sauce and Filling (Arancine al Ragù)

  • 1 medium-sized onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 300 g – 10.5 oz beef mince – lean, but preferably not extra lean
  • 1 Italian sausage – preferably with fennel – approx. 200 g – 7 oz – optional
  • ½ glass red wine
  • 600 ml – 21 oz tomato purée OR 400 ml – 14 oz tinned diced tomatoes plus 200 ml – 7 oz tomato purée
  • 1 small tin tomato concentrate
  • sea salt – to taste
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 peppercorns or a pinch of freshly ground black pepper – optional
  • 1 cup frozen baby peas
  • fresh mozzarella – diced
  • mortadella – sliced and diced

For the Cheese Sauce (Arancine al Burro)

  • 250 ml – 1 cup béchamel sauce
  • 50 g – 1.75 oz mixed Italian cheeses – mozzarella, fontina, provola, diced
  • 2 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano – finely grated
  • 2 tbsp frozen peas – blanched
  • 50 g – 1.75 oz ham – sliced and diced

For the Saffron Risotto and Coating

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 medium onion – finely chopped
  • 1½ tsp saffron threads
  • 3 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
  • ½ cup white wine
  • about 4 cups beef stock – depending on cooking time
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • breadcrumbs
  • flour
  • egg white – lightly beaten
  • vegetable oil – for shallow-frying

Instructions

Make the Meat Sauce (Arancine al Ragù)

  1. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pot over low heat. Add the finely diced onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until softened but not browned.
  2. Remove the casing from the sausage. Add the beef mince and sausage meat. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until evenly browned.
  3. Increase the heat slightly and pour in the red wine. Cook until the alcohol has evaporated.
  4. Add the tomato purée, tomato concentrate, peppercorns or black pepper, and sea salt. Stir well to combine.
  5. Add 4 glasses of water and stir well. Cover and cook over low heat for at least 1 hour.

  6. Towards the end of the cooking time, add the frozen peas and cook until tender. If needed, cook the sauce uncovered to reduce any excess liquid.

    Note: The sauce should be quite thick to make the arancine easier to fill. If it becomes too dry during cooking, add a little water.

Make the Cheese Sauce (Arancine al Burro)

  1. Prepare the béchamel sauce, then add the diced Italian cheeses and Parmigiano Reggiano.
  2. Stir until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is well combined.
  3. Add the blanched peas, stir well, and leave the sauce to cool.
  4. Once the sauce has cooled, add the diced ham and mix well.

Make the Saffron Risotto

  1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until softened and translucent.
  2. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes, until the grains are well coated and opaque.
  3. Pour in the white wine and cook until it has been absorbed.
  4. Add a 4 to 6 oz ladleful of simmering beef stock. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the sides and bottom of the pot, until the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock one ladleful at a time, allowing each addition to absorb before adding more.

  5. When the rice is halfway through its cooking time, add the saffron. Continue adding the stock as needed and cook the risotto for a total of 12 to 13 minutes from the first addition of stock.

    Note: The rice should still be slightly undercooked at this stage, as it’ll continue to cook while it cools.

  6. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano until well combined. The risotto should be fairly dry, as it needs to hold its shape once cooled.
  7. Spread the risotto evenly over a sheet of baking paper and leave it to cool completely.

Assemble the Arancine

  1. Once the risotto has cooled completely, take a portion and shape it into a ball. Press your thumb into one side to create a large cavity for the filling.
  2. For Arancine al Ragù, fill the cavity with the meat sauce, diced fresh mozzarella, and mortadella. For Arancine al Burro, fill the cavity with the cooled cheese sauce.
  3. Bring the rice around the filling to close the opening, then gently reshape it into a ball. Make sure the filling is completely enclosed.

Coat and Fry the Arancine

  1. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Combine equal amounts of flour and breadcrumbs in a separate dish.
  2. Roll each arancina in the beaten egg white, then coat it evenly in the flour and breadcrumb mixture.
  3. Shallow-fry the arancine in vegetable oil until golden and crisp on all sides.
  4. Remove the arancine from the oil, drain well, and serve warm.