This staple Sicilian recipe of rice balls blends cooked rice, cheese, olives. Bread crumbs assure a crackling exterior to the arancini. The chef serves the arancini with citrus mayo making the accompaniment a sweet and sour affair.
Cheese and olive arancini with citrus mayo (Serves 4)
Ingredients
Olive oil 25 ml
Onion, chopped Half of one
Garlic, chopped 2 cloves
Celery, chopped 1 stick
Rice, cooked 200 gms
Parmesan, grated 10 gms
Mozzarella, cubed 10 gms
Kalamata olives, chopped 8-10
Chives, chopped 8-10
Bread crumbs 200 gms
Salt to taste
For batter
Corn flour 50 gms
Refined flour 50 gms
Water 250 ml
Salt to taste
Citrus mayo dip
Orange rind, grated Half of an orange
Orange segments Half of an orange
Orange juice Of half an orange
Mayonnaise 50 ml
Parsley, chopped 1 tsp
Method
Heat olive oil in a pan and sweat onion, garlic and celery till onions are transparent. Add in the cooked rice, season and allow it to cool. Add in grated parmesan, chopped olives and chives. Divide the mixture into equal balls stuffed with mozzarella cubes and roll into balls, dip in the batter and coat with bread crumbs. Deep fry until golden brown. To prepare citrus mayo, add grated orange rind, orange segments and orange juice in mayo and finish with chopped parsley.
