Baked Sweet Potato Arancini Italian Rice Balls Vegan Food

ARANCINI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring until onion is soft but not browned. Pour in the rice, and cook stirring for 2 minutes, then stir in the wine, and continue cooking and stirring until the liquid has evaporated. Add hot chicken stock to the rice 1/3 cup at a time, stirring and cooking until the liquid has evaporated before adding more.
• When the chicken stock has all been added, and the liquid has evaporated, stir in the peas and ham. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Transfer the risotto to a bowl, and allow to cool slightly.
• Stir the beaten egg into the risotto. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and milk with a fork. For each ball, roll 2 tablespoons of the risotto into a ball. Press a piece of the mozzarella cheese into the center, and roll to enclose. Coat lightly with flour, dip into the milk mixture, then roll in bread crumbs to coat.
• Heat oil for frying in a deep-fryer or large deep saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the balls in small batches until evenly golden, turning as needed. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while the rest are frying.

ARANCINI

Steps:

• Peel and finely chop the onions, finely grate the Parmesan, and zest the lemon.
• Place the butter in a large pan over a low heat with a drizzle of olive oil, add the onions and cook for 15 minutes, or until soft but not coloured.
• Turn the heat up to medium, pour in the risotto rice and stir for a few minutes, to ensure every grain is coated, then add the saffron and stir well.
• Pour in the wine and let it bubble away for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly. Start ladling in the stock bit by bit, stirring it through the rice and allowing each ladleful to become absorbed before adding the next. Continue until the rice is cooked through - about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in the grated Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice, then leave to cool while you make the filling.
• Place the pistachios in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 20 minutes, then drain and remove the skins; this gives your filling a better colour and smoother texture.
• Chop the pistachios, mozzarella, caciocavallo cheese, and the tomatoes, then combine with the oregano and lemon zest. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
• To form the arancini, scoop a portion of the cooled risotto into your hand. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling mixture into the centre and wrap the risotto around it to seal completely. Repeat with the remaining risotto and filling.
• For the pane, place the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowls. Carefully dip each arancini ball into the flour, shaking off any excess, then the egg, and finally the crumbs, ensuring the rice is completely coated. Set aside.
• To make the arrabbiata sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, finely slice the chilli and pick the basil, finely chopping the stalks.
• Place the garlic, chilli and basil stalks in a pan over a medium heat with a splash of olive oil and fry for 2 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, season and cook for 10 minutes over a medium-low heat. Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth.
• Pour the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over a high heat. To test the oil is ready, drop in a few breadcrumbs - if they sizzle and float, it is ready.
• Carefully lower in the arancini with a slotted spoon, in batches of four, and deep-fry for 8 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Transfer to a double layer of kitchen paper to drain.
• Delicious served with fried capers, fresh oregano and basil leaves, grated Parmesan and the punchy arrabbiata sauce for dunking.

ARANCINI BALLS

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan until foamy. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry gently over a low heat for 15 mins, or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another min. Stir in the rice and cook for a further min, then pour in the wine. Bring to the boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in half the stock and simmer, stirring continuously, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the remaining stock a ladleful at a time as the rice absorbs the liquid, stirring, until the rice is cooked through (this should take about 20-25 mins). Stir in the parmesan and lemon and season to taste. Spread the risotto out into a lipped tray and leave to cool to room temperature.
• Scoop the cooled risotto into 18 equal portions - they should be slightly larger than a golf ball. Flatten a risotto ball in your hand and put a piece of the mozzarella in the centre, then enclose the cheese in the rice and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining risotto balls.
• Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into three separate shallow bowls. Dip each prepared risotto ball into the flour, followed by the eggs and finally, the breadcrumbs. Transfer to a tray and set aside.
• Half-fill a large, heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil and heat over medium-low until it reads 170C on a cooking thermometer or until a piece of bread turns golden brown in the oil within 45 seconds. Lower the risotto balls into the oil in batches and cook for 8-10 mins, or until golden brown and melted in the centre. Set aside on a tray lined with a clean kitchen towel.
• Eat the arancini warm, or serve with a basic tomato sauce for dipping.

ITALIAN RICE BALLS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, parsley, pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and refrigerate.
• Pour water and 1 teaspoon salt into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat to low. Cook rice until water is almost absorbed, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and slowly pour in egg mixture, stirring rapidly to prevent egg from scrambling. Allow rice mixture to cool for 1 hour.
• Pour bread crumbs into a pile on one end of a cutting board. Dampen hands and roll rice mixture into 1 inch balls, then coat each one with bread crumbs.
• In a small, deep skillet, heat olive oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). (Should have enough oil to completely cover rice balls.) Fry rice balls 6 at a time, turning as needed to ensure even browning. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

BAKED SWEET POTATO ARANCINI (ITALIAN RICE BALLS) VEGAN

Steps:

• Filling:.
• Peel, chop and cook sweet potato in microwave until soft. About 6 minutes. Mash until creamy.
• Meanwhile, combine all other filling ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
• Stir together well.
• Using your hands, form into 24 1-inch sized balls and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Place in freezer to cool to make them easier to handle.
• Risotto:.
• Saute onion in large saucepan until tender. Add garlic.
• Add the dry rice and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
• Add the white wine stir until absorbed.
• Add the broth 1/2 cup at a time. Waiting until fully absorbed between each addition. The entire process takes about 15-20 minutes. Season as desired.
• Assembly:.
• Take a frozen filling ball and wrap the risotto around it by rolling in your hands. Then roll in breadcrumbs and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
• Can be frozen at this point.
• Otherwise spritz with olive oil and bake at 400F for about 30 minutes.
• Serve with marinara sauce.

POTATO RICE BALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine the first 5 ingredients with clean hands. Form into balls and roll in bread crumbs pressing in to coat the balls.
• Place on a olive oil spayed cookie sheet pan. Lightly spray the tops of the balls.
• Place in oven and bake 10 minutes. Flip and bake 10 more minutes.
• Remove and enjoy as is or drizzle olive oil over them, or dip in to your favorite tomato sauce.

DEFALCO'S ITALIAN ARANCINI (RICE BALLS)

Steps:

• Cook the rice according to the package directions. I prefer to use a chicken stock to cook the rice, as it adds more flavor. Once cooked, cool slightly. Stir in the Parmesan, butter and egg yolk. Cover and refrigerate until cooled.
• In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onions over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the peas, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Let cool, then add the Fontina and mix together.
• Shape the rice mixture into 11 patties. Place one heaping tablespoonful of meat filling in the center of each patty. Shape rice around filling, forming a ball.
• Place the oil in a large pot, making sure not to fill pot more than halfway, to prevent spillage. Heat to about 375 degrees F.
• Place the bread crumbs and egg whites in separate shallow bowls. Dip the rice balls in egg whites, then roll them in bread crumbs. Heat the oil on the stove to about 375 degrees. Be sure not to fill pot more than half way with oil, to prevent spillage. Fry the rice balls, a few at a time, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
• Serve hot plain, or with your favorite tomato sauce. Garnish with parsley.