Arancini of Rice with Ragu'

Arancini of rice are a traditional first course coming from Sicily, in particular from Messina and Palermo. The main ingredients of arancini are rice with saffron and the filling that can be different according to your taste. The most typical arancini are the one with the filling of ragu and peas, but you can prepare arancini also with cheese and ham, ricotta and spinach and more and more. Arancini are usually fried but you can prepare them also baked as I show here in order to obtain a recipe healthy but always delicious. Arancini can have a spherical shape but also a pears or oval shape. In Sicily you can find arancini served not only as first course but also as appetizer or main course.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):

350 g of Rice

Saffron
100 g of Parmesan

100 g of Provolone cheese

150 g of Ragu

50 g of Peas

2 Eggs

Breadcrumb

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Greco di Tufo White Wine

PREPARATION
Boil the rice for about 10 minutes in little water so that you will not need to drain the rice at the end of the cooking but all the water will be evaporated. When the rice is ready add the saffron, the Parmesan and one egg and mix all together. 

Let the rice cool down a little bit so that you can touch it with your hands. Boil the peas for about 10 minutes and prepare the ragù as I showed here. When the peas are ready add them to the ragù. 

Cut the Provolone cheese in small pieces. 

Take a little bit of rice on the palm of your hand, as I show here, put a teaspoon of ragu a 2-3 pieces of Provolone cheese in the middle or the rice. 

Then take other rice in more or less the same amount that you already have in your hand and close the arancino giving it a spherical shape. 

Place in a plate one beaten egg and in another one the breadcrumb. Cover the surface of arancino with the beaten egg and then with the breadcrumb. 

Continue in the same way to prepare the other arancini, you should be able to prepare 8 arancini. Cover with a sheet of baking paper a baking pan, place on it arancini and bake at 180 degree for 30 minutes. 

Serve arancini hot.

BUON APPETITO!