Arancini

To make the risotto; heat up a splash of the olive oil in a large saucepan and add in the onion and garlic.  Cook and stir for a few minutes until the onion has softened then add in all of the rice and stir well until all is coated.  Add the wine and stir for a couple of quick minutes until the alcohol has evaporated and then start stirring in the broth about a half cup at a time.  Once the broth has been absorbed, continue to add and stir and repeat until the rice is al dente.  When the rice has reached this point, stir in the butter, salt and Parmesan until all is well combined and the cheese has melted.  Remove the risotto from the heat and spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet to cool.  If you have the space you can pop the sheet into the fridge or freezer to speed things up if you wish – you need the risotto malleable, but cool enough to handle.

To assemble the arancini; line another baking sheet with parchment and have 3 shallow bowls prepped with the flour in one, the beaten egg in one and the panko in the last.  Scoop a couple of cooled tablespoons of risotto (I used my large cookie scoop) into your hand and press a piece of mozzarella or a bocconcini ball into the middle.  Roll the rice into a ball around the cheese – this process will initially feel like it won’t work and then it does! the rice will hold and making these balls was easier than I thought it would be.  Roll each thoroughly in the egg, then the flour, then press and roll through the panko to get a solid and even coating.  Transfer to a new, parchment lined tray (that will fit into your fridge) as the arancini are completed.  When all (or as many as you wish to make) are ready, slide the tray into the fridge for about 15 minutes.  This is a perfect time to heat up the oil in your deep fryer and clean up.

To deep fry; heat the oil to about 350 and depending on the size of your fryer, carefully add 2 or 3 arancini balls.  Keep an eye on them, gently and regularly rolling until each ball is a deep and even golden brown all over.  Each batch will take about 5 minutes and then you’ll need a minute in between to allow the oil to get back up to 350.  Remove the arancini carefully to a wire rack covered in paper towel and repeat until all are perfect.  Serve straight away while they’re hot and the middles are melted and gooey.  These are wonderful straight up with a sprinkling of flaky salt, but they’re absolutely divine with a simple (homemade) tomato sauce.

To air fry; lightly spray all of the prepped arancini with olive or avocado oil while they’re still on the parchment lined tray, after they’ve been chilled and you’re ready to cook them.  Place a few in/on each basket/rack, leaving a good amount of space in between. For my fryer, insert both baskets into place and select AIR FRY, set the temperature to 390 degrees and set time to 30 minutes.  Select MATCH COOK, then press ‘play’ and this will automatically set both cooking zones to match.  At the 8 minute mark pull out each basket and give a shake/roll of the arancinis, then decide/guess how many more minutes are needed.  I did about 15 minutes total, about a third of them leaked cheese, but they were just as tasty.

First choice will always be to deep fry; better browning and therefore, crunch, and because the arancinis cook in a only a few minutes, the cheese is melty and intact.  Practicality will continue to occasionally win however; not only is the air fryer easier to use to cook several (16 to 20 arancinis at a time would be no problem), but it’s a quick clean up, and the weather will never interfere.