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What are arancini?
These are simply little balls of risotto that are breaded and then fried.
Here, I made a squash and Parmesan risotto, then formed little balls in the center of which I put a piece of mozzarella for a runny center. And I fried the whole thing.
My Italian grandmother would be so proud
Arancini come directly from Italy, more precisely from Sicily. They take their name from the fruit that best represents Sicily: the orange, because they resemble it in both shape and orange color.
I know my Italian grandmother, who loved arancini, would be so proud that her granddaughter has developed her own recipe.
The importance of the freezer
If you don't want to have a really hard time, I'd advise you to respect the resting times in the freezer (if you don't have one, put your preparation in the fridge and multiply the indicated time by two): your rice will be much easier to work with. Without it, it's impossible to form balls worthy of the name.
What to do with your used cooking oil?
A word of advice: don't pour your frying oil (sunflower oil in this case) down the sink, otherwise it will clog up. The best thing to do is to put it back in the bottle once it's cooled down (very important, otherwise it'll leak and your funnel will melt, as it did for me the first time), then take it to a waste disposal site with hazardous waste or special household waste. And if that's impossible, at least put it in the non-recyclable waste garbage can.
If you make those butternut squash arancini, it would be so nice to leave me a comment and rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Tik Tok, or even send me a photo, I love seeing my little dishes in your homes!
📖 Recette
Butternut squash arancini
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups squash of your choice: pumpkin, butternut, etc...
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- ½ onion
- ⅔ cup risotto rice
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- ¼ lemon
- ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 egg yolks
- ⅞ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 cups frying oil
- ½ cup tomato sauce for serving
Instructions
- Cut your squash into thin strips (no need to peel) and place on a baking tray, lined with aluminum foil. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil and thyme, then place in the oven at 392°F/200°C for 20 minutes, about halfway up the middle.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sauté the onion with a drizzle of olive oil. Once colored, add the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the chicken stock and cook for 17 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring regularly.
- Once the rice is cooked, mashed potato the squash with a potato masher or fork, then add it to the rice pan with the Parmesan and lemon juice, and mix well.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the freezer. Make sure it's cold before taking the mixture into your hands.
- Using your hands, shape the mixture into small balls, with a little mozzarella in the center. Close and return the balls to the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Prepare a plate with beaten egg yolks, flour and Panko breadcrumbs. Dip the balls in the egg, then in the flour, again in the egg, and finally in the Panko breadcrumbs.
- Heat the frying oil in the bottom of a frying pan (it's hot if it sizzles when you put in a drop of water), put in the arancini and brown them for 2 minutes on each side.
- Enjoy these marvels, lightly dipped in tomato sauce, with a nice cold beer or an Aperol Spritz.
Notes
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
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