Risotto Balls are Best Balls

For game day last week I made some tasty, tasty arancini to snack on.  This is where you improve anything risotto by deep frying it.  They’re lightly crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, and are kind of like starch heroin.  Here’s how to make your own.

Step 1 – The night before, make a nice batch of risotto.  You can use the linked recipe, or if you’re lazy like me, use this.  It takes about 30 minutes, and is dead easy.  At the end, add a nice handful of peccorino romano cheese.  Let this cool and then refrigerate overnight.  You’ll want it to be cold and easy to work with.

Step 2 – Make some fatboy breadcrumbs.  Take any bread you like, preferably something with a stiff crust, and roughly chop it in a food processor.  You should end up with pieces the size of snowflakes.

This is right before Bob goes to the hot tub. See the size of the breadcrumbs?

Step 3 – Separate 2 or 3 eggs and put the whites in a bowl.  You won’t need the yolks.

Step 4 – Get some cold risotto out of your container and roll it into a ball.  Traditionally these are about the size of a baseball, but I was making snacks, so mine are a little larger than a golf ball.  Much easier to hold and game at the same time.  Also, I like a higher crust to rice ratio, so smaller is better for me.

Step 5 – Dip your risotto ball in the egg white, then dredge in the bread crumbs.  Let sit for about 30 seconds so the bread gets a chance to adhere.

Risotto in the whip cream tub, fatboy breadcrumbs in the other, pre-fried arancini, finished balls of goodness

Step 6 – Fry!  Use 350 degree oil for this.  They’ll be light and crispy, and by the time they are golden brown, the insides will be hot.

Done!

Bob the Arancini - our time together was too short.

These are super easy to make, and if you make the risotto and breadcrumbs the night before, you can fry them up half an hour before game time, easy.

Enjoy, and think of me next time you’re clogging up your arteries with fried cheesy rice goodness!