How to Make Italian Style Rice Balls

Rice Balls or Arancini are classic Italian fare. They can be made small and served as an antipasti or rolled larger and served as a main course. The following recipe is just one way to prepare Arancini. Literally thousands of different Italian chefs and families add their own twists and turns. The recipe below makes about six large main course rice balls.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 1/2 Pound Ground Beef
• 1/2 Pound Peas
• 1/2 Large Chopped Onion
• 1 12 Oz. Jar Tomato Sauce
• Salt and Pepper
• Large Frying Pan
• 1 lb. Bag of White Rice
• 4 oz. Butter
• 6 Eggs
• 8 oz. Grated Romano Cheese
• 10 oz. Mozzarella Cheese
• Bread Crumbs
• Deep Fat Fryer
• 3 Well-Beaten Eggs

How to Make the Meat Filling

1. Fry ground beef in pan until lightly browned, then drain.
2. Add spices, onions and peas to the beef and cook until onions are golden.
3. Add tomato sauce and cook for about 20 minutes uncovered.

How to Prepare the Rice Mixture

4. Boil rice as directed on package.
5. Combine the butter, eggs and cheeses to the cooked rice. Mix ingredients together well.
6. Allow 20 minutes for the mixture to cool.

How to Shape and Cook the Rice Balls

7. Shape the rice mixture into a palm sized patty. Using your thumb, make a large indentation in the middle of the rice patty like a bird's nest.
8. Place the meat mixture into the indentation then cover it up with rice. The meat mixture should be in the middle. Shape the patty into a ball.
9. Roll rice ball around the beaten egg then coat with bread crumbs.
10. Deep fry the rice balls in a pre-heated 375 degree deep fat fryer for four minutes or until golden brown.

Tips & Warnings

• Serve rice balls with a marina or vodka sauce.
• The rice balls can also be pan fried or baked.
• Add your own favorite ingredients to the mixture. Chicken and broccoli can be substituted for the ground beef and peas for example.
• Make sure that the rice mixture is completely cooled before you begin shaping the rice patties into balls or else they will fall apart.