Vegetarian Arancini

Vegetarian Arancini are a delightful meat-free variant of this famous Sicilian specialty. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 300 g of risotto rice (Carnaroli or Arborio)
• 1 liter of vegetable broth
• 1 small onion
• Saffron powder or threads
• 100 g of peas (fresh or frozen)
• 150 g of mozzarella (or another melting cheese suitable for vegetarians)
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• Bread crumbs as needed
• Flour as needed
• Oil for frying
• Salt as needed
• Pepper as needed

Preparation

1. Start by preparing the risotto: finely chop the onion and lightly sauté it in a drizzle of oil in a pan until it becomes transparent. Add the rice and toast it for a couple of minutes.
2. Gradually add the hot vegetable broth, stirring often to prevent the rice from sticking. Halfway through cooking, add the dissolved saffron in a little broth to give the risotto color and aroma.
3. When the risotto is cooked but still al dente, turn off the heat, add the Parmesan, and let it cool.
4. Meanwhile, cook the peas in lightly salted water, drain them and let them cool.
5. Cut the mozzarella into cubes and prepare two plates with flour and bread crumbs, and a bowl with the beaten eggs.
6. Take some of the cooled risotto and form a flat base on your hand. Put some peas and a cube of mozzarella in the center, then cover with more risotto and shape with wet hands to give the spherical or cone shape typical of arancini.
7. Roll each arancino first in the flour, then in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs, ensuring it is well coated.
8. Fry the arancini in hot oil until they become golden and crispy.
9. Drain the arancini on paper towels to remove the excess oil and serve hot.

Curiosity

Despite their name “arancini”, these delicious rice balls have nothing to do with oranges, except for their shape and golden color after frying. The word “arancini” literally means “little oranges”, a reference to their appearance once ready.