Palermitan arancine with ragù are one of the many specialties of Sicilian cuisine. The arancina is a rice ball stuffed with ragù or béchamel and ham, first coated in a batter made with water and flour, then breaded with breadcrumbs, and finally fried in plenty of oil. The arancina gets its name from its round shape resembling oranges, while in Catania, the name is masculine, arancino, and it has a conical shape representing Mount Etna. In Palermo, arancine day is December 13th, on Santa Lucia’s day, where they are prepared all day to celebrate the Saint. The preparation is a bit demanding, but you can decide to cook the risotto the day before and split the work. For making arancine, I use a tool called arancinotto, which will help you shape them much faster, but if you prefer, you can shape them by hand. Now, let’s start preparing them. Enjoy the original recipe!!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Frying, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs rice
- 10.5 cups water
- 7 tbsps butter
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 bouillon cubes or 2 tbsps of salt or 4 tbsps homemade bouillon
- 2 packets saffron
- oil for frying
- 2 cups flour
- 1.25 cups water
- breadcrumbs q.b
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery stalk
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 2 cloves crushed
- 1.5 lbs mixed ground meat
- Half glass white wine
- 3.5 oz triple tomato concentrate
- 7 oz peas
- 1.75 cups Hot water
- ragù
- 9 oz caciocavallo cheese
Tools
- Baking sheet
- parchment paper
- Frying pan
- arancinotto
Steps
First, prepare the ragù. Clean and chop the vegetables into small pieces by hand or in a chopper. In the pot, add the oil, heat for 2 minutes, and add the vegetables. Sauté for a few minutes.
Then add the ground meat, let it cook over medium heat until all the water it released has evaporated. Then slightly raise the heat and deglaze with the wine.
Let it evaporate, then lower the heat and add the concentrate dissolved in a glass of hot water.
Add the peas, bay leaf, cloves, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat for about 1 and a half hours. The ragù should not be watery.
The ragù is ready. Turn off the heat and let it cool, (if you need to use it the following day, store it in the refrigerator).
Now proceed with preparing the risotto. Fill the pot with water and add the rice, bouillon cube, and saffron. Turn on to medium heat and cook until the water is fully absorbed, about 30 minutes.
After the cooking time, turn off the heat and add the butter and Parmesan cheese. Stir well until the butter is melted. Prepare the baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the rice.
Flatten it well and let it cool, preferably until the next day.
After the resting time, fluff the rice with a fork as it will have compacted.
Now you can proceed with making the arancine. Take the arancinotto (the tool) and start filling the lower part with rice, then take the cylinder and insert it into the rice, it will hollow out the center to be filled with ragù.
Stuff with ragù and a piece of caciocavallo in the center.
Cover with a bit more rice up to the rim, turn the cylinder the other way, and gently press to seal.
Remove the top part of the arancinotto, flip, and slide the arancina out. Continue until finished.
Prepare the batter without forming lumps and coat the arancine.
Then take them out of the batter and coat them with breadcrumbs, making sure it adheres well.
Ready for frying!
In the pan, add plenty of oil, bring to temperature (180°F), and add the arancine. Brown them first on one side, then turn them, fry for about 3 minutes per side.
Drain them and place on absorbent paper.
The Palermitan arancine with ragù are ready!! Fantastic!!!
Tip
To speed up the work, you can prepare the risotto and ragù the day before and assemble and fry the arancine the next day. You can also prepare them, coat them, and freeze them raw. Before consuming, defrost them a day in advance in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature for about 30 minutes before frying. This step will help prevent the inside of the arancine from being still cold.
Variation
If you prefer, you can replace the ragù with ham and béchamel, following the same procedure for preparing the rice. You will only need to prepare the béchamel and add diced ham in the center or directly into the béchamel at the end of cooking.
