Arancini with ragù are a classic Sicilian street food: hot, crunchy and with an irresistible filling.
There are several versions both in terms of filling — from ragù with mixed meats to one with only beef, with or without boiled peas — and saffron is not always used. Not to mention the shape, which can be round or pyramidal. What counts is that they are undeniably all delicious.
Today I propose my grandmother’s recipe, a true Sicilian, which includes a filling of meat ragù and peas and the classic boiled rice seasoned with saffron and butter. The only small difference is the batter for the coating, because she used to make it with flour, water and eggs.
Regarding the shape, although the classic one is cone- or pyramid-shaped to distinguish them from the butter arancini (made with ham and cheese), I preferred to make them round because I had broken my arancini mold and I’m a bit clumsy shaping them by hand… I hope my grandmother up there won’t be too angry!
This is a simple recipe that, for perfect results, requires following a few basic rules: choose the right rice that holds up in cooking, a good creaming to make it creamy, a dense and flavorful ragù, and finally a perfect batter for the coating — essential to get golden, crunchy arancini that don’t break while frying.
Delicious both hot and at room temperature, you can serve them as finger food or as an appetizer, but given the quantity and variety of ingredients they also work as a main dish accompanied by a nice salad.
At the end of the recipe you’ll find other useful tips for perfect results.
If you love Sicilian recipes you can’t miss these recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 55 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12 arancini
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 863.88 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 108.35 (g) of which sugars 4.61 (g)
- Proteins 33.57 (g)
- Fat 31.82 (g) of which saturated 13.12 (g)of which unsaturated 11.26 (g)
- Fibers 9.26 (g)
- Sodium 1,552.20 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Roma rice
- 4 2/3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 packet saffron
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.1 lb ground beef
- carrot (1 medium)
- onion (1 medium)
- celery (1 stalk)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups frozen peas
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper (ground)
- water (2 cups)
- flour (2 cups)
- 1 egg
- breadcrumbs
Tools
- Mold arancini mold
- Pan for frying
- Pot
Steps
Heat the broth in a pot together with the butter and saffron; when it reaches a boil add the rice, reduce the heat and cook until all the broth has been absorbed. Transfer the cooked rice to a bowl because it must be completely cold when you use it.
Chop the onion, celery and carrot in a food processor. Sauté the vegetables in a large pot with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. After 2 minutes add the ground meat and brown over high heat for about 8–10 minutes, turning. Deglaze with the red wine. Add the peas, the tomato paste and one cup of water (about 250 ml), then lower the heat and cook for about an hour, stirring from time to time.
The sauce should thicken and become rich. When it has finished cooking turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
If you want to make life easier I recommend buying arancini molds which definitely make the task child’s play. Actually, with a bit of patience it’s not difficult to use just your hands.
Moisten your palms so the rice doesn’t stick, take two generous spoons of previously cooked rice and press the center to create a cavity. Insert a spoonful of filling and then close the arancino over itself. If necessary take a little more rice. Continue the same way until you’ve used all the ingredients.
Put the flour, water and eggs in a bowl and beat well with a whisk; you should get a fairly thick but fluid consistency.
Dip the arancini in the batter and immediately after in the breadcrumbs. Now you are ready to fry.
Pour the vegetable oil into a deep-sided pan, bring it to temperature (about 356°F–374°F) and start frying the arancini a few at a time so as not to lower the oil temperature too much. They should turn the typical golden color (about 2–3 minutes).
As soon as they are ready place them to drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve them still hot.
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NOTES
OIL To make sure the frying oil is at the right temperature, if you don’t have a kitchen thermometer you can test it by dipping a small piece of bread: if it immediately starts to sizzle the oil is ready.
BATTER You can make it with just flour and water, or conversely use only egg white and no flour. With egg white the coating becomes slightly lighter and crispier.
FILLING Some people add cheese in pieces to the ragù such as caciocavallo, provola or mozzarella. If desired you can add an egg to the cooked risotto before assembling the arancini.
RICE I recommend preparing both the risotto and the ragù the day before and storing them in the refrigerator because the colder the ingredients are the easier it is to make the arancini. Use Roma rice or rice for arancini (Originario).
RAGÙ The ragù must be thick to stay well inside the arancini. For a richer taste you can add blanched peas during the last 10 minutes of ragù cooking and include ham and mozzarella in the filling.
TIPS
If you moisten your hands while forming the arancini it will be easier to shape them.
Do not cook more than 2 arancini at a time so you don’t lower the oil temperature too much.
STORAGE
If you haven’t fried them yet you can store the rice arancini in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 15 days. It is not necessary to defrost them before frying, but in that case I recommend making them smaller.
Fried rice arancini are best eaten immediately because they will lose their crispiness in the fridge.
To get ahead with the work you can prepare the rice the day before, cover it with cling film and leave it in the fridge overnight.
FAQ
How much does one arancino weigh?
They are usually large. Arancini typically weigh from about 6.7 oz to 8.8 oz (approximately 190 g to 250 g).
How many arancini do you get from one kilo (1 kg) of rice?
From 1 kg of raw rice you get about 20–22 arancini of 5.6 oz–6.0 oz each (160 g–170 g), which is the portion for about 6 people.
