Pumpkin and Bacon Arancini, a recipe that can be considered an appetizer, a first course, a main dish, or served at a buffet or birthday party. Rice in cooking is, as we know, very versatile. It is used for soups, risottos, stuffings, and to make my beloved arancini. Usually, I make them with a filling of meat ragù and peas, but also with ham and mozzarella and with pistachio. Being the season of abundant pumpkin, today I wanted to try a new experiment and prepare them this way. What can I say? The experiment was successful and very much so. I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again. At my house, no one used to eat yellow pumpkin; now everyone asks me to remake the recipes I’ve made with this vegetable so far.
I’m sure you’ll also enjoy this delicious dish, so put on your apron, and let’s go to the kitchen to prepare it together.
You can also read:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 14
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 580.02 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 79.14 (g) of which sugars 1.80 (g)
- Proteins 17.97 (g)
- Fat 20.75 (g) of which saturated 8.50 (g)of which unsaturated 11.65 (g)
- Fibers 3.05 (g)
- Sodium 1,180.02 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 212 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 for Pumpkin and Bacon Arancini
- 2 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 3 1/3 cups pumpkin
- 1/2 onion
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1.100 l vegetable broth
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup mozzarella
- 1 cup bacon (diced)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste flour
- 1 sprig rosemary
- to taste breadcrumbs
- 1 l peanut oil (for frying)
- 2 eggs
What You Need for Pumpkin and Bacon Arancini
- 2 Saucepans
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Slotted spoon
- Paper towels
- 1 Immersion blender
Preparation of Pumpkin and Bacon Arancini
Let’s move on to the preparation of the Pumpkin and Bacon Arancini. Clean the pumpkin, removing the skin, seeds, and fibers, and cut it into cubes.
In a large pan, put half of the butter and let the chopped onion soften. Add the pumpkin, finely chopped rosemary, and, stirring often, let it cook with the other ingredients.
Season with salt and pepper. Do these operations over low heat, so the pumpkin cooks well and starts to break down. Once cooked, blend with an immersion blender.
In another pan, put the remaining butter, let it melt, and toast the rice.
Cover with hot broth and let it cook a bit.Halfway through cooking, add the blended pumpkin, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and stir often, because the rice will tend to stick.
Continue adding broth, little by little, and leave the rice al dente, as it will continue to cook during frying.
When you turn off the heat, the rice should be very dry (hence why it’s advisable to add broth in small quantities).
Add the grated cheese and beaten eggs to the rice and stir quickly.
Let it cool by spreading it in a baking tray, spreading it out, and turning it with a wooden spoon.Meanwhile, in a small pan, put the bacon cubes and let them brown, without adding any other fat.
Prepare a batter not too liquid with flour and water, and in a separate bowl, put the breadcrumbs.
Now take a bit of rice, now cold, put it on the palm of your hand, create a hollow and put a piece of mozzarella and some bacon inside.
Close it by adding a little more rice and form a ball. Continue until there is no more rice.
Take the arancini, pass them first in the batter and then in the breadcrumbs, and fry in plenty of very hot oil, being careful to turn them often so as not to burn them.
Once golden on all sides, use a slotted spoon to extract the arancini from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain the frying oil.
The Pumpkin and Bacon Arancini are ready! Enjoy them hot.
Bon appétit!
FAQ
Can they be prepared in advance?
Pumpkin and Bacon Arancini can be prepared well in advance and reheated in the oven at medium temperature when serving.
Can I freeze them?
They can also be frozen, then thawed at room temperature and reheated when consuming.
Are eggs necessary?
If you prefer, they can be omitted. I add them to better compact the rice.
