Rice balls with sauce are a traditional preparation of Sicilian cuisine.

They consist of a rice shell that encloses a savory filling based on meat, peas, and caciocavallo cheese.

The crispy fried breading makes them perfect even as takeaway food, which is why they are considered one of the symbols of Sicilian street food.

The name varies depending on the area of the island: in eastern Sicily, the masculine form arancino prevails, while in the western part, the feminine form arancina is more widespread.

Neither is officially considered more correct, as there is no document that definitively establishes which of the two variants should be preferred.

In the Catania area, the arancino is traditionally prepared with a conical shape, perhaps paying homage to the profile of Mount Etna.

According to some scholars, this specialty originally had a sweet character and only over time would it have transformed into the more common savory version today.

The most accredited theory, however, attributes its origin to the Arab domination of the 10th century.

The Arabs used to consume saffron rice timbales, shaped into balls and seasoned with lamb meat and peas, ideal as travel food.

Only later did the habit of wrapping them in a breading and frying them spread, giving rise to the arancino as we know it today.

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 2 Hours
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients (for 9 rice balls)

2.1 oz onion
2.1 oz carrot
2.1 oz celery
8.5 cups water
4.2 cups vegetable broth
5.6 tbsp butter
2 packets saffron
2.2 lbs rice (for rice balls)
to taste salt
1.8 oz parmesan (grated)
1.8 oz onion (dried)
1.8 oz carrot
1.8 oz celery
12.3 oz beef (in pieces, not too lean)
1.8 oz sausage
to taste extra virgin olive oil
2 leaves bay
1 cup tomato puree
0.4 cup red wine
3.5 oz peas
to taste salt
to taste black pepper (optional)
1 tbsp sugar (level)
7 oz all-purpose flour
1.3 cups water
1 egg
10.6 oz breadcrumbs (coarse grain)
8.5 cups sunflower oil (for frying)
3.5 oz caciocavallo cheese (or provolone, or emmental)

Tools

2 Trays large
1 Spoon wooden
1 Slotted spoon
1 Thermometer kitchen
1 Pan thick-bottomed
1 Pan deep for frying

Steps

To prepare Sicilian-style rice balls with sauce, start by making the broth.
In a pan, place onion, carrot, celery, and water. Bring to a boil and lightly salt with coarse salt, then lower the heat to the minimum and leave it on the fire for about 1 hour, covering with a lid but leaving a side vent.
Strain.
Meanwhile, proceed to make the sauce by sautéing finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil.
To this, add veal pieces and pork sausage removed from the casing.
Sauté for a minute and then deglaze with red wine.
Let evaporate, add the tomato puree, a tablespoon of concentrate, water, two bay leaves, salt, and ground black pepper.
Cover with a lid leaving a vent and at boiling point lower the heat to a minimum, or better still transfer the pot to the smallest burner on low flame.

Don’t let the water run out during cooking, adding a small amount of hot water if necessary.
Stir occasionally.
Continue cooking for 2 hours or more until the meat pieces easily break apart.
In the cooking sauce add a level tablespoon of sugar.
Half an hour before turning off the heat, add fresh or frozen peas.
In the end, the sauce should be sufficiently dry, so as it approaches the time to turn off the heat, remove the lid to evaporate excess water.

Remove the bay leaves, transfer the sauce to a large plate, and shred the meat pieces. Let cool completely.
As soon as the broth is ready, start preparing the rice by placing broth, rice, saffron, butter, and salt (a little and only if necessary) in a thick-bottomed pan.
Let it cook until the liquids are completely absorbed, always following the cooking time of the rice indicated on the package.
The rice at the end should be dry.
Transfer to a large tray, stir in the grated parmesan, and let cool completely.
After the cooling time of the sauce and rice, prepare the batter which should not be thick, but moderately liquid. To this end, work with a hand whisk, mixing flour and water and incorporating the egg.
In a large baking dish, arrange the breadcrumbs. Cut the cheese into pieces.
At this point, prepare to assemble the rice balls, lightly wetting your hands.

Take some rice, flatten it lengthwise, and create a hollow.
Fill with 2 teaspoons of sauce with meat pieces and peas, 3 or 4 cubes of cheese. Cover with more sauce.
Close by using another handful of rice and shape it pointed or, if preferred, round.
Roll in batter and then in breadcrumbs. Compact the rice ball well after each of these two steps.
When all the rice balls are ready, fry in a deep pan, in plenty of seed oil, and in numbers of two or three at most at a time.

The initial temperature should be 347°F.
To determine the correct temperature to start frying, use a kitchen thermometer or drop a little bread crumb into the oil.
As soon as many bubbles form around it, frying it lively, it will be the most opportune moment for frying.
Fry for about 5 minutes, turning often and delicately, then place on absorbent paper.
The Sicilian-style rice balls with sauce are now ready.