Rice balls with meat sauce, whatever the correct recipe is, what matters in the end is that they are good. I have tried many versions, the latest with Milanese risotto, prepared nice and dry, mixed with plenty of Parmesan, a delight of taste, so I’ll propose them to you right away, I don’t know if they can recall the typical Sicilian arancine, I have been to Sicily a few times and never tasted them, I will have to return to make up for this lack, but in the meantime, I suggest you try these, we liked them so much, to say the least, 16 rice balls devoured in 5 minutes, we were 4, and we decided to repeat the sublime experience soon. A little update, I have been to Sicily several times lately, in Messina, Syracuse, and Catania, I finally tried the real Sicilian arancino, but I assure you, homemade is better, I found them sickening and too greasy, probably because they make so many that they no longer pay attention to the small details, such as preparing a good flavorful sauce, excellent risotto and above all a good fry in fresh oil. Things that we meticulously care for at home.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 15 pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for preparing rice balls with meat sauce
- 500 g Rice (for risotto)
- as needed Vegetable broth
- as needed Olive oil
- as needed Red Tropea onions
- as needed White wine
- as needed Salt
- as needed Parmesan cheese
- 2 packets Saffron
- 300 g Tomato sauce
- 250 g Beef (Ground)
- as needed Olive oil
- as needed Red Tropea onions
- as needed Carrots
- as needed Celery
- as needed White wine
- as needed Salt
- as needed Pepper
- as needed Herbs
- 150 g Mozzarella
- 150 g Boiled peas
- as needed Breadcrumbs
- 1 Egg
- as needed Flour
- as needed Water
- as needed Salt
- as needed Seed oil
Tools for preparing rice balls or arancine
- 2 Pots
- 1 Pan
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Cooking spatula
Preparation of rice balls with meat sauce
Let’s start by preparing the broth for the Milanese risotto. Before starting, I tell you that you can also use rice for rice balls to boil, it works just as well, and then once cooked, it’s mixed with Parmesan and saffron, but for a better result, I suggest a good Milanese risotto, which I will prepare right away.
Prepare about 3 liters of broth, with carrot, celery, and onion, add a little salt.
Brown some chopped onion in a separate saucepan with a bit of olive oil, add the rice and toast it well, deglaze with white wine, which can also be added halfway through cooking. After adding the first ladles of broth, add the saffron, and gradually add more broth to complete the cooking, it should be al dente, and not too dry.
Finally, transfer it to a cool bowl, add Parmesan, mix, and let cool. If you want, add a bit of butter.
Meanwhile, prepare the boiled peas, with a little water and salt, you can flavor them with carrot or onion.
Now let’s prepare the meat sauce, remember you need a little, not a quintal like I did, but fortunately, I used it up, gnocchi with sauce, and tagliatelle with sauce, in the end, I couldn’t take it anymore, but we ate really well for 3 days in a row. In a saucepan, place chopped carrot and onion with olive oil, I didn’t have celery, otherwise, I would have added it. Brown a little and then add the minced meat, letting it brown before deglazing with white wine. Add herbs, salt, and pepper. When the wine has dried, add the tomato sauce and let it cook for at least half an hour. Once ready, let the sauce cool, let it thicken well. Alternatively, the peas can be cooked in the sauce if they are tender.
When all the ingredients have cooled, prepare to form the rice balls with meat sauce. First, prepare the batter which I find much more suitable for breading rice balls, they remain crispy and dry. So in a bowl, prepare the breadcrumbs, in a second, prepare the batter, with one egg, flour, water, and salt, work with a fork without forming lumps, for this it is better to add the water afterward, little by little. Many people avoid the egg in the batter, next time I’ll try without it too. Here without egg in the breading – it is perhaps less compact and uniform compared to the one with egg.
Now it’s time to prepare the rice balls, first cut the well-drained mozzarella into cubes.
To shape the rice balls, I used the specific tool, arancinotto, but after a while, despite the help of my friend Caterina, we got tired and did as usual, round stuffed balls. To work the rice between your hands without it sticking, work with wet hands, place a spoonful of rice in your hand, spread it well, and put the filling in the center, the meat sauce, mozzarella, and peas, close with a second spoonful of rice, and press firmly. If you make a ball, it is very easy to stretch one side and form the point, even without a tool. We pass the rice balls, whether prepared by hand or with the specific tool, first in the batter, then in the breadcrumbs.
Finally, fry them in plenty of hot oil, 3-4 at a time, until they are well browned. Ideally, use a deep fryer, or an aluminum pot with plenty of hot oil, around 356°F (180°C).
Once the rice balls with meat sauce are ready, drain them on absorbent paper and serve immediately, still warm, a delight, I assure you. They can also be frozen if leftovers, just drop them into the hot oil still frozen as needed.
