Recipe - Arancine with spinach by Arancinotto

Recipe - Arancine with Spinach

Arancine with spinach are very common, and can usually be found in the cafés and delicatessens of any city in Sicily. The local variants are many. In some places, they are made with spinach alone, while in others ham is added. In some versions, the spinach is only in the centre of the arancino, while in others it is used to flavour the rice as well.

The version we propose here is the “rich” version, with the spinach blended into the rice and a beautifully melting filling consisting of spinach, cheese and ham.

Tradizional

Easy

160 grams

Vegetarian (without ham)

Ingredients for about 12 arancine (160 grams)

Per rice:

500 grams of rice ("Originario", "Roma" or "Scotti per arancini" or similar)
1.1 liter of vegetable stock
2 bags of saffron
10 grams of salt
60 grams of butter
150 gr of spinach

For the finishing touch:

100 gr of flour
180 ml of water
2 eggs
150 gr of bread crumbs

For the filling:

150 gr of spinach
150 gr of cooked ham thickly sliced
150 gr of provolone
a clove of garlic

Preparation of Rice and Filling

Preparation of Spinach

Clean the spinach and blanch it in salted water for 1 minute, then drain it and squeeze off the excess liquid;
Using the flat of a knife blade, crush a whole clove of garlic and sauté it in a pan with a drizzle of oil until just browned. Add the spinach and let it sauté for a few minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool;
Chop the spinach finely.

The Rice

In a saucepan, put the broth, the butter, the saffron and the salt;
when the stock is boiling, add the rice and mix well;
cover and cook over low heat until the rice absorbs all the broth and is cooked but al dente;
when cooked, add half of the spinach, stir, pour the rice on a cold surface and spread evenly to allow rapid cooling;
when the rice is cool down, it is ready to prepare the arancini

Important

It is important to let the rice dry well during cooking. It should not be too hot or too wet, or it could stick to the mold.

For more information on rice, Click here.

The filling

Chop the cheese and ham into small cubes of equal size;
Mix the ham and cheese into the other half of the spinach and use it for the filling;

Make the arancina

1 - Fill the base of the Arancinotto with rice and use a spoon to pack it down firmly.

2 - Put the lid on the base and insert the plunger as far as it will go.

3 - Remove the plunger and spoon your filling into the central hole, packing it in with a teaspoon to ensure there is a generous amount.

4 - Cover the top with a thin layer of rice and press it down using the other end of the plunger.

5 - Take the cover back off of the Arancinotto and gently remove your arancino.

Frying

The finishing touch

Put the arancini in the batter and in the bread crumbs as follows:

In a bowl, place the flour;
Add the egg and water and beat well with whips;
When the batter is smooth and dense, pass the arancini;
Immediately after having passed them in the batter, pass the arancini in bread crumbs.

Frying

Fry in plenty of oil until golden brown, to ensure your arancini fry up perfectly, use one of the following oils: peanut oil, olive oil, or palm oil.
Heat the oil to the ideal temperature, 190°C, either in a frying pan or by setting the temperature on your deep fryer.
If using a pan, you can make sure that the oil has reached the proper temperature by dropping in a bread crumb. If it sizzles, then the oil is ready.
Immerse the arancini gently in the oil, only a few at a time, so as to prevent the temperature of the oil from falling too low.
When they are done, place the arancini on absorbent paper, then serve.
Serve the arancini with sauce on the side.