Recipe - Arancini with horse meat and Piacentino cheese from Enna

Introduction to the recipe

Horse meat is one of the most popular street foods in and around Catania: meatballs, steaks, sandwiches... you name it, and you’ll probably be able to find it! When used in sandwiches, horse meat is often served in thin slices with melted Emmenthal cheese and onions.

For its “arancini incarnation”, we have substituted the Emmenthal with a Sicilian cheese, Piacentino from Enna, made with sheep's milk, saffron and black pepper. In addition to adding an extra touch of “Sicilianity”, the Piacentino also complements the saffron in the rice.

Sicilian

Medium

160 grams

Meat

Ingredients for about 12 arancini

For rice:

500 grams of rice ("Roma" and "Originario" rices, mixed in equal doses)
1.1 liter of vegetable stock
2 bags of saffron
10 grams of salt
60-100 grams of butter

For the finish:

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

For the filling:

300 gr of horse meat
1 onion
200 gr of piacentino Ennese
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 teaspoon of oregano
extra virgin olive oil
salt, black pepper

Preparation of rice and filling

Rice

How to prepare 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, 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 informations about rice, Click here.

The filling

Use a knife to cut the horse meat into very thin slices
Cut the onion into paper-thin slices
Place the meat and onion in a bowl and add the vinegar, oregano, 5-6 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Let it marinade for at least 30 minutes

Let the meat and onion sauté on high heat for a few minutes, then allow them to cool
Chop the cheese into little cubes and add it to the meat

How to shape the arancini

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.

How to frying the arancini

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.

For more information about Finishing and Frying, Click here.

Enjoy your arancini!

Varation

In some areas, horse meat is sold in dried strips, which can be a flavourful alternative to fresh meat.

Bonus idea

To bring out the flavour of the saffron even more, you can add a generous handful of grated Piacentino to the rice.

Piacentinu, the typical sheep’s cheese produced in and around Enna, with its distinctive yellow-gold colour, features prominently in an old Sicilian legend. In the 11th century, the Great Count, Roger I of Hauteville, called for the creation of a cheese made with saffron and black pepper, both of which were, at the time, incredibly precious spices. He hoped that, by eating it, his wife, Adelaide Incisa del Vasto, would be cured of a deep depression. To the great satisfaction of the court cheese makers, it pleased the noblewoman immensely, and from that time forward the cheese was called piacentinu, (from the word “piacere”, meaning “pleasure”).

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