Recipe - Arancini with speck and Bronte pistachios

Introdution to the recipe

The main ingredient of this arancino is the Bronte pistachio, which, with its unmistakeable flavour and aroma, is known as the “green gold” of the province of Catania.

In Bronte you can find arancini with pistachios on every street corner, and those with speck constitute one of the most classic combinations. Speck, with its slightly smoky flavour, pairs beautifully with pistachio for an incredibly flavourful arancino. In this recipe, finely chopped pistachios are also added to the rice, to enhance the flavour even further.

Gourmet

Easy

160 grams

Meat

Ingredients for abaut 12 arancini (160 grams)

For the rice:

500 grams of rice
1.1 liter of vegetable stock
2 bags of saffron
10 grams of salt
60 grams of butter
100 g of pistachios grain

For the bechamel sauce:

400 ml of milk
40 g of butter
40 gr of flour
nutmeg

For the filling:

150 grams of speck
150 gr of provolone
100 gr of minced pistachios

For the finishing touch:

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

Preparation of rice and filling

The 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

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

How to prepare the bechamel

Prepare the bechamel sauce as follows:

melt 40 g of butter in a saucepan;
when the butter is melted, remove the saucepan from the heat;
add 40 gr of flour mixing with a whisk and add 500 ml of milk poured in flush to prevent lumps from forming;
put back on the stove and cook over low heat until the cream thickens, mixing continuously to ensure a smooth and homogeneous consistency;
adjust salt and pepper and complete with the nutmeg;
turn off the heat and let it cool

The filling

Slice the speck into thin strips and add it to the béchamel sauce
Add in the coarsely chopped pistachios
Dice the provola cheese and add it to the other ingredients

Shape the arancino

Buy the Arancini Maker

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.

Enjoy your meal !

Variation

You can also make a vegetarian version of these arancini without any meat at all. Alternatively, you can substitute the speck with another type of cured meat, such as prosciutto crudo.

Bonus Idea

To add a little extra crunch to the centre of this arancino, add a few whole pistachios to the filling.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Speck, the typical cured ham of the South Tyrol region, gets its distinctive flavour from light smoking and from Alpine herbs. The first recorded mention of it dates from the 13th century. Its name derives from the High German word spek, meaning “fat”. The peasants of the Alto Adige, or South Tyrol region, produced it as a way to preserve the flesh of the pigs slaughtered at Christmastime for the entire year. Speck, in which two preservation methods are combined (Mediterranean ageing and Northern European smoking), is a perfect blending of Europe's two souls.

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