Italian Symon Arancini (Printable Recipe)

Crispy rice bites stuffed with ham, mozzarella, and Parmigiano. Enjoy a crunchy shell and creamy, cheesy middle.

# Ingredients You'll Need:

→ For the Risotto

01 - A sprinkle of kosher salt, just taste and see what works
02 - 3 cups warm chicken broth or low-sodium stock
03 - 1/2 cup diced-up country ham
04 - 1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
05 - 1 cup yellow onion, chopped up small
06 - 1 tablespoon good olive oil

→ For Assembly

07 - 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella, chopped into cubes (about 0.5 cm each)
08 - 1 large egg, yolk and all
09 - 1 egg yolk
10 - 1 cup super-fine Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for sprinkling on top

→ For Breading and Frying

11 - Canola oil for frying things up
12 - 1 cup plain bread crumbs

→ For Garnish

13 - More Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
14 - Fresh parsley, chopped

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Put the finished arancini on your favorite platter. Sprinkle extra grated cheese and fresh parsley right on top. Grab one while they're still warm.
02 - Fill up a big saucepan with about 5 cm of canola oil and get it nice and hot, around 175°C. Carefully add the balls, just a couple at a time, and cook, turning every now and then, until they're golden and crunchy. That should take about 2 minutes per batch. Pull them out and set them on paper towels so any extra oil gets soaked up.
03 - Dump the bread crumbs into a shallow bowl. Roll each ball in them until every bit is covered. If there's too much stuck, just tap off the extra.
04 - Cover a baking sheet with parchment. Mix the chilled risotto with Parmigiano-Reggiano, both the egg and egg yolk, and half a teaspoon of salt. Wet your hands, grab about two tablespoons of the mixture, and roll it into a ball. Poke a little hole in the middle, set in a mozzarella cube, close it up with more risotto to hide the cheese, and keep going 'til you've used all the mix. Set the balls down over the prepared sheet.
05 - Pour olive oil into a medium pot and warm it up over medium-high. Toss in the onion with some salt and stir, letting it get glossy but not brown, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and bits of ham, stirring it all for another minute. Switch to medium heat. Pour in a bit of the warm stock—about 125 ml—at a time, stirring often and letting the rice drink it up before adding more. Keep going until the rice's soft and everything looks creamy. This'll be about 15 minutes. Scrape the risotto into a bowl and pop it in the fridge until it's totally cool.

# Extra Tips:

01 - Cold risotto that's a day old makes shaping these way simpler.
02 - Make sure your oil hangs out at the right temperature for the crispiest results.
03 - Great excuse to use up any leftover risotto from the night before.

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