Who doesn’t want a bite that is crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside?

Cheese and Rice Arancini

Who doesn’t want a bite that is crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside?

Ingredients

  • 32 oz chicken broth
  • 6 Tbsp salted butter
  • 1 large white onion (small dice)
  • 5 black garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1 cup short-grained rice (like arborio)
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • ¼ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ cup dry vermouth
  • 4 oz heavy cream
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
  • ¼ cup finely sliced chives
  • 3 cups panko breadcrumbs (blended into small pieces)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 5 whole eggs (whisked together)
  • 48 oz vegetable oil or frying oil
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Instructions 

  • Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a sauce pot.
  • Turn off heat and cover with a lid.
  • Cook large white onion in 4 Tbsp whole butter for 10 minutes on medium heat.
  • Add black garlic cloves, short grained rice, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and dry vermouth and stir to combine.
  • Ladle in one cup of chicken stock at first, stirring the rice after you add the stock until the first cup of stock has been absorbed by the rice.
  • Add another cup of stock, and again stir until the liquid is absorbed by the rice.
  • Repeat this process for roughly 15 minutes, adding more chicken stock until the rice is tender and pleasant to eat, and no excess liquid remains.
  • When the rice is fully cooked, stir in the heavy cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, shredded parmesan cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled goat cheese, and finely sliced chives.
  • Mix fully to incorporate all the ingredients.
  • Taste and adjust flavor with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
  • When the flavor is to your liking, gently use your hands to roll the mixture into evenly-sized balls, bigger than a marble but smaller than a golf ball.
  • Place rolled balls onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.

Set up a station to perform the standard breading procedure:

  • Prepare a shallow container with a cup of flour, another shallow container with the whisked eggs, and a final container with the fine panko breadcrumbs.
  • Set up another sheet tray with parchment paper to serve as the landing pad for your breaded arancini.
  • Carefully dredge the exterior of the arancini in flour, then toss in the egg mixture, and then roll the product in the panko breadcrumbs.
  • Place breaded arancini on the sheet tray with parchment.
  • Bring oil to 350F in a pot suitable for frying.
  • Fry arancini until golden brown.
  • Drain on paper towels and serve hot, dipped in a spicy garlic aioli.

Notes

These arancini can be made and frozen in advance of being fried.  
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