White arancine with mixed meat
By Caterina
For my mother Agata, rice arancine were the most elaborate dish made by her dear aunt Lina. That’s she asked us, her daughters, to help her, and I always remember her saying, ‘Many hands make light work!’. It took her two days to prepare them, including shopping, making the ragù and frying. Two days during (o “in”) which the aromas of Sicilian tradition permeated every corner of her home, which was always full of children, even when the preparations were demanding. Obviously, it was a time of celebration for everyone, but the real ecstasy came at frying time: the sizzling of the boiling oil was music to the ears, and the arancine were fried until they reached the ‘colour of gold’, as my grandmother loved to say at the stove. Even today, this is still the case at the Pellegrino home: a hot arancina in your hand represents true happiness!
ingredients for 12 people – 30 arancine
For the rice:
1 kg of rice (Roma type)
150 g of Parmesan cheese
150 g of butter
1 litre of milk
1 litre of water
4 egg yolks
Nutmeg to taste
Salt to taste
For the filling:
500 g minced veal
½ chicken, cut into pieces
300 g frozen peas
250 g mild provola cheese
500 ml water
500 ml milk
250 ml béchamel sauce
1 glass of white wine
½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
4 thin slices mortadella
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
3 onions
1 sprig of parsley
Herbs to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
For the breadcrumb coating:
4 egg whites
2 whole eggs
Durum wheat flour to taste
Breadcrumbs to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
preparation
Cook the risotto in salted water and milk, leaving it very al dente (allow 5-7 minutes less than the recommended cooking time). Season with Parmesan cheese, butter, nutmeg and egg yolks, adding them one at a time. Set aside the egg whites, which will be used later for the breading.
Remove the rice from the pot, place it on a plate or cutting board and let it cool. In the meantime, prepare the filling (you can also prepare it the day before). Prepare the broth with an onion, a carrot, a stalk of celery, pepper, nutmeg and herbs and boil the chicken for an hour. Leave it to cool and cut it into small pieces. To prepare the white veal ragù, finely chop the onion, celery and carrots. Place the meat, oil and onion in a saucepan, trying to break up the meat with a fork, for about 10 minutes until it has dried out. Then add a glass of wine and let it evaporate. Next, add the water and milk and cook very slowly for over an hour. Finally, season with salt and herbs. For the peas, finely chop an onion and fry it with oil and parsley for about 5 minutes. Then add the peas, a cup of hot water and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. Cook for another 15 minutes and season with salt. Finally, place the chicken cut into small pieces, the ragù, the peas, the mild provola cheese and the finely chopped mortadella in a pan. Add the béchamel sauce, previously flavoured with butter, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg, and mix everything gently. When the rice has cooled, make balls the size of your palm, make a hole in the centre and fill it with the mixture. Then close them, giving them the classic arancine shape, and roll them in durum wheat flour. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and egg whites that you set aside earlier and add a little salt and Parmesan cheese. Dip the arancine first in this mixture and then in the breadcrumbs. Then fry them in plenty of olive oil. Finally, arrange the arancine on a plate lined with lace paper and decorate with orange leaves.
Pair with a glass of La Grande Famille metodo classico
ingredients for 12 people – 30 arancine
For the rice:
1 kg of rice (Roma type)
150 g of Parmesan cheese
150 g of butter
1 litre of milk
1 litre of water
4 egg yolks
Nutmeg to taste
Salt to taste
For the filling:
500 g minced veal
½ chicken, cut into pieces
300 g frozen peas
250 g mild provola cheese
500 ml water
500 ml milk
250 ml béchamel sauce
1 glass of white wine
½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
4 thin slices mortadella
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
3 onions
1 sprig of parsley
Herbs to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
For the breadcrumb coating:
4 egg whites
2 whole eggs
Durum wheat flour to taste
Breadcrumbs to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
preparation
Cook the risotto in salted water and milk, leaving it very al dente (allow 5-7 minutes less than the recommended cooking time). Season with Parmesan cheese, butter, nutmeg and egg yolks, adding them one at a time. Set aside the egg whites, which will be used later for the breading.
Remove the rice from the pot, place it on a plate or cutting board and let it cool. In the meantime, prepare the filling (you can also prepare it the day before). Prepare the broth with an onion, a carrot, a stalk of celery, pepper, nutmeg and herbs and boil the chicken for an hour. Leave it to cool and cut it into small pieces. To prepare the white veal ragù, finely chop the onion, celery and carrots. Place the meat, oil and onion in a saucepan, trying to break up the meat with a fork, for about 10 minutes until it has dried out. Then add a glass of wine and let it evaporate. Next, add the water and milk and cook very slowly for over an hour. Finally, season with salt and herbs. For the peas, finely chop an onion and fry it with oil and parsley for about 5 minutes. Then add the peas, a cup of hot water and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. Cook for another 15 minutes and season with salt. Finally, place the chicken cut into small pieces, the ragù, the peas, the mild provola cheese and the finely chopped mortadella in a pan. Add the béchamel sauce, previously flavoured with butter, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg, and mix everything gently. When the rice has cooled, make balls the size of your palm, make a hole in the centre and fill it with the mixture. Then close them, giving them the classic arancine shape, and roll them in durum wheat flour. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and egg whites that you set aside earlier and add a little salt and Parmesan cheese. Dip the arancine first in this mixture and then in the breadcrumbs. Then fry them in plenty of olive oil. Finally, arrange the arancine on a plate lined with lace paper and decorate with orange leaves.
Pair with a glass of La Grande Famille metodo classico
