arancini

The new year always seems to be full of what's 'going to be big in the coming months' lists and I'm going to get my two cents in now with arancini. These are little fried balls of risotto, rolled in breadcrumbs and filled with something yummy, in my case, mozzarella. What's not to love. Crispy panko breadcrumbs. Silky risotto. Metled cheese. Perfect for a rainy day and to help mend a broken heart. And if you're anything like me, making the correct volume of risotto is a complete mystery and this is the perfect use for leftovers. It's one of those dishes that once you get it in your head you won't stop thinking about until you get to eat it.

Begin with some cold risotto. I've made mushroom and pancetta, it needs to be quite thick so it holds together when you roll it up. It's best to get all your ingredients ready beforehand as it all gets rather messy. So beat an egg in a small bowl, rip up some mozzarella into little bits (smoked mozzarella works great) and pop some panko breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Next wet your hands, pick up a small amount of your cold risotto and flatten in your palm. Put a little mozzarella in the centre and roll up the ball adding more risotto if you need to. 

They should be about the size of ping pong balls. Roll in the egg and then breadcrumbs. Continue until all the rice as been used. Once all the arancini have been made you just need to shallow fry them in small batches. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of rocket.