Sumac and artichoke arancini

Arancini are a great way of using up leftover risotto, but for these delicious morsels, we recommend making a fresh batch.

Ingredients:

  • 40g unsalted butter
  • 1tbl olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
  • 200g Arborio rice
  • 75ml dry white wine
  • 875ml stock or water
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of sumac
  • 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons of pitted green olives, roughly chopped
  • 150g cooked artichoke hearts, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon of dill, chopped
  • 50g mozzarella, roughly cut into 1cm cubes
  • 50g plain flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 100g Panko breadcrumbs

Method

Heat the butter and oil in a pan.
Add the chopped onion and sweat until translucent
Followed by the garlic, fry for one minute
Add the sumac and half a teaspoon of salt
Add the rice and heat until too hot to the touch
Pour in the wine and let it get absorbed
Start adding the stock
Add ladle by ladle, waiting for it to be absorbed before each addition
Keep the pan hot and stir constantly to keep the starch moving
When the rice has only a slight crunch left, add the sliced cheese and melt into the risotto
Cook until al dente, adding more water if necessary
Season one last time, adding the olives, artichoke, lemon and chives
Spread on a tray and cool the risotto down as quickly as possible
As soon as the risotto is room temperature, pop into the fridge until completely cool
The risotto must be fridge cold or you wont be able to roll it
You can use disposable rubber gloves or dampen your hands if the mixture is too sticky
Roll the rice into small balls, pushing the mozzarella cubes into the centre
Break an egg into a bowl and whisk with a fork
Coat in the flour and shake any excess off
Place the balls into the egg, coat and place into the breadcrumbs
Repeat the egg and then the breadcrumb again for a wonderfully crunchy finish
Put these balls into the fridge to set up and preheat your deep frying oil
Fry these for about 5 minutes on 190C
They will be very hot, so leave to cool for a minute before serving as the molten cheese would burn the inside of your mouth

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