Arancini - risotto balls

In Estonian

Italian cuisine is my favorite. In this time I tried to make Arancini balls/risotto balls. Amazing crispy crunch and a little spicy tomato sauce gives to risotto totally new dimension.

First you have to make risotto and let it cool down completely, so it would be possible to form balls from risotto. Balls are covered with flour, egg, breadcrumbs and fried in hot vegetable oil so the balls will get nice and gold brown crunch. For making sauce you need approximately 1 hour, then all the flavors will be strongly expressed and excessive liquid is evaporated

For making risotto you need:
60 g butter
1 onion (chopped into small pieces)
2 garlic cloves (chopped into small pieces)
220 g Arborio rice
125 ml white wine
500 ml hot chicken stock
50 g grated Valio Forte Speciale cheese
30 g parsley (chopped into small pieces)
100 g brown champignons (chopped into small pieces)
100 g cold smoked ham (chopped into small pieces)

Fry onion and garlic in butter, add rice and fry until the rice will become glassy. Add white wine and let it totally evaporate. Add 1/4 part of hot stock and braise risotto in low heat. Add stock in parts, after the previous stock part has almost evaporated. Stir occasionally and also after every time you add stock. Risotto is cooked, when it is almost soft (al dente). Finally add grated cheese to risotto. At the time of preparing the risotto fry ham and mushrooms. Add to risotto fried ham, fried mushrooms and chopped parsley. Let the risotto cool down completely.

For Arancini balls you need:
80 g Alma cheese from whole milk
100 g wheat flour
2 eggs slightly beaten
150 g breadcrumbs
vegetable oil

Cut from cheese 1x1 cm size cubes and roll cooled risotto into golf sized balls around a cube of cheese. Dip risotto balls in flour, egg and breadcrumb. Fry in vegetable oil at 180 C until golden brown.

For sauce you need:
olive oil
6 garlic gloves (chopped into small pieces)
ca 0,5 chili pod (add according your taste- how spicy food you like)
2 cans ( a 400 g) crushed tomatoes
4 tbsp sugar
0,5 tsp salt

Fry garlic and chili slightly in oil and add canned tomatoes. Braise at low heat approximately 1 hour and season with sugar and salt.
Serve hot Arancini balls with sauce. For decoration add grated cheese and chopped parsley.