These Sweet Corn Arancini are little handfuls of risotto, that are then coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried to golden perfection. Completely vegetarian too!
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
Place the stock in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Keep the lid on so that it doesn’t evaporate but always keep it warm to add to the rice.
Add the oil to a frypan and cook onion, garlic & celery over low-medium heat until softened. Try not to let it colour.
Add the rice to the onion mixture and cook, stirring for about a minute. The rice should look a little glassy. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and oregano and mix through.
Add a ladleful (about 125ml/1/2 cup) of the simmering stock to the rice mixture and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the rice has absorbed all the stock. Continue to add the stock, 1 ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the stock to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful, for around 15 minutes or until the rice is just tender - but firm, not mushy. It should still have a little bite to it and the risotto should look creamy. If it is still too firm, add a little water at a time, allowing it to absorb before testing again.
Stir in the parmesan and corn, then transfer it to a cool bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to cool completely. You can use the freezer to cool it more quickly, just keep an eye on it so it doesn't freeze.
Once it is totally cool, add the mixed herbs, mozzarella and 1 egg and mix through until well combined.
Place the breadcrumbs and flour in separate bowls. Whisk the remaining egg in a third bowl. Shape about 3 tablespoons of the risotto mixture into a ball (I found a medium sized ice cream scoop to be perfect). Repeat with the remaining risotto mixture until you have 12 even balls.
Roll the risotto balls in the flour, then the egg, then lastly the breadcrumbs. Now you have arancini balls, ready to deep-fry. Sit the arancini balls on a baking tray and pace in the fridge to chill for half and hour.
Heat oil in a large saucepan to about 5cm depth. Heat the oil to 190C over medium-high heat. Place 4-5 arancini balls in the hot oil and cook for about 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are deep golden in colour. Transfer to a wire rack set over paper towel to drain. Repeat until all arancini balls are done. Serve!
Notes
I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon
Make the risotto at least 3 hours before you want to serve the arancini as it needs time to cool between stages. You can speed up the cooling process by utilising your freezer though to cool it more quickly.
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.