Vincenzo’s arancini

Makes 18 arancini You will need:

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 225g uncooked arborio rice 125ml dry white wine 600ml boiling chicken stock 5g frozen peas 50g ham, finely chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 40g grated Parmesan 2 eggs 1 tablespoon milk 115g mozzarella cheese, cut into 1.75cm cubes 60g plain flour 110g dry breadcrumbs 250ml vegetable oil for deep frying

1 Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and the crushed garlic and cook them, stirring until they’re soft but not browned. Pour in the arborio rice and cook, stirring for 2 minutes, then stir in the white wine and continue cooking and stirring until the liquid has evaporated. Add

75ml of the hot chicken stock at a time, stirring and cooking until each addition of liquid has evaporated before adding more.

2 When all the chicken stock has been incorporated, stir in the peas and the finely chopped ham. Season with the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Transfer this risotto to a bowl and allow it to cool slightly.

3 Beat one egg and stir it into the risotto. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and the milk with a fork. To make each arancini ball, roll 2 tablespoons of the risotto into a ball. Press a cube of the mozzarella cheese into the centre of the ball and roll it to enclose the cheese. Coat the ball lightly with flour, dip it into the egg and milk mixture, then roll it in breadcrumbs to coat.

4 Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer or a large deep saucepan to 180°C, 356°F. Fry the balls in small batches until they are evenly golden. Drain on kitchen towels.