ARANCINI WITH ASPARAGUS STALK ARRABBIATA
I always hold back on risotto seconds as I don’t want to miss the opportunity to make arancini the next day. For an extra layer of Italian resourcefulness use the woody ends of asparagus stalks in an arrabbiata sauce alongside. I had an Italian soup last year and I thought the ‘secret’ ingredient was saffron but the subtle exotic back note was the oft-discarded asparagus ends. Genius.
SERVES 2-4
ARANCINI:
100g cheese (I used goat’s milk cheddar but any cheese will work)
800g cold, leftover risotto per arancini (35-50g per arancini)
100g plain white flour
2 eggs, whisked 200g breadcrumbs (these can also be gluten-free)
A little olive or light rapeseed oil
ASPARAGUS STALK ARRABBIATA:
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 tsp chilli flakes or 1 fresh red chilli, finely diced
15g of fresh basil, finely chopped
A handful of asparagus stalks, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
1 Preheat your oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas 7. Divide your cheese into 1 tsp-sized nuggets. Roll into balls.
2 To form the arancini, scoop a portion of the cold risotto into your hand. Place a nugget of the cheese into the centre and wrap the risotto around it to seal completely. Repeat with the remaining risotto and filling.
3 To coat the arancini, place the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowls. Carefully dip each arancini ball into the flour, shaking off any excess, then the egg, and finally the crumbs, ensuring the rice is completely coated.
4 Once all the arancini are coated in crumbs, arrange them on a lightly-oiled baking tray and pop into the freezer to firm up for 15-20 mins.
5 Make the arrabbiata sauce while they chill. Place the garlic, chilli, basil stalks and asparagus stalks (discard any really woody pieces) in a pan over a medium-low heat with the olive oil and gently cook for 2 mins. Pour in the tomatoes, season, and cook for 15 mins over a low heat. Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth.
6 Slide the arancini straight from the freezer into the hot oven, on the top shelf. Bake for 20 mins with no oil, then drizzle a little oil over each ball and cook for a further 5-10 mins.
7 Gently warm the sauce through and serve with the freshly baked arancini.
Cook’s note: If preferred, you can deep fry arancini instead of baking. You can pretty much use any cheese for arancini - the little balls just need to hold as you shape the leftover rice around them. Goat cheeses are great to achieve shape-holding you can scoop and will stay firm when frozen.