I had a trip planned to Seattle a few weeks ago to visit my friend Leah, who I've mentioned in my blog before. She's one of the best cooks I know and there isn't a tool that can't be found in her kitchen, so I knew she was the right person to help me try a recipe I got from the fine folks at Cakebread Winery in Napa, CA.
Arancini is a fancy word for deep fried risotto balls with a dollop of soft cheese melting in the middle. Rather than type it out here, I'm including a link to the Cakebread website which includes the complete recipe and a very helpful instructional video.
The main reason I'd avoided trying this recipe on my own was twofold. First, I knew it would make too much food for one person and I wasn't sure how well it would keep. Second and perhaps most importantly, deep frying anything in a tiny studio apartment kitchen seemed to be a dicey proposition at best. Having a plan to safely dispose of the used oil requires space and an extra set of hands.
As Leah and I were deciding our menu for the weekend of my visit, she was game to help try the recipe and we had a large enough audience of people to feed to make it worth the time and effort. Turns out it was much easier than I thought, although we did learn a few important things as we went along.
First, the risotto recipe itself was super yummy on its own! If you're looking for a good risotto, give it a try. I got a little carried away with my taste testing.
The cheese mentioned in the recipe is specific to the Napa Valley. You likely won't be able to find it by name at your local market, but shop at a store with a large cheese department and ask them to recommend a good soft cows milk cheese to substitute and the recipe will turn out just fine.
We improvised a bit on the size of the balls (actually I was the one most guilty on that front) and they were a bit too large. The recipe calls for a dollop of risotto the size of of small ice cream scoop, but a tablespoon would work out just fine and leave you with a nice two-bite size ball.
Once you have the oil heated, the balls fry VERY quickly so it helps to cook them in very small batches -- no more than 3 or 4 at a time -- so they don't get too done. Leah did an awesome job in that department since I was handling the panko crusting duties.
One of the things we learned watching the video is that the recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen. The video didn't specify the process to do that, but Leah and I were thinking you could roll the balls and freeze them ahead, bring them to room temperature and then bread and fry them right before serving. Otherwise we suspect the panko breading would get too soggy.
Above all, we learned this recipe is a crowd pleaser AND it's kid friendly! Leah's niece and nephew both liked it and the adults absolutely approved.
So the next time you're in the mood for some deep fried Italian yumminess, have a ball -- or two!
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