Arancini - Italian Stuffed Rice Balls

Ingredients:

2 cups prepared risotto, cold
½ cup grated Parmesan
3 eggs, (1 for the rice mixture and 2 for breading)
8 small cubes fresh mozzarella or whatever cheese you have on hand (or meat filling, your choice)
1 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
Oil, for frying

Directions:

In a large heavy-bottomed pot heat 4 inches of vegetable oil on medium.
Combine the rice, Parmesan and 1 egg in a bowl and use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture.*See Lanni's notes for tips
In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining 2 eggs and set out the bread crumbs on a plate.
Form the arancini balls by squeezing some rice in the palm of your cupped hand. Flatten it out making a little bowl. Put the cheese in the center then add a little more rice to make a lid and squeeze it into a ball.
Dip each arancini in the eggs and then roll it in the breadcrumbs.
Once the oil reaches 375ºF, add 2 or 3 of the breaded arancini to the pot and fry them until golden brown. Don't overload the fryer.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried arancini from the pot and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately salt the arancini. Repeat the frying process with the remaining arancini.
Serve the arancini warm with a side of warm marinara sauce.

Lanni's Notes: great recipe, but even simpler still is to just use left over plain rice you have in the fridge from yesterday's meal. About 2 cups. I always make extra rice to put in the fridge for this or making fried rice. Stir in a beaten egg, black pepper and Parmesan. Form the balls with whatever filling you have. You can make a meat filling or use chopped prosciutto, cheese and peas. Or just cheese and peas. Have nothing else? Just use cheese! Roll the formed balls in a beaten egg and then into seasoned bread crumbs.

Fry Them: I have honestly never tried to bake the balls as some other recipes suggest. Deep frying is best. If you deep fry them at the correct temp they won't come out greasy. Use a deep fryer or a heavy bottomed pot with at least 3 or 4 inches of oil in it. I use corn oil. You can strain and save your oil for frying another time as long as you never burn it. Make sure you wait to put the balls in the oil until the oil is hot, between 350 and 360 degrees. Fry until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towel lined plate. I can tell when my oil is hot enough even without a thermometer by carefully flicking a drop of water in and when it spits and sizzles it's ready to go. Be patient, if you put them in too soon and the oil isn't hot enough you will end up with soggy, greasy balls. Nobody likes greasy balls! Ha!

Hint: For rolling the balls, always start with clean cool hands. You will need to rinse your hands with cold water between each ball you form. If not, your hands will be too sticky and the rice will stick to you instead of to itself.