Arancine Palermitane
Loved in Sicily and beyond, Arancine Palermitane are truly a perfect delight to prepare all year round and in particular for Santa Lucia on December 13th. Let's see the recipe to prepare them!
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[instagram-feed feed=1]You got it right, ArancinE! No, it's not a grammar mistake!
In Sicily we divide between those who call them ArancinE, as in the province of Palermo, and those who call them Arancini, as happens in Catania.
They are essentially rice balls and are truly exceptional, easier to prepare than you might think and really versatile.
In fact, they can be prepared in the classic version, which is called "abburro" or "al burro" in Palermo. The translation for that it is literally "with butter" which is bechiamel sauce, ham and mozzarella, or meat filling ragù “accarne” or “a carne”. At the cafes, however, they can also be found in a gourmet version with the most diverse fillings or in a sweet version with nutella or chocolate filling!
As I said before, it is traditional in Sicily to consume the Arancine for the day of Santa Lucia but they can be found and prepared all year round for a family dinner or, in a mignon version, for birthday parties. Let's find out the original Sicilian recipe together to prepare them at best!
- 1 kg Arborio rice
- 2.2 l water
- 40 g bouillon cube (about 2)
- 10 g salt
- 150 g butter
- 1 dash Saffron (or whole packet)
- 500 ml milk
- 100 g farina 00' (or pastry flour)
- 80 g butter
- 5 g salt
- 400 g Parmacotto or cooked ham
- 400 g mozzarella
- 20 g soffritto
- 500 g ground beef/ground pork (250 g of each)
- 20 g tomato paste
- 400 g tomato sauce
- 2 floz red wine
- 250 g petite green peas
- 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pinch extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch nutmeg to taste
- 400 ml water
- 200 g farina 00' (or pastry flour)
- 400 g Breadcrumbs
- 1 gal sunflower or corn or peanut oil
- 1 1 Deep fryer
In a saucepan, add the water, the butter, a sachet of saffron and a vegetable bouillon cube and bring to the boil.
Then add the rice, mix and wait for the mixture to come to the boil again. About 10 minutes.
After a few minutes, mix again and wait for the rice to cook.
When the water has completely evaporated, the rice will be ready, about 20 minutes. So turn off the flame and pour it into a baking pan. Level with a wooden spoon so as to have an even layer. Then let it cool completely.
Once this is done, you can dedicate yourself to the filling. In a bowl, add the béchamel (previously made and left to cool), the cooked ham cut into cubes or sliced, the mozzarella in small cubes, a pinch of salt and the chopped parsley (optional). Create small balls. Put in the refrigerator to compact. Same thing with the ragu' meat. Create small balls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
When the rice is now very cold you can move on to making the actual arancine. Take a spoonful of rice, place it on the palm of your hand and create a hole to add the filling.
Add more rice and compact so as to give an oval shape. In Palermo, in fact, arancine al burro have a more elongated shape to distinguish them from those with meat which instead have a round shape.
When you have made all your arancine, you have to leave them refrigerated and covered overnight.
Now you can move on to the breading. Arrange the breadcrumbs on a plate and form the batter in a bowl by mixing water and flour. Mix with a whisk to remove any lumps.
The Arancine will be dipped in the batter and then passed in the breadcrumbs so as to seal them completely.
Once breaded, the Arancine can be fried in very hot sunflower oil. It is important that the arancine are immersed in the oil when it is hot and that they are almost completely covered by the oil. If part of their surface should be uncovered, sprinkle continuously with hot oil using a spoon.
During cooking, turn your arancina a couple of times so that the browning is even.
Place them on a parchment paper.
Serve them after a few minutes so that they are no longer hot and that the heat from the frying has reached the inside as well.
Enjoy your Arancine hot!
You can vary the filling in many different ways, depending on your tastes. The process will always remain the same.
I used Arborio rice, but you can also use Carnaroli or Roma for this preparation.
Arancine can also be frozen before breading. When you want to prepare them, just keep them at room temperature for 2 hours before frying them in hot oil.
Sicilian arancine can be kept for a day in the refrigerator closed in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. Reheat them in the oven and they'll be delicious again! The ideal, however, is to eat them still hot after cooking.
If you want the béchamel sauce recipe for Arancine A Burro click here
If you want the meat filling ragu' sauce recipe for Arancine A Carne click here
