To be honest, I’m not that fussed about risottos anymore. I’m more concerned about testing some ‘realities’ with it!
Don’t get me wrong, I like risotto but its Arancini which I’ve been hankering after, especially cause I hadn’t tried it!It wasn’t always like this however. The first time I made risotto, I used a Nigerian-style stock, flavoured with ginger, garlic, curry and thyme. Needless to say, it was a disaster. And that put paid to making anything by that name for a few good years, till I successfully tried a pork and cider version, which was right on the money.
The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook ‘Moorish’ by Greg Malouf.
My risotto realities were:
- Could I make it up to a point and finish it off later?
- Could I successfully translate the leftover/finished recipe into rice balls?
And the answer to both question was a resounding YES!
I know people would argue about what a ‘true’ risotto is, and some may not approve but……experimenting is part of my game!
For this Daring Cooks challenge, we had to make our own stock and risotto base, which I did. I followed the detailed instructions given by Eleanor and Jess.
My Top Tip for making superb risotto is to use hot stock and to keep it hot and simmering while making the risotto! It isn’t really a secret though!
Ingredients:
1 large chicken 2-3 pounds about 1 kg chicken bones 2-3 pounds 1 kg 2 onions, roughly diced 1 medium leek – white part only, roughly diced 2 sticks celery, roughly diced 2 cloves garlic, halved 1 cinnamon stick 1 tsp. white peppercorns ( Any type of whole peppercorn will do) 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried, it doesn’t matter.) peel of 1/2 lemon 1/4 tsp. allspiceDirections:
- Wash the chicken and bones and places in a 5 Litre pot, cover completely with water and bring to a boil
- Skim away any scum as it comes to the surface
- Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil
- Add the rest remaining ingredients and simmer very gently, uncovered for 1.5 hours
- Carefully lift out the chicken, set aside. The chicken meat can be removed from the chicken, shredded off and used for other things like soup!
- Simmer the stock gently for another hour. At , at the end you should have around 2 Liters
- Carefully ladle the liquid into a fine sieve, the less the bones and vegetables are disturbed in this process the clearer the stock will be. The stock is now ready for use. Freeze what you don’t need for later use.
Risotto Base
Ingredients:
olive oil 2 fluid oz 60 ml 1 small onion, quatered rice 14 oz 400g Any type of risotto rice will do. I use Arborio but the recipe itself says Vialone Nano. Another to look for is Carnaroli. white wine 2 fl oz 60 ml chicken or vegetable stock , simmering 2 pints 1 LDirections:
- Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry for a few minutes to flavour the oil then discard. (We diced ours and left it in as we like onion).
- Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.
- Add the wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.
- Add enough stock to cover the rice by a finger’s width (about an inch or two). Don’t actually stick your finger in, it will be hot. Just eye it off.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.
- Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step. .
- Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage.
- Once you are at this point, the base is made. You now get to add your own variation. {At this point, I separated the risotto into 2 portions}
- To one portion, I added some grated parmesan cheese and butter and that was it.
This ‘true’ risotto was served with some tangerine chilli salt and was very much enjoyed by me.
I made up some ‘fake’ risotto for Mr and he didn’t enjoy it as much as the pork and cider one. He said the taste of the wine was a bit too strong. He didn’t fault the creaminess at all…… Fake risotto was made up to Step #9. Left for a while and then refreshed with some hot stock and finished off with parmesan and butter.
Some went into storage and this weekend, I set about making spinach arancini. For St Patrick’s day. Thanks Aoife for getting me to go green, albeit a little.
To about a cup of left-over risotto, I added 1/2 a cup of spinach cubes and heated that up till the spinach was melted. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and when it was cool, stirred in a lightly beaten egg. I set up a conveyor belt of flour, egg (with 1 tablespoon of milk, lightly beaten) and panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs) in small deep bowls.
To one side, were cubes of mozzarella and some leftover meatballs. I had them in small pieces.
What follows are some great tips for those who hate loosing half their breadcrumbs to sticky fingers when dipping, flouring and crumbing stuff, like me.
Using a tablespoon, scoop some risotto mix (I’d rather not a whole spoonful cause that would make rather large balls, but if you’re having a contest or something….you could go ahead :-)!) and put it in the flour.At this stage, you can put a mozzarella cube/piece of meat in the centre of the ball.
Then holding and turning the bowl round, roll the rice mix in the flour.
Using a spoon, dump it into the egg bowl and use a fork to gently roll around before putting into the panko. Roll that bowl around too and finally remove, with a fork and set on a plate.
One thing I discovered doing it this was was that my ingredients went a lot further than normal and the coatings were more evenly distributed than otherwise.
When you’re all done, set the plate in the fridge and let it rest for half an hour or longer.
Then deep-fry or oven bake (which I haven’t tried yet) till golden all round.
I served mine with a spicy tomato sauce made from passata, garlic, cumin and coriander seeds.
We enjoyed it. Even husband who was reluctant to have any quaffed a few :-). The ones with cheese were the yummiest! The rice forms a strange crust around the mozzarella – it becomes one with the crumbed exterior. The cheese melts and forms strings and the spinach gives it a light almost herby-but-not-quite- flavour!
I just feel sated you know, finally I’ve made them.
That’s it from me, one more in-the-flesh post (Meatloaf for the last stop – Puerto Rico on Culinary Tour 2010). See you Tuesday……
Take care and have a great start to the week. X X X
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]March on Risotto, with the Daring Cooks – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Those look and sound amazing! I could easily reach through the screen and grab a few. They are oozing with cheesy goodness and … oooh, how I’d like some right now!
I officially have a craving for risotto!!
The arancini look amazing, especially with the melted cheese in the middle. Yum! Great photo too, of the garlic.
I do love visiting your blog Oz, so many gorgeous photos! I made risotto balls once and my husband said never to make them again as they were so nasty. Yours look wonderful, maybe I should try again?!
Creamy and luscious arancini, simply irresistable!
Sawadee from Bangkok,
Kris
I heart arancini. They are the most yum and more-ish snack-ish balls of deliciousness ever. as always, your post is so easy to follow with great photos!
[…] you’re after some tasty nibbles, then Oz from Kitchen Butterfly has some spinachy Arancini for your delectation. A plate of these more-ish little balls of rice and cheese wouldn’t last […]
Goodness gracious super alabama! This looks and sounds soooooo DIVINE! I’m dying of joy!
Oh yum! I am all for Risotto at the moment – it’s pretty much my staple dish…but this looks fantastic!
holy cow! great idea!!
One of my favourite foods! There are lots of Italian restaurants around here, and they make them – large, triangular and stuffed with meat and cheese. Wickedly good. What you’ve made is often seen on resto menus as “risotto balls”, the arancini we see are quite large, maybe 10cm to the tip of the triangle. But essentially they’re the same thing. I’ve seen them stuffed with bolognese sauce and mozarella, or chicken/veal/mushroom in a white sauce with cheese. Oooh, now I want one.. 🙂
Super stock recipe! And your arancini is the most delicious thing I’ve seen in ages!
love the risotto balls. they look really cute and dainty =)
that arancini sounds like a dish we hispanics make. i think its called papa’s relleno, not sure though so don’t quote me on that…..:) its made of mashed potato and the filling is a meat sauce. it is the most delicious thing you will sink your teeth into. i’ve never made it, why, well because you could get it at the spanish restaurant in nyc. but i need to learn to make it..mmmmm
That’s a great recipe for stock and your arancini look awesome. Good job ; )
Thanks a LOT. Hmmm, its almost holiday time for me – another day to go. Still have one more day of work and am trying to make sure all 5 of us are well packed…..and don’t forget any essentials, like bathing suits and the like :-). I appreciate ALL your visits and I’ll catch up on reading your blogs soon. LOL
I love that you went straight to the arancini. I always end up devouring my risotto before I get there lol They turned out terrific and the use of panko really kicks it up several levals. Also, your photos are absolutely spectacular!
Holy Arancini Yum. Goodness in a ball – I’m glad to have some leftovers so I can try this too!
Y’know, I made risotto this evening and now I’m wishing I had some left over to make green, spinachy rice balls! Thanks a mill, Oz’ your arancini will take pride of place in the Paddy’s Day parade 🙂
They both look so good. I could bite that Arancini right now and enjoy all that cheesy goodness. Of course the photos are top notch! Excellent job!
I’m on such a risotto kick lately! Yum! Love the pictures!!
I’ve never tried risotto!
I love the arancini! I have risotto on the menu again this week – definitely need to make these with the leftovers!
They are the best treats.
Looks very yummy and I think I might be wandering around your blog for a while!
That’s very creative to make baked risotto balls. They look utterly delicious….mmm
Oh that melty cheese. I have had arancini a few times…once a co-worker who hails from Sicily brought some to work made by his mother (yum.). I have never made them at home, but think I mist give it a try, soon!
Oh yum!!!^^
Oh yeah, nothing quite like arancini with stretchy cheese innards! YUM =D
Those risotto balls really look great (as does the sauce on them)!
But I must admit I got a bit stuck on the idea of tangerine chili salt with a very simply-flavoured risotto – that sounds like it must have been a great combination!
I don’t do Daring Cooks and like you probably wouldn’t have felt that inspired by this challenge. Now those risotto balls on the other hand look AMAZING, I want them.
What a great picture of your cheesy delicious rice balls. I can almost taste it!
mmmm now im hungry those look so tasty!
That risotto is to die for but the fried rice balls are superb they looks so scrumptious and so yummy well done. I absolutely love the tangerine chili salt I’m going to use this idea thanks for the information. Wonderful photos they are very clear excellent effort and results on this challenge.
Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
OOOh waw, Ozoz!! These look so appetzing, grand & so tasty too!
MMMMMMMMMM,…excellent pictures too!
wow great looking pictures! all your risotto versions look so delicious, especially the arancini!
OH wow ozoz these look so grand. love arancini as they make the perfect appetizer. perfect!
I hate to say it Oz but I am torn between which looks more delicious – the risotto or the arancini! I’d love to try both! I love the idea of the tangerine chili salt – very unique! Would certainly lift the risotto’s flavour!
I love aranchini too they are definitely the best dish to make from left overs. Yours looks delicious.
Yes I love these overnight risotto balls. So super yummy.
I’ve never tried to make arancini. They look fantastic. And on top you used my all time favourite spinach for them! This is a must try recipe.
Wow! They are darling! I’ll remember the hot stock tip. Thanks for that. 🙂
Crisp and golden on the outside…warm and cheesy on the inside…definitely a treat worth splurging on!
These are quite possibly the yummiest things I’ve seen in a long time. WOW. They go directly to the top of my absolutely-must-try list!
Lovely risotto and arancini! I def. need to try some making some arancini sometime!
Aren’t Panko flakes the best? I don’t think I’ve ever purposely made Risotto… but I love, love your take on it, you are so creative with all of your photos and food…
I didn’t make the chicken stock as per indicated as I have left over chicken stock from my “Poulet à la crème” and made a prawns & mushrooms risotto for the first time in my life – it turned out fantastic n hub loves it very much even he was sick. Poppet loves it too.
Nice Arancini! I DID bake my arancini in the oven and they came out perfect.