Arancini siciliani

Our Street food school continues with the most famous and widely available Sicilian street food: the arancino (plur. arancini).  For many proud Sicilians – especially from the city of Palermo – the name ‘arancini’ will always prompt the same reaction: “It’s arancinE beddo mio, ARANCINE!” This because the name of these fried rice balls of wonder derives from the Italian word for orange – arancia (plur. arance). I’ll here use the term arancini as it’s the most used nowadays and because I’m cheeky like that!

ArancinI o arancinE.. Have you ever heard of them before? If you have, probably you need to thank Andrea Camilleri, the author of Inspector Montalbano. Montalbano is an unconventional detective, obsessed with women and food, lover of arancini and good wine, who lives in a little town near Agrigento, in western Sicily. We’ll probably have soon a blog post about Montalbano and the strong relationship between Sicilian food and the environment. Camilleri – who was born near Agrigento – has contributed greatly for making arancini and the beauty of West Sicily known worldwide. I mean, just look at this picture from the Egadi Islands!

Rice balls stuffed and coated with a light, crispy batter, arancini are based on recipes known in the Middle East during the Medieval period. The rice – which was brought to the island by the Arabs – is always flavoured and coloured with saffron. Though cultivated in antiquity in Greece and Sicily, the widespread use of this yellow spice – used even for painting! – came to Italy only with Arab cuisine in the Middle Ages. Think about a bright yellow Spanish paella and you’ll see the connection between the two Mediterranean countries influenced by the Moors! Arancini became immediately very popular because they made the perfect portable, high-energy snack for a day’s work in the fields or out on fishing boats – yes, they are indeed the Sicilian equivalent of the Cornish pasty! Making arancini is also a very tasty and clever way of using leftover cooked rice or – in Northern Italy – risotto.

Arancini are often stuffed with ragù (a simple meat sauce), tomato sauce, mozzarella, and/or peas. Many local variations have created over time a very broad range of flavours and shapes: in eastern Sicily, for example, arancini have a more conical shape, similar to a pear. We can now find more than 100 different kind of filling across the region, some freely – or madly! – inspired by traditional Sicilian flavours like pistachios, almond milk or squid ink. The best ‘strange’ arancino I’ve ever had was on the island of Ustica, off the coast of Palermo: it had sea urchin in it! But let’s talk about the original ones, the arancinE from Palermo, the regional capital.

Arancini in Palermo (The Arancin-E!)

In Palermo arancine are kind of a big deal. They can be found in bars and restaurants all over the city but the best ones are usually prepared in very small kiosks. I once had an amazing arancina with ragù out of what it felt like a random kitchen window! Soft and crispy at the same time, the best arancine are a bit messy, because the filling is very juicy and they’re not made from risotto like elsewhere. Always remember to take a couple of extra napkins if you have them at a stall! The best time to have arancine in Palermo is around the week of the Santa Lucia festival, on 13^th December. There are religious processions with statues, flowers and candles, parades, sport competitions, fireworks and outdoor markets selling handmade products, candies and indeed lots and lots of delicious arancine! Inspired to give them a try? Here’s a simple recipe for a traditional arancina from Palermo.

Arancine al ragù (around 12):

• 400g Arborio rice (don’t tell anyone from Palermo: sushi rice would be even better!)
• 100g Parmigiano Reggiano
• 50g butter
• 1l beef stock
• 2 eggs
• a pinch of saffron, salt and ground nutmeg

Simple ragù:

• 250g minced beef
• 150g peas
• 100g tomato passata
• 1/2 onion
• a little extra virgin olive oil
• a pinch of salt and black pepper

For coating and frying:

• 150g plain flour
• 150g breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2l oil (you can use any good quality one, Sicilians use extra virgin olive oil)

1. Boil the peas for a few minutes – keeping them quite firm – and then drain them. Now you can make a simple meat sauce (ragù): fry the onion on a low heat with a little olive oil for 10 minutes, then add the minced beef on a higher flame, just for 5 minutes. Turn the flame down, add a pinch of salt and black pepper, and add the passata. After 30 minutes add the peas and keep cooking the sauce till it’s nice and thick. Set aside to cool.

2. Boil the rice in the beef stock, keeping it ‘al dente’. Drain the rice and add butter, Parmigiano, saffron, nutmeg and the eggs, briefly beaten. This mix should be sticky and quite gluey. Let it cool down by spreading it out – if possible – or simply by having cold water around the mixing bowl/saucepan for a few minutes. This operation is important to not let the rice overcook.

3. You’re now ready for the fun bit! Take a small portion of the rice mixture in the palm of your hand, squeeze it firmly and put a spoon of ragù inside each ball. It’s easier than what it might sound, you’ll get the hand of it in no time! You should be able to make around 12 arancini with the mixture but don’t worry if the arancine seem too small or too big: as long as they’re fairly similar in size, they’ll be fine and charmingly wonky! Close the rice balls and then roll them in flour first, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs last.

4. Deep fry in plenty of oil, making sure it’s always at around 160°C, turning your arancine often to make sure they get crispy and golden. Drain and pat them dry with kitchen towels. Eat them hot or cold but exclusively with your hands, no knife and fork allowed on the streets of Palermo!

5. Enjoy this amazing street food with a glass of Nero d’Avola, a lovely red wine for the South-East of Sicily. More of a ‘white wine’ person? These arancine will go really well also with a glass of Lugana or Prosecco (both from the Veneto region)

Here’s Laura eating a vegetarian arancino with Gorgonzola and walnuts at the annual Fiera del Riso (The Rice Fair) in Isola della Scala (Verona). Experiment with different kind of filling, be creative! They’re a fantastic way of using leftover risotto. Arancini have conquered the world. Will they conquer your kitchen as well? Buon appetito!

Giordano