We had a wonderful "primavera" risotto for dinner the other day, studded with fava beans and asparagus, with a sprinkle of chopped chives and pistachios...
And, because of the quirky exigencies of the food magazine world, we had a "Thanksgiving" feast the following day... Roast turkey with a rich velouté, lima beans with a little bacon, and rice...
With The Remains of Both Days in the fridge... Arancini seemed the way to go!
First, I took about 2 cups of the risotto... added 2 eggs... a good handful of bread crumbs (the best use for day-old baguette)... and half of the turkey breast, cubed.
I tasted the mix and decided to add some minced sage along with salt and pepper. I rolled the mixture into balls (about 1/3 C apiece), rolled the balls in more bread crumbs, and then - quite possibly the most important part - chilled the formed balls for a few hours. This allowed them to firm up a bit and, therefore, not fall apart when frying.
As dinner time approached, I heated some vegetable oil (about 2 inches in a deep pan) to 350°-360°.... turned the oven on to 350°... and prepared a holding rack (a cooling rack in a half sheet [cookie sheet] pan). Then I made a very spicy tomato mayo (mayo, ketchup, sriracha, lemon juice, habanero hot sauce, and some chives I had left from the breakfast eggs)...
When the oil reached 355°, I added 3 arancini at a time, and fried them until they were a deep, deep golden brown. Yes, they almost looked too brown... The timing all depends on your oil temp, arancini temp, etc., so go by color.
Using a spider, I fished the arancini out of the oil, placed them on the rack, placed the rack in the oven... brought the oil back to temp, continued with the next three... and so on. When I'd made enough to serve for dinner (I'm experimenting with freezing the others, uncooked... I'll let you know), I plated them on a bed of arugula, added a large dollop of the spicy mayo, and served.
Wow! Perfectly fried, crispy on the outside... warm and molten on the inside. The sauce added great zing... and we giggled. I think I've told you: when the first bite results in giggles, I know I've done something right!
MANGIA!!!