Arancini

Captain America is Sicilian.

Both sets of his grandparents were born there and moved to the Bay Area when they were young, so he grew up with a very strong Sicilian influence, especially regarding cooking!

His Mom is an amazing cook, and makes some of the best Italian food.  Todd learn't most of the origins of cooking from her, but over time has developed his own style but still keeping the strong Sicilian origins.

In our house, we always have leftovers as we both cook as if we are feeding 30 people, not just the two of us!  After making Shepherd's Pie a couple of nights ago, we had leftover meat sauce, which we couldn't leave unused!  Todd decided to make Arancini, using the leftover meat sauce and other foods we already had.  This is by no means a definitive Arancini recipe.....like most recipes there are regional and family variations.  This however, will give you an idea of the basic recipe, and includes some of our suggestions for improvements.

For more information about the origins of Arancini, follow this link: Arancini

Mix the meat sauce, rice and cheese together in a bowl

  Take a handful (or smaller, depending on the size of the balls you want) and roll the mixture in the palms of your hand, ensuring all the ingredients are firmly packed together. 

In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and cornmeal together. Roll the ball in the breadcrumbs and place on the prepared baking tray.

Make the rest of the balls and place on tray.

Bake for around 45 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on the size of the balls), until the breadcrumbs have started to brown and crisp.

Ingredients:

For the meat sauce, follow this link to my Shepherd's Pie recipe

2 1/2 C white rice (uncooked)
3 C meat sauce
1/2 C fine breadcrumbs
2 tbsp cornmeal
optional: 3oz cheese, preferably fontina, although we used grated parmesan

Directions:

1) In advance, cook the white rice in 5 cups of water, adding a little drop of olive oil, while cooking. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully, preferably in a refigerator for a few hours before making the balls

2) Preheat oven to 375F.  Prepare a large baking sheet, and cover with foil.  Set aside.

3) There are 2 options at this point:
Option 1 - the easy way! Mix the meat sauce, rice and cheese together in a bowl, take a handful (or smaller, depending on the size of the balls you want) and roll the mixture in the palms of your hand, ensuring all the ingredients are firmly packed together.

We used this method to speed up the process, and personally I think the overall taste was better.

Option 2 - more complicated! Place around a cup of cooked rice on a large plate, packing it together using your fingers.  Spoon 1/4 C meat sauce into the center of the rice, then sprinkle some cheese on top. Carefully wrap the rice around the meat sauce trying to make sure it stays in the center of the ball.  Roll the ball in the palm of you hand to ensure all the ingredients are firmly packed together.

We started using this method but reverted to option 1 as we were hungry!!!

4) In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and cornmeal together. Roll the ball in the breadcrumbs and place on the prepared baking tray.

5) Make the rest of the balls and place on tray.  Bake for around 45 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on the size of the balls), until the breadcrumbs have started to brown and crisp.