Posted by pietro on Thursday, May 18, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

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On Wednesday May 18, we took a bus into the rolling hills of Cefalù to the house of a man named Nino.  Him and his son Alessandro gave us a cooking lesson.  It was a four course meal with arancini as appetizers, pasta with fennel and lentils as the first plate, grilled sausage for the third plate, and crepes with ricotta filling for dessert.  Arincini are a typical Sicilian snack consisting of a fried risotto ball stuffed with filling.  They can be made in large batches and saved in the fridge as an on the go snack.  It is difficult to compare them to any American snack, but they are viewed similarly to how Americans would view granola bars.  I would love to start cooking them more so I took notes on the recipe and have included it in this post along with the instructions.  The ingredients we used were all things that I can find back in the U.S., so I am excited to try back home (although I doubt they turn out as good as Nino’s).  I have included a picture of Nino frying the arancini as Vittoria (one of our professors) helps shape them.  These arancini tasted delicious and were fun to make.  I can’t wait to try and make them again on my own and I encourage any readers of this blog to try as well!

 

Eggplant Arincini

300g risotto

2L water

1 bouillon cube

Mixed greens

Garlic

Onion

Bouillon cube

Salt

Olive oil

Eggplant

Salted capers

Toasted almonds

Garlic

Mint

Jalapeno

Pecorino and parmesan cheese

Flour

Eggs

Breadcrumbs

Optional: turmeric, saffron, wine

 

Cooking the Risotto

Boil water with bouillon cube and add a little salt. When it is boiling add half an onion to the water along with mixed greens.  To enhance flavor and yellow color turmeric and saffron can also be added to the water.  Toss the other half of the onion, diced, into a pan on low heat with about four tablespoons of olive oil and two hundred grams of butter.  Before the onions become soft and are finished, add the risotto to the pan.  Ladle scoops of the bouillon vegetable water to the risotto which will absorb the water as it cooks.  Add a dry, white wine as needed to flavor risotto along with thyme and laurel leaf.  Continue to ladle scoops of water, stir, and let the risotto cook until they are plump.  In total, around thirteen ladles of water will be needed to cook the risotto.  It is important to never add cold water to the cooking risotto or they will shorten and stop cooking.  When they are finished cooking add pecorino cheese with black pepper and allow them to sit and cool for an hour or two so they become sticky to shape into balls.

 

Making the Eggplant Filling

Poke a few holes in the eggplant so it doesn’t explode in the oven.  Cook for an hour to an hour and a half (depending on the size) until it is soft and flat at 180-190 degrees Celsius.  Allow the eggplant to remain in the oven another hour to finish cooking.  When it has finished cooking cut off the stem and taste test the skin.  If the skin tastes alright cut up the entire eggplant and toss it in a bowl.  If the skin is bitter then peel it first.  Chop a few salted capers, toasted almonds, garlic, mint, jalapeno pepper and add it to the bowl with the eggplant.  Add two tablespoons of olive oil and blend the mixture.  Add pecorino or parmesan cheese and let the filling rest a few hours in the fridge so it solidifies a little.

 

Making the Arincini

Shape the risotto into a bowl and put some filling inside.  Add a cube of mozzarella and cover the rest of the filling with more risotto.  Shape it into a sphere or large egg shape.  First coat the arancini in flour, then whisked eggs, and finally breadcrumbs.  Deep fry the arancini in vegetable oil, which should only take around twenty to thirty seconds until they are a crispy dark brown.  Let them cool and enjoy your work!