Oven Baked Arancini
Whenever I make risotto I make too much. I do it on purpose! I love it so much and I know I am going to get those flavours in a slightly different way the day after. Arancini is my wife’s favourite dish to order as a starter or light lunch when we go out for dinner. If it’s on the menu, she is going to order it. I never made it the conventional way in a deep fryer but I have tasted the full fat version when nicking a taste from the wife’s plate. The acidity of the feta and cream cheese sit lovely with my homemade arancini dip. I am usually lost for words when I eat these lovely creamy rice balls. I just wished I had tried more of them before I couldn’t go near the deep fried kind. That doesn’t mean that the oven baked variety I now make are lesser vessels of loveliness. Yes, you can tell they haven’t been deep fried – there’s no way around that, but in this case (and mine) it’s a good thing. All the taste and crisp breadcrumbs, but without all the nasty, hip hugging fat.
As you can see in the photo, arancini make a cracking lunch or dinner. This time I make it with a side salad, roasted mini portobello mushroom and a simple serrano wrapped chicken breast. Yum!
Recipe
Leftover risotto – Usually about 100-150g
Feta cheese
Plain flour
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs
Method
- Refrigerate your leftover risotto overnight.
- Prep the flour and breadcrumbs into separate bowls. Preheat your oven to 180 C Fan assisted.
- Roughly chop the feta cheese and incorporate into the risotto.
- Roll the risotto into evenly sized balls.
- Coat the balls in flour and then in the whisked egg. Place directly into the breadcrumbs and gently roll until the balls are covered.
- Spray the balls with some low calorie oil. I use a vaporiser to spray a small amount of rapeseed oil.
- Cook in the centre of the oven for 20-25mins.
Dipping sauce (Extra)
¼ Chopped tomatoes or passata
1 Shallot
1 tsp Garlic granules or 1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp Light Soy sauce
Chicken stock cube in 75 ml of boiling water
4 Olives
Fresh Basil
Method
- Finely hop the shallot and place on a low heat in a saucepan with a small amount of oil. Heat until the shallots are browning. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 mins.
- Use a hand blender to blend the chopped tomatoes or use passata. Add to the onions.
- Add the soy sauce and chicken stock and simmer for 10 mins
- Crush or roughly chop the olives and add to the sauce. Simmer for a further 3-5 mins
- Chop or tear the basil leaves and add to the sauce and cook until the basil wilts.
- Serve as a dip or over the top of the arancini with some shaved parmesan.
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[…] you want to have a cracking Saturday lunch – put a little extra risotto aside to make these Baked Arancini tomorrow. Just another bonus about making this dish. Leftovers are what makes a dish great, […]
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[…] you want to have a cracking Saturday lunch – put a little extra risotto aside to make these Baked Arancini tomorrow. Just another bonus about making this dish. Leftovers are what makes a dish great, […]
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Reblogged this on mamabatesmotel.
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Cheers
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Looks too tasty
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