Arancini – Three Cheese Fried Risotto Balls

These Italian three cheese fried risotto balls, Arancini, make the prettiest appetizer, or even a meatless meal.  Arborio rice, cheese, garlic and herbs, breaded and fried until golden brown, served up with marinara and a dusting of grated cheese.  

Our favorite little hometown restaurant, Bella Vita, has these Arancini on their menu.  They are my favorite appetizer they offer.  They serve them on a small plate of marinara, dusted with cheese and sprinkled with fresh Italian Parsley.  The presentation is one of my favorite parts, well that’s until you cut into one.  Then it’s time to scoop up all of that yumminess and clean the plate, prettiness goes out the window!

Today is Freaky Friday!! What is Freaky Friday you ask?  It’s a little group I started a couple of years back, where we are secretly assigned pages and get to cook/bake from our assigned page, then on one chosen Friday we reveal all of our recipes, and get to see what a fellow blogger has chosen to make from our site.  It’s always a lot of fun, and to call it delicious would be an understatement.

 

 

See Past Freaky Friday Recipes

 

 

 

For this round I was assigned LeMoine Family Kitchen. This scrumptious recipe blog is run by Angela LeMoine, wife to her High School sweetheart, Steve, and mom to two adorable boys, Jack & Ryan.  Angela is Italian and grew up in New Jersey.  When she’s not making something magical in the kitchen, she’s doing yoga, teaching Zumba or decorating her home with furniture pieces she paints into masterpieces! She’s super duper talented, and to top that off, one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure to “meet.”  (hoping someday that will be in person!!)

I have been assigned Angela’s blog one other time, and made her Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Shells.  I feel like making something that isn’t Italian, when given the chance, from Angela’s blog, seems sinful.  There are SO MANY CHOICES.  Although, funny story – another blogger friend, Brandi did make Angela’s Black Bean Soup, and loved it.  Then another blogger friend, Candi, saw she made it, and made it herself, and loved it.  I had to see what all the rage was, so I made it, too, and we loved it also!  So, I guess what I am saying is that, she doesn’t have only Italian recipes.  In fact, she is the queen of the scone.  Check out these Chocolate Chip Scones she made last fall.  Or these muffins!! When she posted them, she said her hubby told her they were the best muffins ever.  How can you not want to make The Best Mixed Berry Muffins ever?!

I digress.  Back to these Three Cheese Arancini.  A while back I saw that Angela had shared them, and was like “Hey!! Those are the things I love at Bella Vita …. must. make. them.”  So, when I drew her name this round, I already knew what I was making.  I made them a few weeks ago, keeping them a secret from you all has been the hardest part.  I made them on a Friday afternoon, and prepared enough to sample and take photos of.  The rest of them, I froze and took them out for Super Bowl Sunday.  When I made the first small batch I fried them in my cast iron skillet.  When I made the rest of them, I dug out my little Fry Daddy fryer to make the process go faster.  I have been thinking about getting an air fryer – and wondered how these would turn out in one of those?  hummmm?  There are a few steps to these, but in the end, you will be so glad you made them! Plus, like I mentioned before, you can freeze them and bring them out as needed.

Our recipe starts with Arborio rice.  I found mine at World Market.  Another must, Pecorino Romano cheese.

Mix prepared rice, tempered eggs, 3 cheeses, parsley and salt together in a bowl.

How To Temper an Egg

Form into balls using 1/4 cup mixture for each. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15+ minutes, or until they are completely cool and are easy to work with.

Roll each ball in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Now they are ready to cook or to freeze.  Frying them takes only a couple of minutes.  Place them on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.

 

 

Plate them by pouring a small amount of warm marinara sauce in the middle of the plate and place the Arancini on top.  Finish with a sprinkling of Romano cheese and fresh parsley.  They make a gorgeous appetizer or would make a wonderful meatless meal with a salad along side.

 

 

Check out the other recipes made for this Winter Round of Freaky Friday:

A Dish of Daily Life – Cucumber Salsa

An Affair from the Heart – Arancini (Three Cheese Fried Risotto Balls)

A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures – Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip

Bacon Fatte – Spiced Bakery Style Ginger Pear Muffins

Bowl Me Over – Beef Tips and Gravy

The Devilish Dish – Chocolate Covered Snickers Strawberries

Full Belly Sisters – Easy Crockpot Cesar Chicken

LeMoine Family Kitchen – Frittata Ranchera Black Bean Salad

Life Currents – Garlic Sesame Noodles

Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish – Low Carb Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Mildly Meandering – Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana Soup

Plattertalk – Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Seduction in the Kitchen – Reuben Meatball Casserole

Take Two Tapas – BLT Bacon Cups with Avocado

The Foodie Affair – Pineapple Bread Pudding

West Via Midwest – Spicy Smoke Sauced Shrimp

Who Needs a Cape? – Cheez-It Fiesta Baked Chicken

 

 

 

Time to get on to the recipe!