Crispy meatball-sized appetizers with deep fried outsides and moist herb and cheese insides.
While I'm sure that this recipe is great as written, there are a few "technical" things that I want to clear up. It is really known as arancini and should be made first as a risotto and then the cold leftovers used to make the rice balls with a variety of fillings, including mozzarella, ground beef or lamb, proscuitto, peas and swiss cheese. Really great, Roman style street food or snack.
Read MoreThis was okay but not great. We liked all of the ingredients but they didn't have that "wow!" factor when combined in this dish. It was kind of difficult to put together and not really worth the effort. If we make it again, we'll change it, adding more garlic, parmesan, black pepper, etc.--more flavor.
Read MoreWhile I'm sure that this recipe is great as written, there are a few "technical" things that I want to clear up. It is really known as arancini and should be made first as a risotto and then the cold leftovers used to make the rice balls with a variety of fillings, including mozzarella, ground beef or lamb, proscuitto, peas and swiss cheese. Really great, Roman style street food or snack.
absolutely divine - can't go wrong with following this recipe to the letter. It is time consuming - but well worth the effort and would be sure to impress! The rice took at least 30 min to cool before I could proceed with the next step, so make sure you get the rice happening before you do anything else.
I've been looking for this recipe everywhere! Thanks so much! These are just like my Nonna's, except she put peas in the middle of hers and occasionally a bit of ground beef or lamb instead of the prosciutto. I made my rice balls pretty large, and molded them into a bell shape like my Nonna's. Delicious! Thanks again!
These were wonderful, I get asked to make these on a near-daily basis for the bar I cater for. I recommend roughly shredding the mozzarella cheese instead of dicing it, and adding salt, pepper, dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, etc. etc., in small amounts to the breadcrumbs to give the coating a special flavor.
I made these along with a bunch of other meditteranean type appetizers for an outdoor jazz concert and they were to die for. The only thing I changed was that I omitted the egg whites before rolling them in bread crumbs. They are already plenty sticky and did not need it, plus the eggwhites mostly get left in the bread crumb dish anyway.
Excellent! I have tried rice balls before and I do believe the secret to this one is that there are only egg whites in the mixture and then as coating...keeping the little nuggets all together when cooking. Easy, faster than you think.
This was okay but not great. We liked all of the ingredients but they didn't have that "wow!" factor when combined in this dish. It was kind of difficult to put together and not really worth the effort. If we make it again, we'll change it, adding more garlic, parmesan, black pepper, etc.--more flavor.
I LOVE rice balls and was so excited when i saw this recipe. i adjusted this to my taste and it came out yummy. I put mozzarella cheese in the middle of this and it came out so good. I think i will put chicken in the middle next time and dip in marinara sauce. thank you!!!!
Like Nonna's except no saffron in the rice which gives it a different flavor and definately with rissotto rather than reg white or long grain rice.
Just to let you know....you can stop after the balls are formed and rolled in bread crumbs. Simply cover them in one layer and put in fridge. Bring to room temp before frying them. Maybe they even held together better because of the refrigeration. 24 balls means they are pretty big...I like them when they are about 2 bite size for an appetizer. I make about 35-40. Saw these for sale on the street in Sicily and they were as big as naval oranges. Great recipe, thanks!
I had my doubts but these came out really good. A lot of work, but if you make enough of them at a time it's worth it!
For the most part this was good. I did need more eggs to dip balls in and there wasn't that much flavor. Next time, I will spice it up a bit!
Perfect, though I've never seen this spelling of the name - usually its arancini. Still, thanks for the recipe. Spectactular!
This recipe tasted great! I did however have problems getting the balls to stick together. I would imagine that it was because I made the rice the day before and refridgerated it overnight. I also used some Hickory smoked honey ham instead of prosciutto and it was great. Very different. Served it for a large group and everyone loved it.
Followed recipe exactly and , well, they were ok, I guess. Seemed bland and definitely not worth the effort. BF and I doused in marinara to add some flavor. Perhaps I will try again and add some spices (cayenne and lots of pepper) to help it out.
Everyone LOVED LOVED LOVED these. Don't change a thing. PERFECT. Very authentic italian and unique!! I will definately make these again, although a little bit of work required!
My son was in the mood for Rice Balls and this recipe was just what we were looking for. I thought all the taste was great and we enjoyed it very much. I will make them again real soon.
Great snack! Although it seems a bit complicated with all the steps, the reward after all the work is definitly worth it.
A lot of work, which is why i gave it only 4 stars, still really good though. if i would have known better, i would have just used the left-over brown rice in the fridge and added garlic to the already cooked rice rather than spending the extra hour plus cooking and cooling new rice just so it can have garlic cloves and a bay leaf
So good!!! My Fiance has a big Italian family and they were blown away at how good these were!
Make these as an appetizer for a family birthday party (a big Italian family) and they loved them!!! Got asked for the recipe several times before leaving the party - only negative is they can taste a bit salty due to the ham.
Seemed like a lot of work, and I was so frustrated. But, when I tasted it I forgot about it. Wonderful!
These are a nice mild appetizer, not over the top, just perfect! Crispy on the outside (I used fresh crumbs) and yummy inside! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
This is a terrific, authentic recipe. I agree with the first reviewer, best made with risotto, although slightly more time consuming. The recipe can be amended with different fillings. I was generous with the egg white and double rolled with the bread crumbs so they wouldn't fall apart. My kids love arancini and this is going to save me a lot of money buying it already prepared! Thank you!!
Very tasty, but VERY time-consuming. However, my husband and I made this together, and it was fun. We each had four as a main dish, with Panzanella Salad (recipe from this site) on the side and some crusty bread. Delish!
If I could give this negative stars, I would. I followed all the instructions, the rice never stayed together, even with extra egg whites. Very dissatisfied
I was on the fence about making these after reading a few negative reviews, but I did anyway. I did use smoked prosciutto because that's all I could find, and they came out fabulous! I will definitely make them again.
