Conference turris::cooks

I know exactly what you mean.  I used to get them in the North End all the
time when I worked in Boston.  They're called ARINCINI (I hope I have the
spelling correct) ;-)

If you're looking for a recipe, let me know; I think I could find one in one
of my Italian cookbooks.

    I would love the recipe but I couldn't ask for it until I knew what it
    was I was asking for...They are great....We usually get 2 Arincinis and
    a half dozen cheese crispellis when we go down to Lawrence.....We live
    in Derry....Bless your soul if you have the recipe.....How about for 
    cripelli too??? Am I asking for too much???      Thank you...Mary

Tell you what...I'll bring in the recipe(s) tomorrow (not sure if I have one
for crispellis, but I'll check) if you post the directions to the Italian
Kitchen from Nashua.  I don't get into Boston as often as I'd like, so it
would be nice to have a more local source for these delicious treats!

Thanks

    sounds  great!!!!!  Mary

There's a very good recipe that I've used in one of Jeff Smith's
books - Frug Cooks with Wine, I believe.

The following is from pp 163-164 of "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks
With Wine", Published by Wm Morrow & Co. -

Very often these rice balls from southern Italy contain a bit of
tomato in one form or another. I tasted the following delicious
recipe, without tomatoes, while judging a cooking contest in, of
all places, Mobile, Alabama. A young fellow, Jon Fusco by name,
entered these arancini as his contribution. They are just terrific,
and you can make them ahead and freeze them. Do not be put off
by the complexity of this recipe. It is really very simple.

2    cups short-grain rice
1    teaspoon salt
1/2  Cup butter(l stick), melted
1/4  cup chopped parsley
1/2  Cup grated cheese (Parmesan or
    Romano)
2 eggs, wellbeaten
1/4 Pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup each (diced)
   Genoa salami or Italian salami
     Fresh mushrooms
     Provolone cheese
     Mozzarella cheese
 2   additional beaten eggs for dip-
    ping
     Bread crumbs for coating, about
      2 cups
     Oil for deep-frying

Wash the rice and drain well. Place in a 2-quart saucepan with a
tight-fitting lid. Add 4 cups of water and the salt. Bring to a boil
without the lid. Then, cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer for
20 minutes and remove from the heat. Do not take the lid off the
pot for this entire process. Allow the rice to sit for 15 minutes.
   Add the melted butter, parsley, grated cheese, and eggs to
the rice. Stir well to blend. Set aside.
   Saute the ground beef, drain, and cool. Mix the beef, salami,
mushrooms, provolone, and mozzarella together.
   Lightly moisten your hands. Shake off excess water. Form a
ball of rice just smaller than a golf ball. Using your thumb, poke
a hole into the center and put in some of the salami and cheese
stuffing. Seal up the hole by pinching it together. Finish all before
cooking.
   Heat the oil to 350". Dip the arancini in egg and then in
bread crumbs. Fry in deep fat, a few at a time, until light brown
Keep warm in the oven.
   May be made ahead and frozen. Defrost before frying. Use
leftover filling for omelets or toss with hot pasta.

MAKES 25 ARANCINI. THANKS, JON!

ARANCINI di SICILIANI (Sicilian Rice Balls)

1 cup Arborio rice
3 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 TBS finely minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup homemade tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced prosciutto or ham (about 2 oz.)
2 cups fresh bread crumbs, toasted
Peanut oil for deep-frying

In a saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil.  Add the rice and cook for
15 minutes.  The rice should still be quite firm.  Drain and transfer to a
bowl.

Lightly beat 1 of the eggs and add to the rice, along with the grated cheese,
parsley, 2 TBS of the tomato sauce, and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Chill
the mixture in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

In another bowl, mix the mozzarella cheese, prosciutto or ham, and the
remaining 2 TBS tomato sauce.

With floured hands, divide the rice mixture into 8 or 10 portions and roll
each portion into a ball the size of a small orange.  Poke a hole into the
center of each ball with your finger and insert 1 1/2 TBS of the mozzarella
mixture.  Reshape and smooth the balls to enclose the filling.

In a shallow dish, beat the remaining 2 eggs.  Spread the bread crumbs on a 
plate.  Dip the balls into the eggs, turning to coat them well.  Roll the
balls in the bread crumbs to coat them evenly.  Then let them dry on a plate
for 45 minutes.

In a deep fryer or deep heavy pan, heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees F.  Fry
the balls until they are golden brown on all sides.  Drain them on brown
paper and serve immediately, with lemon wedges or the fresh tomato sauce.

    My mother-in-law uses left-over pasta sauce, made from scratch with
    real tomatoes (of course!!) which has had pork spare-ribs or similar
    cooked in it. The sauce is rich and thick and enormously flavrousome
    just with pasta, and perfect for the arancini.
    
    Cooked peas are mixed into the sauce. Small cubes of mozzarella cheese
    are added to the filling - make the arancini the same way as the
    previous recipe i.e. shape rice, fill, close, roll in egg and
    breadcrumbs.
    
    She makes them tennis-ball size, not golf-ball size. I think the little
    ones would be easier to eat - less messy - but either way they are
    devastatingly good.
    
    ~Sheridan~
    :^)

    thank you for the replies so far....I have only had the tennis size
    ones.....I will need to go to the place in Lawrence to get the
    directions precise or you will not like where you get lost .....so I
    guess I will have to stop in and get some while I am there, of course I
    will have to get the 1/2 dozen cheese crispellis too....mmmm
    
    
                                         Mary

    Mary,
    
    I happen to know the person who owns the Italian Kitchen in Lawrence
    and he has, by far, the best crispellis and rice balls ever.
    
    It is very difficult to describe how to make these but I will try. I am
    sorry I am not one to "measure" anything so bear with me. 
    
    I do make rice balls very often so I will give you the recipe. Also,
    when I was a kid I use to work at a bakery in Lawrence that made
    crispellis and I will try to explain how to make them.
    
    Rice Balls:
    
    1 Cup River Rice (cooked & Cooled)
    meatballs (chopped)
    Peas
    Italian Sauce
    3 eggs (beaten)
    Italian Bread Crumbs
    Peanut Oil for frying (peanut oil does not burn easily)
    
    Take a handful of rice (keep hands wet by periodically dipping in a
    bowl of water) place a bit of meatball and peas and then begin to form
    into a ball, working the rice until it becomes sticky. Dip the ball in
    beaten eggs and then breadcrumbs and deep fry in peanut oil until
    golden brown. Top with Italian sauce.
                                                              
    Variation:
    
    You can add a little ricotta cheese to the rice and this will give the
    rice balls added flavor plus it will help hold it together better. 
    
    
    Crispelli:
    
    1 yeast cake dissolved in 1/4 c warm water, 1 T sugar, 1 T flour. Let
    the yeast come to a bubble and add to:
    
    4 C flour
    1 T salt
    1 T oil
    
    Add enough  hot water to make a loose dough (about the consistency of a 
    very thick pancake batter).
    
    Grab a piece of dough and place 1/2 teaspoon or more depending on taste
    of ricotta cheese. Mold the dough around the ricotta so that it is
    completely enveloped in dough. Deep fry in peanut oil until golden.
    Drain on paper towels.
    
    Variation:
    
    Italian kitchen also makes them with a bit of anchovy in the middle or
    just plain with no filling.

Hi Mary,

I was reading through all the mouth watering recipes and was hoping
to go taste some of this awesome stuff in Lawrence. 

> I will need to go to the place in Lawrence to get the directions precise 
> or you will not like where you get lost 

Did you get a chance to go there yet? Please do post the directions here
when you get them.

Thanks much!
-Jyothi-

Here's another that I just happened to run across in James McNairs's Rice
Cookbook, published by Chronicle Books -


Sicilian Stuffed Rice Balls
(Arancini)

2 cups short-grain rice, preferably
  arborio
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads,
  crumbled, or 1/4 teaspoon
  powdered saffron
1 quart homemade chicken stock or
  canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably
  extra-virgin
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 pound lean ground pork or beef
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary,
  or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary,
  crumbled
1/4 CUP fresh or canned tomato sauce
1/4 CUP dry white wine
1/3 cup shelled fresh green peas or
  thawed frozen petite green peas
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
1/2 CUP freshly grated pecorino or
  Parmesan cheese
About 1 1/2 cups very fine dried bread
  crumbs, made from Italian or
  French bread
Olive oil or vegetable oil for
  deep-frying

Translated as "little oranges" because of their shape and finished color,
arancini make a satisfying snack or a tasty lunch along with a salad.

Wash and drain the rice.

Combine the saffron and stock or broth in a saucepan over high heat. Add
the drained rice and bring to a boil. Stir once, reduce the heat to low, cover,
and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente and slightly
sticky, about 17 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Heat the oil in a large sauti pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the
onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground meat and
rosemary and saute until the meat just loses its raw color, about 5 minutes
longer. Add the tomato sauce, wine, and peas and cook until the liquid
evaporates and the peas are just tender, about 10 minutes longer for fresh
peas, or about 5 minutes for thawed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a mixing bowl, beat 2 of the eggs. Add the cooled rice and grated cheese
and mix thoroughly. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the rice mixture into the
palm of one hand and press it out to form an even round. Place about 1
tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center of the patty, then gently close
your hand to encase the filling in the rice. Use both hands to roll the stuffed
rice into a ball. Continue making balls until all ingredients are used.

Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a small bowl and pour the bread crumbs into
a shallow bowl. Roll each rice ball in the egg to coat completely, then roll
in the bread crumbs to cover well. Set aside until all balls are coated.

Pour oil in a deep fryer or saucepan to a depth of 4 inches. Heat to 360 F 
or until a small piece of bread dropped into the oil turns golden within
a few seconds. Carefully drop the rice balls, a few at a time, into the oil and
fry, turning frequently, until golden brown all around, about 5 minutes.
With a slotted utensil, transfer to paper toweling to drain. If desired, place
in a low oven to keep warm until all are cooked. Serve warm.

Makes about 10 arancini; serves 4.