Cheesy Rice balls- also called “Arancine cacio e pepe”.
No meat filling, just cheese and, can be considered as a vegetarian dish.
I hope you make them and enjoy it.
Thank you for visiting my website.
Rice balls
Small rice balls with no meat filling, just cheese and, excellent as a vegetarian dish.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Arborio rice (400 g)
- 4 1/2 cups Water (1100 ml)
- 1 1/2 cups Pecorino Romano grated (150 g)
- 1 tsp Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 stick 1/2 stick butter (2 oz)(55 g)
- Few threads of saffron (optional)
- 1/2 lb 1/2 lb. mozzarella (225 g)
- 2-3 Large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups 2 cups bread crumbs (250 g)
- 4 cups 4 cups oil for frying such as peanut/sunflower/canola/vegetable (1000 ml)
- (I had fresh ricotta cheese that I made and added about 3 heaping tablespoons. No salt to be added )
Instructions
Rice Balls
- Bring water to a boil and add rice. Lower heat and let it cook for about 15 to 18 minutes. Halfway through cooking add butter and saffron.
- Remove a ladle of rice water and add to Pecorino Romano. Stir until it forms a soft, smooth cream.
- Let the cooked rice cool completely and add, pepper, parsley, creamed Pecorino Romano and ricotta cheese (optional)
- Mix all together.
Assembling the Rice Balls:
- In a shallow plate add the breadcrumbs.
- Whisk the eggs in a shallow plate . I like the 9 inch pie plates. It gives room to fully coat the rice balls.
- Fill a bowl with cold water.
- Using a large ice cream scooper create balls. Wet your hands so it doesn’t stick to palm of hands and gives it a smooth finish. Indent the middle using your finger and place a piece of diced mozzarella. Roll until you have a perfect ball. Dip in egg wash and coat completely then into the breadcrumbs.
- In a pot with plenty of oil because they need to deep fry bring oil 350° Fahrenheit (180° Celsius) temperature. Add the rice balls but don’t overcrowd. Fry until golden. Drain on a cookie sheet rack and enjoy hot!
- Buon appetito.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 4gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 138mgPotassium: 31mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 125IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
