Arancini

These beautiful "little oranges" work as a meal or appetizer, depending on how many you cram down. You basically make a risotto, add whatever fixings you want, make little rice balls with your hands, bread them, and fry them.

The recipe (makes 8 big or 12-ish small balls):

3.5 c vegetable broth -- this should be homemade:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 leeks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped
- handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of thyme
(all of these ingredients are suggestions -- be adventuresome, or use your own recipe)

Melt butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic, saute. Add everything else. Cook until softened but not browned. Add 2.5 qt water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer ~1.5 h. Strain and discard solids, increase heat, and reduce volume by half. Can use immediately or store refrigerated for ~3 days. Makes about 4 c.

Back to the arancini...

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1.5 c arborio rice
6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into small cubes
6 shallots, finely chopped
Handful mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, etc)
Finely grated zest of one orange
0.5 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Eggs, fresh bread crumbs, and olive oil

Put broth in saucepan. Heat until nearly boiling, then reduce to a simmer. Melt butter in a separate saucepan. Add rice and stir until grains are coated and glistening. Add all the hot broth to the rice one ladle at a time and stir until the liquid is absorbed. The rice should be tender but slightly firm.

At this point, add mozzarella, shallots, mixed herbs, orange zest, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. You can also add pretty much anything else -- I've used fresh peas or zucchini, I've heard of adding diced ham. Mix everything well, remove from heat, and let cool. Shape the rice into balls, dip them in beaten egg, and roll them in bread crumbs. Heat the olive oil, add the balls to the oil, and fry until golden on all sides. Drain on paper towels.