The daily mealArancini were eaten daily on our hols. Matteo holding his; I don't think I photographed mine as they were always consumed quickly.

They were usually eaten on the sun lounger while looking out to sea, hoping we wouldn't see or hear Bronnie shrieking from a jelly fish sting! She moaned about how no one offered to pee on her! (we were told they were not poisonous from day one - her scream sounded as if Jaws were attacking our delicate, parasol toting friend)

London Arancini Balls

Mine and the 'award winner' D's rice balls. Unfortunately we didn't add salt to the rice and didn't know how to turn the inside yellow like it is when you buy it in Italy but they weren't too bad for a first go! I also realised that in my original recipe I forgot about the beaten egg to mix in with the rice which keeps the balls intact (oops-but I fixed it now -thanks Sal for pointing it out).

D's winning an award this week (no cash accompanies it -there's a credit crunch you know) but she is a wonderful soul and a great sous chef. She makes a great breadcrumb mixture with a mortar and pestle. I don't know anyone who actually has a M&P and uses it, most people have them in their kitchens as decorative pieces, non?

Anyhoo to compensate for the lack of salt we used the tomato sauce and peas as garnish and sprinkled it all with salt and pepper from their AUTOMATIC salt and pepper grinder. A big no-no as the thing broke several times during dinner -that is a gadget that our parents would look at and it would reinforce their sentiment that our generation is lazy.

I actually like the sound and action of grinding your own pepper. This automatic one sounded like a kids toy stalling or chugging in overdrive for only a microscopic piece of pepper-too noisy. Sorry M, I know you like it but I think you should return it before it breaks open into your pasta carbonara dish this week. The unsalted balls with the home made bread crumbs - we toasted a lot of slice bread for them!
We burned the bottoms of the first ones as the oil was too hot, but got the hang of it with the rest. See recipe in my original post, will try it again and try and make it just like they do in Sicilia, practice makes perfect - D's kept the oil for our next attempt.

Arancini di Sicilia - rice goodnessArancini con carne -a specialty of Sicily (rice balls)

What you need:

• 800g rice
• 600g tomato sauce
• 120g green peas
• 200g breadcrumbs
• 100g mozzarella cut into cubes
  
• 500g ground beef
• 3 eggs
  
• salt

Cook the rice until well done and let it cool. Mix the rice with 2 beaten eggs to make the rice easier to manage and mould into balls. Work the rice into several balls (cricket sized or baseball sized) poking a deep dimple inside it which you then fill with little bits of cheese, the cooked ground meat and the peas (you can mix these all together in a bowl first). Cover it with another bit of rice and make it into a ball as best as you can.

Roll the rice balls in the remaining beaten egg and then roll in the bread crumbs. Deep fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels and then pop them in the oven for 10 minutes to cook them a little more on the inside. Serve hot or cold.

Delicious!

Making these arancini, is apparently a skill that takes quite a while to acquire, so if yours do not come out in perfect spherical shapes don't worry, just keep trying. We always bought ours in Sicily as my aunties said that the bakeries made them better than they would.

Arancini di Riso - Sicilian rice balls
You can find these arancini di riso at gas station rest stops, train station booths and anywhere you can buy a snack in Sicily. They are delicious, filling and great to eat on the run.

* 1 1/2 cups risotto rice
* 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
* 2 eggs
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1 egg, beaten
* Flour for coating
* Breadcrumbs for coating
* Oil for frying

*you can add green peas or ground beef if you want additional tastes to the balls. I prefer them in their original state.

Boil rice and add to a bowl with cheese, 2 eggs, salt and pepper.
With oiled hands, shape rice into balls the size of small oranges (arancini). Roll aranci into beaten egg, then into beadcrumbs to coat well.

Deep-fry in oil until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve Serves: 4 - 6

To make them with a soft mozzarella core which is delightful to reach follow this tiny trick. With a small piece of mozzarella cheese. Push a hole with your finger into each ball after shaping. Insert the cheese, then close the opening to hide the cheese.

Mmmmm.....