Arancini alla Norma

A delicious variation on classic Sicilian arancini. These arancini alla norma are filled with eggplant in a light tomato sauce, ricotta salata and mozzarella to create perfect vegetarian arancini!

Course antipasto, Snack

Cuisine Sicilian-Italian

Keyword eggplant filled arancini, rice balls with eggplant filling

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 15

Servings -16 arancini

Calories 333kcal

Author Nadia Fazio

Ingredients

For the rice

2 cups arborio rice or other short grain rice such as Carnaroli or Vialone Nano
5 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
salt to taste
1 cup Parmigiano cheese
2 large eggs lightly beaten

For the eggplant sauce filling

1 medium eggplant
½ cup olive oil
¾ cup tomato passata
1 clove garlic
pinch red pepper flakes optional
½ cup ricotta salata or feta cheese
salt to taste

For assembling

75 grams mozzarella cut into cubes
2 large eggs beaten
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for frying

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the rice

Bring the broth to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add rice, lower to a simmer, cover and cook until tender about 20-25 minutes. Taste and add salt, if needed.
Transfer to a wide shallow pan and let cool slightly before stirring in Parmigiano cheese. Cool completely and refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the sauce

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté cubed eggplant until soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Transfer to a bowl.
In the same skillet, add a minced garlic clove and red pepper flakes, if using, and sauté for a few seconds. Pour in the tomato passata and let simmer for ten minutes. Add salt, to taste.
Stir in the cooked eggplant and simmer for ten minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly before stirring in grated ricotta salata cheese.
Let cool completely before refrigerating until ready to use.

To assemble

Cut mozzarella into cubes. Remove the rice and eggplant sauce from the fridge.
Stir 2 lightly beaten eggs into the rice mixture.
Set up an assembly line with the rice; eggplant sauce; cubed mozzarella; a bowl with beaten eggs for the eggwash; a bowl with breadcrumbs and a baking sheet to place the assembled arancini on.
Use a 1/2 measuring cup to scoop rice into the palm of your hand and roll into a ball.
Make a deep indentation in the centre of the rice and add about a tablespoon full of eggplant sauce and a cube of cheese.
Carefully close the rice around the filling. If needed, use a bit of extra rice to enclose the eggplant filling completely.
Roll into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue with the remaining rice.
Once assembled, dredge each arancini first in the eggwash allowing excess egg to drip off. Next, roll in the breadcrumbs.
Once assembled, dredge each arancini first in the eggwash allowing excess egg to drip off. Next, roll in the breadcrumbs.

To fry

Fill a heavy bottomed, deep sauce pan about halfway with vegetable oil. Alternately, use your deep fryer.
Heat oil: to test if the oil is hot enough place the handle of a wooden spoon in the centre of the pan. If the oil immediately begins to sizzle and bubble around the handle, the oil is ready.
Fry a few arancini at a time, do not overcrowd the pan, until golden, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and transfer to a paper towel covered tray. Serve hot.

Notes

Substitutions

-If you don't have access to ricotta salata, substitute with another salty cheese such as feta cheese.

Tips

-Use 1/2 cup measuring cup to scoop your rice in order to ensure even sized arancini.
-You will only use about 1/2 of the eggplant sauce for the arancini. Cook some pasta and toss with the remaining sauce for another meal.
-Alternately, freeze the remaining sauce for fut

Storage

-Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days.
-Fried arancini alla Norma may be frozen, well wrapped, for up to one month.

To reheat

-Reheat in a 350 degrees F preheated oven until warmed through, about 15 minutes.
-Defrost frozen arancini overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as indicated above.

Nutrition