A lesson on cause and effect.

10/18/09
I love risotto. I love risotto so much, that I had to make some tonight. However, what I love more than risotto is arancini. As an effort to keep every morsel of leftover risotto for arancini, I refuse to put large chunks of food into my risotto. I took a risk this time and made my risotto as follows:

2 c. of uncooked risotto
a little butter
2 c. white wine for starting risotto
2.5 c. chicken broth (warmed) for remainder of cooking ... do not skip the warming bit!
1 c. pecorrino romano, grated (less if you don't want it so cheesy. I like cheesy.)
artichoke hearts, chopped

Cook as the box calls for, or by melting butter in a heavy pan, lightly toasting the risotto in that, adding the white wine, bringing to a simmer, and continue to stir and simmer until thickened. Slowly add more liquid, and stir until thick again. Continue until most liquid is gone and rice is barely al dente. Remove from heat, stir in cheese and artichoke hearts. Let sit for a few minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with a chicken dish. Grilled chicken is fantastic with this.

Phenomenal.

Cause: I made too much rice.
Effect: Make arancini. (Like that wasn't planned...)

You will need:

risotto, room temp or chilled (I used the leftovers from above, but any risotto will do.)
flour in a bowl
1-2 beaten eggs
bread crumbs in a bowl (mix in a little romano)
cubes of mozzarella
Oil, heated for frying (I use vegetable, heated to medium... you don't want it to brown too fast) - about 1 inch deep
a bowl of water

Dip your hands in the water. Don't ever miss this step, or you will be sad about it.
Scoop up some risotto (a small handful). Press a mozzarella cube into the middle.
Dredge in flour, egg, bread crumbs.
Gently drop into heated oil.
Repeat. When you drop in the next one, rotate any in the pan.
Remove from pan when golden on each side.
Remove to a plate lined with paper towel.

Serve with sauce.

However, I had a slight issue.

Cause: I cut up too much mozzarella, which I had touched with eggy hands.

Effect: I did the only logical thing - dredge, egg, and bread the cheese. Then fry. They may ooze a little.*

Oh. My. God.

We ate those mozzarella bites like it was our JOB. Sadly, there were only 7 of them. I may very well just need to make more. To hell with health. Use whole milk mozzarella. Super easy, super fast, and more than super delicious.

You should all make them. And if you are ambitious, make the risotto then arancini, too.

* I have since learned that if you place the dredged, battered cubes in the freezer for 10- 15 minutes THEN fry, they will not ooze. You can freeze a whole bunch of them and just take them out as needed. Great for game day.