Catania-Style Arancini with Meat

1. The rice

1. Bring to the boil. Put the stock, butter, saffron and salt in a wide non-stick pot and bring to the boil.
2. Cook by absorption. Add the rice, stir, and let it come back to the boil. Stir once more, turn the heat right down and leave it, without stirring, until all the liquid is absorbed.
3. Add the pecorino. Stir through the grated pecorino, then spread the rice on a tray to cool.

Tip: Leave egg out of the rice. It makes it sticky and hard to shape.

2. The meat filling

1. Make the base. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery and cook them slowly in olive oil until soft.
2. Brown the meat. Add the veal or beef pieces and brown for a few minutes. The chunky pieces are what make this a Catania arancino.
3. Add peas and wine. Stir in the peas and pour in the red wine.
4. Simmer. When the meat is tender, add the tomato paste diluted in a little water, season and simmer until thick. Cool completely, then dice the caciocavallo.

3. Shape with the mould

1. Fill the base. Pack the base of the Arancini Mould Punta Slim 160 g with rice and press it in firmly with a teaspoon.
2. Make the hollow. Fit the ring on top and push the plunger down to make a deep pocket for the filling.
3. Add the filling. Spoon or pipe in the meat filling and a few cubes of caciocavallo, pressing it down so each arancino is generously filled. Leave about 2 cm free at the top.
4. Seal it. Cover with a thin layer of rice and press it closed with the flat end of the plunger.
5. Turn it out. Lift off the ring, turn the mould over and let the arancino drop out.
6. Firm it up. Put the arancini in the freezer for 1–2 hours (or the fridge for 3–4 hours) so they hold their shape when coated and fried.

Tip: No mould? Cup some rice in your palm, press a well in the middle, add the filling, cover with more rice and roll it closed. A mould gives every arancino the same shape and a far more generous filling.

4. Coat and fry

1. Make the batter. Whisk the flour, cold water and egg (if using) into a smooth, thick batter.
2. Coat. Dip each one in the batter, let the excess drip off, then roll it in the breadcrumbs, pressing gently so they stick.
3. Heat the oil. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot or fryer to 180–190 °C. Use a frying thermometer, or drop in a few breadcrumbs: they should sizzle straight away.
4. Fry. Fry two or three at a time for 4–5 minutes, turning, until deep golden all over.
5. Drain and rest. Drain on paper towel and rest for 5 minutes before serving. The centre stays very hot.

Tip: Don't crowd the pot. Too many at once cools the oil, and the arancini soak up oil and can split.

Make it your own

Everyone makes arancini a little differently, and every Sicilian family will tell you theirs is the right way. Use this recipe as a starting point and adjust it to suit your taste: more or less cheese, a different filling, saffron or no saffron, round or cone-shaped.

For bigger street-food arancini, use the 190 g Punta Professional mould. Some cooks put a single large piece of meat in each one. Write down what you changed so your next batch turns out just the way you like it.