Recipe: Baked Arancini Parmigiana

Arancini:

• 2 eggs beaten
• 100 g panko breadcrumbs
• 120 g plain flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Approx. 750g -or 3 cupsleftover risotto, chilled
• 100 g mozzarella, cut into 1.5cm cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Parmigiana sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• ¼ tsp garlic salt
• ¼ black pepper

Also:

• 75 g mozzarella, sliced thinly (you need approx. 12 small slices, depending on how many arancini you have)
• 50 g grated parmesan
• Pinch of black pepper
• Small bunch fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

Preheat the oven to CircoTherm® 200°C and line a large baking tray with a silicone mat or baking parchment.

Place the beaten eggs, breadcrumbs and flour on 3 separate, large plates.

Mix the salt and pepper with the flour and the smoked paprika with the breadcrumbs.

Take a heaped tbsp of the risotto rice in your hand. Flatten it out and then place a cube of mozzarella in the centre. Wrap the risotto around the mozzarella and roll into a ball. Place the ball onto a plate and repeat until you’ve used all the rice.

Dip each arancini ball in turn into the flour, egg and finally the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess as you go.

Place the arancini on the prepared baking tray (leave a little space between them so they brown evenly) and drizzle with the oil.

Place in the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, start on the parmigiana sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, then cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion starts to soften.

Stir in the tomato puree, then add the tinned tomatoes, sugar, oregano, chilli flakes, garlic salt and pepper. Stir and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly reduced.

At this point you can leave the sauce at the texture it is, or you can use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until it is smooth (take care to avoid splashes, as it will be hot).

Once the arancini is cooked, remove from the oven and transfer to a large serving dish. Spoon the parmigiana sauce on top and around the arancini. Place a slice of mozzarella on each arancini and sprinkle on the parmesan. Place back in the oven for 3-4 minutes until the mozzarella has melted.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a pinch of black pepper. Scatter on a few basil leaves before serving.