A MY BATTLE HORSE: THE ARANCINI AT THE MUSHROOMS!
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A MY BATTLE HORSE: THE ARANCINI AT THE MUSHROOMS!
Photo Source: Antonino Rampulla
I guess it is understood that we dell'Agricamping Sophia with arancini we are just fixed ... I therefore give you the recipe of one of my warhorse in the kitchen, which I prepare especially in the presence of so many diners: Arancini with mushrooms !

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In my humble opinion, the most elegant and tasty way to cook rice is risotto: to make excellent arancini mushrooms it is necessary to cook an excellent mushroom risotto . First you must then make a very tasty broth with mushrooms . In Sicily, unless you are on Mount Etna or Nebrodi in certain periods, it is not easy to get mushrooms, maybe porcini, fresh, so I often have to settle for the "simpler" champignon (which I still like very much) and the pleurotus. Both have the advantage of not ruining that much if cleaned under running water. For the stock you can also use the cheapest pleurotus . I generally immerse half a kilo of pleurotus in about 3-4 liters of boiling water (which will partly evaporate) for about 20-30 minutes, at a relatively low flame, ie high enough to keep boiling to a minimum. I am a "purist": if I make a mushroom risotto I want it to know only mushrooms, so I make a broth of only mushrooms, without anything else that can imbastardarne the flavor. I never stock the broth: I prefer to add salt after the rice as I cook it. In the meantime I make the broth, cut lengthwise into slices half a kilo of mushrooms and toss them in a sauté of garlic over low heat . For the sautéed garlic use two or three cloves of garlic, cut them in half, remove the central sweetmeat and fry them in a low flame in a little olive oil, in a medium-sized pan, taking care of do not burn the garlic and remove it before putting the mushrooms. I put aside the sautéed champignons (yes, I know, the parsley is missing, which I will add directly afterwards into the risotto) and I put myself in a nice pan skip pasta or from paella , the hill in the biggest stove that I light on high heat. After a minute towards the hot pan half a kilo of risotto rice , like carnaroli or roma (parboiled, for example, is not good because it does not release that particular amount of starch I need after "Glue" for the arancini), and lightly for a couple of minutes, turning continuously with a wooden spoon and taking care not to burn it: better a little toasted rice that burned ... Toasting is essential to maintain the consistency of the rice during cooking, in order to be more easily al dente. When done roasting, I lower the flame a little and I begin to gradually add the broth flush with the rice , gradually adjusting the salt until it is cooked. My advice is to rely on the first cooking time indicated on the package (generally for rice is indicated a range and not a precise time as for pasta), which usually refers to cooking al dente. When cooked, lower the flame to a minimum, manteco with 20-25 grams of butter and, taking care to taste, in order to obtain the flavor that best suits me, regolo with grana or parmigiano or grated parmesan cheese . It is a type of cheese that generally works better with mushrooms than a more "decided" aged Sicilian pecorino. I extinguish the flame when the risotto is creamy and well blended. To the risotto in a bowl (better in steel). I add the sautéed mushrooms, sprinkle with chopped parsley (with chopping board and knife ...), a little pepper and a mixture. I let it cool and put it in the fridge. Usually I always make risotto one day before making arancini.

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The next day I prepare a bowl with at least 6 beaten eggs, a bowl with plenty of breadcrumbs, a bowl with cheese like Ragusan provola cut into cubes of one cm³ (about forty cubes can go well) and a pan where to store the arancini before frying. With the hollow hand I take a little 'risotto , with the other hand the compact very softly on the palm of the hand (always held in the bowl), without crushing it too much. With the free hand I take a couple of small cubes of provola, put them in the middle of the risotto contained by the other hand and wrap them with that risotto that model until you get a ball. The balls should not be very large: a smaller arancino is more balanced in the flavors and sensations "tactile" (crispy, dry, moist, soft) to the bite, and easier to handle during frying . Slowly add this ball of risotto in the bowl with the breadcrumbs covering it all, dip it in the bowl with the beaten eggs, I take it gently, drain some excess eggs and repeat the breadcrumbs, in order to obtain a double breading . In this way I use the risotto starch, as a glue, in the first breadcrumbs step, minimizing the impact of the flavor of the egg (generally almost imperceptible) that I use for the second breading. With half a kilo of rice, you get between 15 and 20 arancini . Important: between the preparation of an arancino and the other you have to rinse your hands , otherwise it contaminates the risotto with the eggs and breadcrumbs and at a certain point we find the hands so mixed up that they fail more to continue.

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Meanwhile, I lit the fryer at 160-170 degrees (you can also fry in a pot, of course, but it's more dangerous) and towards so much peanut oil how much is needed to completely cover the arancini in the basket. The temperature should not be higher, otherwise you risk burning them externally and not melting the cheese internally . The arancini healthy ready when the breading is golden and solidified. If they cook too much, the arancini may crack, let the melted cheese come out and soak in fried oil. The ready-made arancini put them in a pan with some absorbent paper, so as to absorb the excess oil, taking care to serve them as soon as possible, still hot . I hope I have been as complete as possible. Eventually, for clarification, you can contact me through the site or on the facebook page.
Text Source: Antonino Rampulla
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