Roasted chestnut & brie arancini balls with an Orange & cranberry dip
Arancini balls are said to originate from the island of Sicily, at the time when the island was under Arab rule. Arancini are very versatile you can make sweet, savoury and any flavour you fancy also you can serve them as a starter or a canape. I’m doing a Christmas themed arancini balls packed with seasonal flavours.
Arancini ball make 18 balls
Ingredients
- 350g Risotto rice
- 1x medium white Onion finely chopped
- 150ml White wine
- 1 glove of Garlic finely chopped
- 1ltr Hot Vegetable stock
- 180g Chestnut chopped
- 180g Brie rind off
- 20g butter
- Salt & pepper
Bread crumbs
- 7 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
- 50g flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 100 ml milk
Method
Cooking the risotto
Melt the butter into a pan, once it is bubbling add your onions & garlic, on a gentle heat stir until soft avoid browning the onions. Add risotto rice stir for 2 minutes, gradually add the white wine so the rice can absorb the wine, then start adding the vegetable stock, again slowly so the rice can absorb the liquid. Once the rice is cooked (which should take about 20 minutes) add the chestnuts & brie into the rice mix. Leave to cool down then dived in to 18 equal portions then roll into balls. I would usually place into a freezer to firm up as this helps when you come to breadcrumb.
Panko Breadcrumbing
Panko bread crumbs originate from Japan and they are more rustic than your average bread crumb which give you a better crunch. Add flour, egg & milk, panko to separate bowls. Add your arancini to the flour roll it around then add to the egg mix again roll it a round, finally roll it in panko, if you feel it needs more covering then repeat.
Finally heat up a pan of vegetables oil add your arancini balls cook till gold brown.
Orange & cranberry dip
Ingredients
- 500g cranberries
- Ix orange (zest & juice)
- 200g caster sugar
- 100ml water
- 80ml port or a red wine
Method
In a hot sauce pan add your cranberries, cook till soft, then add orange zest, juice, caster sugar & water. Cook till the mix gets sticky then add you Port cook for a further 5 minutes then cool down.
