How To Make Restaurant-Worthy Arancini At Home

Like affogato and bomboloni, arancini is an essential word to know when dining at an Italian restaurant. This fried gem is street food at its core, but even the best pizza shop in the world serves a refined rendition of the classic Italian fare. To find out how restaurants make an elevated version of the dish, we contacted an expert on cooking exquisite Italian cuisine: the owner of Jasper's Restaurant in Kansas City, chef Jasper J. Mirabile Jr.

According to chef Mirabile, you can get some of the prep work done ahead of time — and you should. "I highly suggest using leftover risotto that's been refrigerated," he said. You want the rice to be chilled so it can easily form little balls. Then, you move on to the filling. According to Mirabile, "I like to sauté some ground hamburger and stir in a little bit of our family tomato sauce."

After all the components are ready, it is time to construct the rice balls. "I use an ice cream dipper and fill it with the rice mixture," said Mirabile, "then make a hole in the center and add my ground beef or ground sausage mixture and some green peas." An ice cream scoop like the Winco No.30 Ice Cream Disher is just the right size. Once filled, round off the ball with more risotto. To complete the arancini, chef Mirabile said, "I lightly dust with flour, dip in egg wash, and then very fine breadcrumbs. Sauté or deep fry in oil and you have the perfect Italian rice ball."

The beautiful thing about making arancini is there isn't only one correct recipe. As chef Mirabile explained, "I have been fortunate to travel to Sicily and cook with some of the finest chefs and prepare, but also I have my own versions." Chef Mirabile has experimented with an adaptation that creates an extra gooey center, saying "I have also made this with a Béchamel sauce in the middle that's thickened with a lot of cheese." If you wanted to make a lighter, more vibrant arancini, chef Mirabile had a suggestion for that as well: "You can also prepare a vegetarian version." Perhaps one with mushrooms and onions would fit the bill or, for something with a more Italian twist, use sun-dried tomato and basil.

While there are plenty of ways to manipulate the recipe, certain aspects should remain consistent, like its shape. As chef Mirabile said, "Of course it's supposed to look like an orange." After all, arancio translated into English means "orange." Another thing to bear in mind is that the rice used for arancini can vary between carnaroli, vialone nano, or arborio (we think RiceSelect Arborio Rice is a solid choice). However, there are some kinds to avoid. Basmati and jasmine rice have their differences, but they both lack the starchiness that will help the grains stick together to form a good risotto rice ball.