Monday night leftover makeover - Arancini

Tonight, I had mushroom risotto in the fridge from last night's dinner, so I decided to tart up the leftovers into an easy Monday night after work dish. I figured it was nicer than shoving microwaved leftover risotto into my face while watching MasterChef on TV! Sticking with the Italian theme, I decided on Arancini, those delectable crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside rice balls. To jazz things up a bit, I added some extra parmesan to the cold mixture, along with a couple of handfuls of baby spinach.

To make the Arancini, I simply formed the rice mixture into balls, (use wet hands, it makes handling them so much easier) rolled them in seasoned flour, then lightly whisked organic free range eggs and then breadcrumbs. I put the Arancini in the fridge for about 10 mins, while I quickly braised some young leeks in a touch of olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of water. Halfway through, I remembered that I had a couple of Roma tomatoes in the fridge so I chopped them roughly and threw them in too.

I cooked the Arancini in vegetable oil until they were golden (it only took a couple of minutes) and served them on a bed of the braised leeks. And here they are!





This dish was really satisfying and tasty, as well as being a great way to use up leftover risotto. Actually, it would be worth making extra risotto so that you can make these the next day. The other great thing is that it only took me 25mins to make this dish, so it isn't a three act drama and is totally do-able after a long day at work. Think about adding a small square of mozzerella to the centre (which is a more traditional way to serve them) or adding other fresh herbs, some grated zucchini or different cheeses. I'm thinking Romano, Ricotta or Pecorino?

GG Entertaining Hint: Try tiny Arancini as a lovely finger food option. Make them ahead of time up to the cooking stage and keep them in the fridge until they are ready to fry. Serve them immediately with a simple tomato based dipping sauce. Just make sure they are small enough to eat whilst holding a Martini in the other hand!!

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