The Dish: Arancini

The Dish: Arancini
The Restaurant: West End Johnnies
The Chef: Juan J. Sandoval

Ingredients:

For the rice:

-- 4 cups of arboreo rice(long grain)
-- One onion finely chopped
-- One quarter of a pound of butter
-- 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
-- Parmesan cheese( at the end)
-- One and a half cups of white wine
-- One garlic clove finally chopped
-- Chicken or veggie stock(Previously heated)

Directions:

Melt the butter on a large heavy bottom pot(medium heat) , add the oil.

Add the onion and garlic and sweat( be careful to stir constantly and not burn the garlic) until soft.

Rice can go in; toast while stirring(until it feels loose), add white wine and let it reduce a little bit.

Add stock or water. Just enough to cover rice and keep stirring until liquid consumes... Repeat this step until rice is "al dente"

Remove from heat and add Parmesan cheese, try it and add salt and pepper if needed.

Let it cool down.

Fillings:

-- mozzarella cheese
-- asparagus
-- ham

Chop all the ingredients and mix them in a bowl

For the actual rice balls:

-- Cold risotto
-- asparagus/mozzarella/ham mix
-- Buttermilk
-- Clam fry mix/bread crumbs
-- frying oil

Use a 2 ounce ice-cream scoop to form the rice balls, press a hole in the middle of it and feel it with the asparagus/cheese/ ham mix. Scoop it out and form the balls.

Pass them thru buttermilk and then clam fry mix/bread crumbs.

Fry them at 350 degrees for 2-3 mins(until golden brown)

Serve with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.