Sweet Pea Arancini Recipes

GREEN PEA ARANCINI WITH HERBY LEMON DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For the dipping sauce: Put the basil, dill, mint, chives, Roasted Meyer Lemon juice, mayonnaise and Greek yogurt in a food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• For the arancini: Remove 1 cup of the frozen peas and reserve for later use. Put the remaining peas in a blender with 1 cup of the vegetable stock and puree until smooth. Pour the pea mixture into a medium saucepot and add the remaining 3 cups stock and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook until opaque and lightly toasted. Stir in the shallot and garlic; cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes to toast the garlic and soften the shallot. Deglaze the pot with the white wine, then bring to a boil and cook until almost completely reduced. Ladle in one-third of the hot stock, lower the heat to medium, and bring the stock to a simmer, stirring often. Continue to stir the rice for 8 minutes while the stock reduces almost completely. When there is more rice in the pot than liquid, add another third of the stock and repeat stirring and reducing the stock for another 8 minutes. Add the remaining stock and this time reduce just until the rice is thick enough that a spoon leaves a momentary trail when dragged along the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Parmesan, lemon zest, reserved peas, and additional salt and black pepper to taste.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet with canola oil and spread the risotto in an even layer; set aside to cool. When the risotto is room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap, pressed directly to the surface of the rice, and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Form the chilled risotto into 19 arancini balls, about 1/4 cup each. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand, place a heaping teaspoon of mozzarella in the center and fold the sides up and around the cheese. Roll back into balls. (At this point, you can hold the arancini overnight on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap.)
• When ready to fry, heat 2 to 3 inches of canola oil to 350 degrees F in a large cast-iron pan. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• Whisk the eggs together in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. In a second shallow dish, add the panko and season with salt and pepper. Dip the arancini in the egg and then coat in the panko.
• In batches of a few at a time, fry the arancini, turning, until deep golden-brown and crispy on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper towels; immediately season with salt.
• Serve hot with the dipping sauce.
• Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat; add the honey and olive oil. When the honey is melted, stir to combine, then place the lemon halves, cut-side down, into the mixture. Cook until the lemons appear charred and the honey has caramelized to the cut surfaces, about 4 minutes. Remove the lemons to a baking sheet and let to cool.

DIPASQUALE'S ARANCINI

Steps:

• For meat portion: Saute onion, celery and carrot with olive oil until translucent. Add ground beef and season with salt and white pepper to taste. Once beef is added, with a wooden spoon, break down any chunks, the beef should be as fine as possible. Add tomato paste. Once the ground beef and tomato paste begin to simmer, turn down heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. If mixture begins to stick, add a touch of water. Add peas once cooked. Let cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• For rice portion: Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add rice (stir until evenly coated with oil. Add half of chicken broth and saffron, stirring continually. Once broth has been absorbed, continue to add small increments of broth, still stirring continually. Once all the broth has been absorbed, add cheese and pepper, the rice should be tender but "Al Dente". Pour rice onto a baking sheet and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Rice should be able to form into a ball once cooled properly.
• For assembly: Take handful of cooled rice, flatten while forming an indent in middle of the ball. Take a teaspoon or so of cooled meat mixture and mozzarella cube and place in the indentation of rice. Take another half of handful or so of rice and finish forming the rice ball. Once all rice balls are formed, dip each into water and flour mixture (combine 1 cup of flour and 1 1/4 cups of warm water with a pinch of salt and pepper), once evenly coated in flour mixture, coat in plain bread crumbs. In a deep-fryer, fry rice balls on medium to high heat until golden brown.

SWEET PEA ARANCINI

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth to simmering.
• In 10-inch skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil. Cook onion and a pinch of salt in oil 5 to 7 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Add rice; cook and stir 1 minute. Add wine; cook and stir until it has all absorbed into rice.
• Add broth to skillet 1 cup at a time, stirring until it has all absorbed into rice. Stir in frozen peas; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until cooked through, then add Parmesan cheese and cook until it has melted. Add pepper and more salt to taste.
• Let cool in fridge at least 2 but no longer than 12 hours.
• In deep fat fryer or heavy saucepan, heat 2 inches oil to 360°F.
• While oil is heating, place 1 1/2 cups of the bread crumbs in medium bowl; season with salt and pepper.
• Mix egg and remaining 1 cup bread crumbs into risotto; scoop into 2-inch balls, pressing a cube of mozzarella cheese into center of each. Coat balls in bread crumbs, and fry in batches 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
• Transfer to paper towels. Cool slightly, and serve.