Looking for a delicious app for your NYE celebration? Look no further than Dan Pelsoi’s Spicy (Enough) Arancini! I made these for our October cookbook club and I’m still dreaming about them nearly 3 months later.
Arborio rice simmers with white wine, Calabrian chile paste, and oregano, slowly coaxed into creaminess with ladlefuls of warm vegetable broth. Off the heat, a little butter and honey round everything out, giving the risotto a subtle richness and just-sweet-enough balance. I used to barely cook with Calabrian chile paste, but after grabbing a jar for a recipe last year, it’s officially a fridge staple – fruity, spicy, and now added to nearly every dish in our house.
A warning for those of you (me) who don’t read recipes in advance, you need 3 hours to allow the risotto to cool and set and then another 30 minutes of fridge time once rolled into balls.
Once chilled, the arancini are dredged in flour, dipped in egg, and coated in seasoned breadcrumbs before frying until deeply golden. Finished with red pepper flakes and plenty of grated Parmesan, they’re best eaten warm, straight out of the oil. But for cookbook club, we rewarmed them in the oven and they were still creamy, crunchy, spicy perfection.
Book: Let’s Party, page 269
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That – Skill Level: Easy
How Easy Is That – Time Involved: 4.5 hours (mostly inactive)
Store-Bought Is Fine: seasoned bread crumbs
Recipe not online.
