I propose a variant of the traditional “arancina”. It is always that famous fried rice ball typical of Sicilian street food, but it’s served as if it were a first course. The arancina can be stuffed with meat sauce, with vegetables or with a fish sauce, as I do in this case. The variation doesn’t consist only in plating this golden delight, but consists above all in placing on the bottom of the plate a really tasty black sauce! Read the recipe so you will discover all the steps, ingredients and techniques to create a delicious and original dish!
Serves: 6
For the “arancine”:
- 240 grams Carnaroli rice
- heads and shells of the prawns
- 1 cleaned diced shallot
- 40 grams cleaned and diced carrots
- some celery leaves
- 1 peeled garlic clove
- extra virgin olive oil to taste
- salt to taste
- 1/2 small dried chili
- 60 ml white wine
- 1 l water
- 2 saffron sachets
- 1 knob of butter
For the breading and the frying:
- sunflower seed oil
- all-purpose flour
- 120 grams breadcrumbs
- cold mineral water
For the fish sauce
- 240 grams prawns
- 50 grams cherry tomato
- 1 peeled garlic clove
- extra virgin olive oil to taste
- 2 tablespoons Brandy
- salt to taste
- some parsley leaves
For the cuttlefish ink sauce:
- 120 grams potatoes
- 2 shallots
- 2 grams squid ink
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil to taste
- a few tablespoons of fish stock
Method
Start by preparing the fish stock. Clean the prawns by removing the head and the shells from the bodies of the prawns. Put them in a pot with carrots, celery, shallots, red pepper, salt and water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 40 minutes. Strain the broth through a sieve so as to eliminate the fish heads and shells. Put aside.
Fry the garlic in a little oil, pour the rice and toast it. Pour and stir in the white wine and allow to simmer for a few minutes until most of the liquid has reduced. Then add the broth a little at a time. Cook for about 15 – 18 minutes. At this point add the saffron and the knob of butter, stir and pour the rice in a pan covered with baking paper. Let’s cool.
Prepare the fish sauce. Affect the back of the prawns with a sharp knife, this is important for removing the intestine. Dice the prawns. Remove the tomatoes peel and the seeds, then cut these ones into small pieces. Chop the parsley.
Fry the garlic in a little oil, add the prawns, blend with brandy and incorporate the tomatoes; sprinkle with parsley. Season with salt and cook for 4 minutes. Put aside.
Now prepare the sauce. Peel shallots and potatoes, cut them into small pieces and put in a pan with oil, salt and pepper. Cover with water and cook until the vegetables are well cooked. Add the squid ink and blend it all in a blender. Then pass the cream through a sieve: you’re cream has to be smooth and velvety. Put aside.
Prepare the arancine with a silicone mold in the shape of a hemisphere. Line this mold with a kitchen film, put some spoonfuls of cold rice and then shape the inside so that the risotto can adhere to the walls of the mold. Make a centered hole and pour in a little prawn sauce. Close the arancine with some other rice, cover with the kitchen film, remove from the mold and place in the fridge. When they will be cold you will able to pass them in the batter. You can prepare batter by mixing with a whisk, flour and cold water. The batter must be smooth, homogeneous and dense. After this step, bread and fry them at 170 ° Celsius degrees in seed oil.
Plating
Put a couple of spoonfuls of squid ink sauce on the bottom of the plate. Place one arancina on it and decorate with a few parsley leaves (optional).