Arancini Balls

• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 Onion - finely diced
• 1-2 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1/2 Butternut Pumpkin - Peeled and finely diced
• 2 Chicken Breast/Thigh fillets - finely diced
• 1 kg Aborio Rice
• 2.5-3 litres hot Chicken Stock
• 1/4 cup chopped Parsley
• 300 grams Panko Breadcrumbs
• Oil for frying

Optional extras:

Mozzarella Cubes

Extra Parsley

• Peel and de-seed pumpkin and cut into small cubes
• Place on a flat tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake at about 180 degrees (Celsius) until the pumpkin is just cooked and starting to go golden brown.  Set aside.
• In a large saucepan, add the 2 tbs olive oil 
• On a low heat add the diced onion and start to cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, but not colour 
• Once the onion is ready add the garlic and the rice. 
• Stir thoroughly so that every grain of rice is coated with the oil and onion.
• Add hot stock to the rice, about 1-2 cups at a time.
• You need to make sure the stock has been absorbed by the rice before adding more stock.
• Keep stirring or the rice will stick to the pan and burn.
• Add more stock and keep stirring.
• In the mean time, brown the chicken in a separate frypan.  Once it is ready set it aside with the pumpkin and parsley.
• Continue adding the stock until the rice is just cooked.  (It will take about 20-30 minutes)
• You should have quite thick risotto which is perfect as you need to be able to roll it into balls once it has cooled down.
• Once the risotto is cooked, add the chicken, pumpkin and parsley and stir through gently to combine.
• Check for seasoning (it should be right for salt, but you might like to add some pepper)
• Once everything is combined, set aside to cool.  Once it has cooled a bit, pop it in the fridge to cool completely.
• When the mixture is cold, you're ready to start rolling.
• With WET hands, scoop out your Arancini mixture and roll it into balls (I do about golf ball sized)
•  *** If you're adding cheese, this is where you poke a cube of Mozzarella inside the Arancini ball, cover the hole then continue ***
• Roll each ball into the panko crumbs, pressing the crumbs in well.  Then set aside.
• Continue with the remaining mixture until you have used it all up.
• Set up a frypan with about 2cm of oil (Rice bran oil or vegetable oil is fine) and heat.
• Shallow fry the Arancini balls until the Panko crumbs are golden brown.  
• Drain on paper towel and serve!

• I make quite a strong stock (from stock powder) to make sure there is enough flavour in the risotto.
• Make sure your hands are wet when rolling your Arancini balls.  It will stop the rice from sticking to your hands.
• These reheat really well in the air fryer the next day.
• You can probably coat these in oil spray and cook them in the air fryer, but I haven't tried.
• If you are making some with and some without cheese, I suggest you add something to the crumbs to distinguish them.  I add parsley to the dairy free ones.  It makes them easily identifiable.
• I serve these with an avocado dip.  You could serve with a salad, or as an accompaniment to a main meal.
• This recipe makes ALOT!  You can easily halve the recipe.
• The variations to this are endless!!! You could make it vegetarian by leaving out the chicken, adding some mushrooms and spinach and using vegetable stock.
• It is also amazing with Chicken, bacon and sundried tomatoes!!!!

ENJOY xx