December 14, 2012

Mozzarella and Asiago Arancini

When I was attending the World Cuisine course at the Culinary Institute of America, we experimented with Italian cuisine. To me, Italian is just about my favorite type of food…pizza, pasta, gelato – it’s obvious go-to food. Kids love it, adults love it – it’s comforting. Win win for everyone.

One of the dishes we experimented with was arancini – breaded and fried balls of rice. Sadly, I wasn’t on the arancini team, but I did get to consume as much of it as I wanted – so at least that. So, when it came time to get creative with Wasa, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

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Arancini.

arancini-rolled You’ve seen me post about Wasa before…remember the deep fried Mac & Cheese? Yeah, me too. Flatbreads and Crispbreads are what Wasa is all about…and it’s SO good. Sure, you can spread just about anything on them, or, use them as crackers on your fruit and cheese tray. But for me, the beauty of Wasa is the ability to grind them (any of the flavors, really!) in the food processor and make the most incredible bread crumbs.

Which I of course used in making my arancini.

Instead of the traditional Parmesan cheese, I used Stella Asiago, which added a punch of extra flavor. Paired with the big cube of fresh mozzarella, these were the creamy, cheesy, starchy balls of goodness I was hoping for.

Get your mind out of the gutter, kids. I am a good girl.

Most of the time.

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Mozzarella and Asiago Arancini

arancini-fry makes 8-10

Ingredients:

2 cups prepared Arborio Rice
1/3 cup finely shredded Asiago Cheese
1 large egg
1/2 package Light Rye (or other flavor) Wasa Crispbread, pulverized
8-10 small cubes of fresh mozzarella (about 1/2 inch square)
Oil for frying

Instructions:

Once risotto is cool, stir in Asiago and egg until well combined. Use your hands to make balls of the rice mixture, stuff each with a piece of mozzarella. Rolls balls in pulverized Wasa crumbs.

Bring oil to roughly 325. Place arancini in the hot oil; do not crowd the pan. Fry until golden brown. Use slotted spoon to remove from oil and cool on paper towel lined bowl.

Serve with marinara, if desired.

arancini-wasa-open