Gracie's Rice Balls - A New Year Treat

My Mom always started the New Year with a special appetizer to ring in the celebration. I remember the first time she made rice balls, I swore I wouldn’t like them. Nothing could have been farther from the truth.

Unfortunately mom’s recipe for rice balls never seemed to have made it in print form. As with many of her specialties she made them from memory. Rice Balls or Arancine di Riso or as my mom called them Rice Croquettes have their origin in Sicily where they were often sold by street vendors.

My mom stuffed her croquettes with mozzarella cheese and loved putting these out on New Year’s Eve. There was always a few family members that celebrated with us and of course someone was always looking for food.

When I had my Specialty Shop we use to stuff them with either mozzarella or sausage and peppers. When visiting Sicily a few years back I saw the stuffed with peas, meat sauce or a cheese sauce. Our croquettes were usually made in a traditional Sicilian manor, about two inches in diameter, but you can make them with just about any filling or size you want. Ham, prosciutto and bacon are also common stuffing.

Here’s a recipe I found in “Enoteca, Simple, Delicious Recipes In The Italian Wine Bar Tradition.” I made a few changes, but for the most part it’s author Joyce Goldstein’s creation.

Ingredients (makes 12 to 16 two inch croquettes):

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon chopped saffron threads, steeped in 1/4 cup of hot water for 15 minutes
1 tsp. salt or more to taste (I use sea salt)
1 cup Arborio rice
2 eggs
6 tbsp. grated Parmesan Cheese
Freshly ground pepper to taste
12 to 16 cubes of fresh Mozzarella Cheese
1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
3/4 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
Grape Seed oil for deep frying (my preference for deep frying)

Combine the water, saffron, and salt in s saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rice all at once, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Simmer until the rice has absorbed all the water and cooked through but still sticky, about 20 minutes. Stir in eggs and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

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and the best Saucepan for making these Croquettes

Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the rice out onto a baking sheet, spreading it out evenly to cool it quickly. Refrigerate till cold but not hard.

To make the Croquettes:

Roll the cheese cubes in the sage to coat evenly, and spread the breadcrumbs on a plate. Take a spoonful of the rice into your hand and with your finger make an indentation into the rice. Tuck a cheese cube into the indentation and smooth over with the rice making a round two inch ball. Dip the balls into the breadcrumbs, making certain to cover them evenly. Place the croquettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all the rice is used up and transfer to refrigerator until you are ready to fry them. They can stay refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

: Rice Croquettes ready for frying.

To Cook The Croquettes:

Pour the Grape seed oil to a dept of 3 inches into a deep saute pan and heat to 350. Now I prefer Grape seed oil because it has a high smoke point making it a good choice for sautéing, stir frying or baking.

Read our earlier post on the Benefits of Grape Seed Oil.

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Add the Croquettes, a few at a time to the hot oil. Getting the oil hot is key, otherwise the Croquettes will not cook properly and can break up. Lift them out of the oil a few times with a slotted spoon so that the cheese will have time to melt in the center. This is a great tip I learned form Goldstein’s book.

Continue to fry the rice balls for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with your slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. You can keep them warm in the over while you cook he remaining croquettes. Serve them hot and I always have some tomato sauce or Sunday Gravy to dip them into.