Baked Rice Balls (Arancini) Recipe
Baked Rice Balls Stuffed with Olives Recipe: What a fancy way to recycle leftover rice! These balls will be the new stars of your picadera platter.
Servings 6 balls
Calories 362kcal
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 2 cups of fresh tomato , peeled, seeded and chopped (about 4 large tomatoes)
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tablespoons of olive oil
- A pinch of dry oregano leaves , crushed
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt , or to taste
For the rice balls
- 2 cups of cooked arroz blanco (white rice)
- 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 cup of grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
- 6 olives
Instructions
To prepare the tomato sauce
- Heat oil and cook and stir tomatoes, garlic, and a pinch of oregano, add water and sugar. Simmer over low heat until you obtain a thick (chunky) sauce. Season with salt to taste. You should obtain about 1 1/2 cup of sauce. Set aside.
- Mix rice, flour, milk and water and simmer over very low heat, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Mix in 1/4 of a cup of cheese (set aside the rest) and cook stirring until it turns into a very thick mix. Cool to room temperature.
- Once it's cooled, knead for a minute to make it into a more compact mixture.
- Heat oven to 450 ºF [230 ºC]
- Place 3 tablespoons of the rice mix on your hand and flatten, place an olive in the center and wrap the rice around it, shaping into a ball. Squeeze to make sure there are no cracks.
- Coat the ball with the remaining cheese and squeeze to make sure it sticks. Repeat to form 5 more balls.
- Bake on a silpat mat, or greased tray until the balls turn golden brown (15-20 mins).
- Cool slightly before serving. Serve alongside the tomato sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 546mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 268mg | Iron: 0.9mg