Mozzarella-stuffed rice balls
Level of difficulty: medium
Preparation time: around 1–1 ½ hours + 20 minutes of cooling time
INGREDIENTS Serves 4
Rice balls
- 50 g onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 200 g round-grain rice (Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
- 40 ml white wine
- 1 liter of hot beef broth or hot water
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 100 g Brimi Mozzarelline (7.5 g each)
Pepper sauce
- 250 g red and yellow bell peppers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- 80 ml of water
Other
- Flour, eggs and breadcrumbs
- Oil or butter for frying
- Basil cut into strips, as garnish
- Balsamic vinegar, as garnish
PREPARATION
Rice balls: Peel the onions, cut into cubes and soften over low heat. Add the rice, sauté lightly and simmer with white wine until reduced. Add the meat broth bit by bit into the rice, stirring frequently, and cook until the rice is done. Remove the rice from the heat, and add the egg yolk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper; stir the mixture and allow it to cool. With wet hands, form balls out of the mixture; insert the Mozzarelline and then reshape. Dip the rice balls first into flour, then into beaten egg and finally into the breadcrumbs.
Pepper sauce: Wash the peppers, peel them and cut them into strips. Heat the olive oil, add the peppers, season with salt, add water and let cook.
To finish: Fry the rice balls in oil or butter, let dry on a paper towel, cut in half and serve with the pepper sauce, garnished with strips of basil and balsamic vinegar.
Cooking time for rice: about 18 minutes
Cooking time for pepper sauce: about 10 minutes
Frying temperature for rice balls: around 170 °C
Frying time for rice balls: about 2 minutes
TIPS
- These rice balls are also very good with tomato or Gorgonzola sauce.
- You can also serve them atop spinach.
- These rice balls are ideal as a finger food, served with a sweet-and-sour sauce.
