Saint Lucia's day has the scent of cooked wheat. A scent that begins to spread the evening before, with the preparation of the wheat, called cuccìa in Sicilian. The wheat cooks slowly on the wood stove throughout the night, until the following morning it becomes a tasty soup of boiled chickpeas, also cooked in a large pot. Likewise, it can be transformed into a delicious dessert of ricotta cream, milk and chocolate. At lunch this rustic and warm scent gives way to that of other delicacies that arrive abundantly on the table: panelle, cazzilli, gratit and, naturally, arancine round and golden like our wonderful oranges (this is why in Palermo the arancina is feminine!).
Arancini between history and family traditions
For those who don't know, this great eating is the result of renunciation. In fact, it is said that during the great famine of 1646, on the day of commemoration of Saint Lucia, i.e. December 13th, the miracle much invoked by the population occurred. A ship loaded with wheat and other cereals landed in the port of Palermo, putting an end to the suffering of the population. Since then, during that day, out of devotion and thanksgiving, pasta and bread are banned in favor of pure wheat ( cuccìa ), chickpeas, rice and potatoes. Once everything is cooked in every delicious way, it is easy to understand how this sacrifice is transformed into something delicious!
When grandmother still cooked she was the queen of arancini. The solemn preparation began well before dawn, with the complicity of the grandfather: together they made an infinite number of arancini with ragù and peas ( ca carne capuliata ). Placed in the aluminum trays, they remained there to rest, waiting for the dip in the boiling oil which coincided with our arrival at lunch time. But how many did he do! They were enough for the second and third birthdays, for the following day and, obviously, for the usual distribution between great-grandmother and aunts. Incredible but true! Nothing was wasted.
The lightness and excellent quality of the filling and frying make homemade arancini like cherries: you would never stop eating them, even when the format is gigantic. In the Nuzza&Ddia kitchen we prepare arancini for various occasions. We alternate the use of recipes that belong to our families' tradition and, sometimes, we revisit an ancient dessert that my dad loves very much: the delicious chocolate arancinette .
And now that your mouth is watering, here's the recipe for meat arancine .
Ingredients for 20 arancini (medium sized)
FOR THE RICE
- 500 g of Roma rice
- 2 sachets of saffron
- 50 g of grated grana padano or pecorino
- 30 g of butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE SAUCE
- ½ glass of extra virgin olive oil
- 200 g of minced beef
- 200 g of minced pork
- 1 onion
- 1 heart of celery
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 level tablespoon of fennel seeds
- 30-40 g of strattu (tomato paste)
- ½ glass of good red wine
- 150g of frozen peas
- 1 clove of garlic
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
FOR THE BATTER AND FRYING
- 200 g of sifted 00 flour
- 200-250 ml of water (depends on the amount of water the flour needs, however consider a non-dense batter)
- Rimacino breadcrumbs (durum wheat semolina), to taste
- 1 l peanut oil
Method:
First of all, remember that to form the arancini the preparations must be very cold . For this reason I suggest you make the arancini the day before and keep them in the fridge nice and ready to be fried.
Start by preparing the rice
Cook it starting with cold water for absorption, using 250 ml of water for every 100 g of rice . Add the salt and butter , which when cooked will help keep the grains separate. Lower the heat and in the last few minutes add the saffron , stirring constantly. Make sure that the rice is al dente and dry , pour it onto the marble surface, or onto a large tray, spreading it well so that it cools as quickly as possible. Once cold, add the pepper and grated cheese . As you may have understood, you don't need to mix with the eggs, because you will get a very starchy light risotto.
Then, move on to preparing the meat sauce
Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a large, low saucepan, leaving a little aside for the peas. Let the finely chopped onion and celery brown, together with the bay leaves and fennel seeds. Next, add the minced mixed meat . When it is well browned, add the wine and add the tomato paste diluted with a little hot water . Let everything cook on a low heat for about an hour, with a lid placed over the saucepan. Season with salt and in the last few minutes remove the lid; the ragù must be dry and compact.
Proceed with preparing the peas
While you wait for the ragù to cool, in a small saucepan, fry the garlic , dressed and crushed, in the remaining oil. Add the frozen peas and a spoonful of water, season with salt and cook. After leaving them to cool, mix the peas with the ragù .
And now... arancini!
After that, take a break and equip yourself with trays or large baking trays lined with baking paper. Then prepare two large bowls. Inside the first place the breadcrumbs , the second, however, will be used for the batter, therefore, dissolve the flour with gradually poured water .
At this point, all you have to do is mix a few spoonfuls of ragù with the rice. Take a handful of the latter, spreading it well on the palm of your hand, place a teaspoon of ragù in the center and with the help of the other hand wrap it with the rice. In short, you have to form spheres the size of a small orange . Once the arancini are prepared, dip them in the batter and, finally, in the breadcrumbs .
If you are not too tired, we recommend double breading : strength, courage and... batter and breadcrumbs again. At the beginning you will have some difficulty repeating this operation, above all you will make a lot of dirt. Don't worry: arancina after arancina and year after year, your performance will improve, trust me.
After dipping them in the batter and breadcrumbs, place the arancini, well away from each other, on the lined trays; cover them with aluminum foil and store them in the fridge. The next day, heat the seed oil to 170° in a large pan or in a fryer and add the arancini after compacting them a bit. Remember that the arancini are fried by immersion and, please, do not put too many together. Once fried, let them dry on absorbent paper.
Enjoy them hot but not hot, you will taste how wonderful! If you have any left over (which we doubt) you can always freeze them by wrapping them individually in aluminum foil and placing them in a tightly closed container. You can consume them within a month.
Enjoy your meal in the name of ancient tradition and warmth
familiar.
