Mozzarella Stuffed Mushroom Arancini

Monday 19 September 2016

There seems to be a week/day/month for everything these days. Some of which I can get behind more than others. 19-25th September 2016 marks the very first #NationalRiceWeek which I'm delighted to help celebrate with a recipe for Mozzarella Stuffed Mushroom Arancini. Rice is an absolute store cupboard staple of mine. Everything from brown rice, risotto, sushi, wild, pudding and basmati. A quick look back at recipes I've created for the blog found a whole host that featured rice, here's some of my favourites.

Love Rice have teamed up with the major rice brands, supermarkets and food magazines and throughout the week will be encouraging us all to to break free from our meal ruts with the help of rice. Keep a look out on social media for the #NationalRiceWeek hashtag where you'll find lots of inspiration. There's a different theme planned for each day of National Rice Week covering everything from leftover rice to packed lunches, Friday night Fakeaway's and bento. Love Rice want to inspire people to try new rice recipes, new rice varieties, dishes from a new cuisine, and to try different styles of rice. I'm a recent convert to both frozen rice and pre-cooked rice. I will put my hands up an admit that when I first spotted them in the shops I was a total food snob and thought they were something that I'd never use. How wrong was I?! I am a total convert to their convenience, flavours and versatility. Just another way to harness the delicious, aromatic, healthy and nutritious qualities of rice.


Moving on to the recipe I've created for Mozzarella Stuffed Mushroom Arancini. As always a recipe is only a starting point. You could make these from any kind leftover risotto, you could even make your risotto from leftover rice, just add some cream to get the right consistency. Rather than deep or shallow fry my Arancini I've sprayed them with oil and then oven baked them. This works really well and the double coating of Panko goes nice and crispy. The hidden surprise of a gooey piece of Mozzarella in the middle is my favourite part of the dish. 

I'm somewhat of a fan of kitchen gadgets and gizmos and the wooden spoon you see in the photo below is in fact a risotto spoon. I'm not entirely sure if it makes a difference but the idea is that the large hole in the middle means that you can stir the rice constantly without breaking as many grains as you might with a solid spoon thus the rice isn't ground into mush. However a quick Google revealed another potential reason for the hole in that its there so some of the rice can pass through for a smoother and more flowing stirring action. Either way I suspect that the concept of my spoon may have come from a marketing department rather than Italy! I'm sure you'll manage risotto making just fine with a regular wooden spoon! 


Mushroom Risotto
Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers being made into Arancini)

1 Tbsp Rapeseed Oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
300g mushrooms, sliced ( I used a mixture of white and chestnut)
300g Risotto Rice
1 litre Vegetable or Chicken Stock
Large knob of Butter
Chopped Parsely
25g Parmesan, grated (or Vegetarian alternative)
Salt and Pepper

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based pan and add the chopped onion and crushed garlic. Fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened. 
Add the sliced mushrooms and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the rice and coat it in the oil, mushroom and onion mixture. 
Pour in a couple of hundred ml of the stock and simmer, stirring regularly, until the liquid has been absorbed. 
Carry on adding stock in this way until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. This will take about 30 minutes. (You may need to add additional water if your stock runs out before the rice is fully cooked)
Take the risotto off the heat and add the butter, Parmesan and chopped Parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You want it to be creamy and oozy in texture so add a wee bit more stock/water if you think it needs it.
Enjoy half as Risotto and coll and refrigerate the other half to make Mozzarella Stuffed Mushroom Arancini 


Mozzarella Stuffed Mushroom Arancini
Makes 8

Half portion of Mushroom Risotto, chilled
125g Tub of Mini Mozzarella Pearls or 125g Ball of Mozzarella divided into 8 pieces
160g Panko Breadcrumbs
Flour
2 Free Range Eggs
350g Pasata
Spray Oil
Fresh Basil, Shaved Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative) and Black Pepper to serve

Preheat the oven to 200c
Divide the risotto mixture into 8 equal portions. 
To form the arancini, scoop a portion of the cooled risotto into your hand and in the middle place a piece of mozzarella. Wrap the risotto around it to seal completely and form into a ball.
Repeat with the remaining risotto and Mozzarella. 
Place the flour, egg and Panko in separate shallow bowls. Carefully dip each arancini ball in the flour, shaking off any excess, then the egg, and finally the Panko, ensuring the rice is completely coated. 
Repeat again with the egg and the Panko so each ball has a double coating of breadcrumbs.
Place the Aranchini on a baking sheet and spritz them with Spray Oil. 
Bake for 15 minutes before turning and spritzing again. Return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are just starting to brown. 
Heat through the Passata in a saucepan. Divide it between bowls and serve the Aranchini on top garnished with fresh Basil, shaved Parmesan and black pepper.


For further #NationalRiceWeek inspiration check out the following recipes from fellow food bloggers



Disclosure : This is a commissioned recipe for Love Rice. As always, all views expressed are my own.
Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to continue to share my Edible Scottish Adventures with you.

22 comments

  1. Your mushroom risotto and arancini look amazing, rice is such a versatile ingredient:-)

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    1. Thanks Camilla. I honestly don't know what I'd do without rice in my storecupboard.

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  2. I bet these are delicious to bit into and have those wonderful ingredients and flavours inside!!

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    1. The gooey cheese in the middle is the best bit!

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  3. Oh my good lord these look incredible Claire! Only just had breakfast but my tummy growled in appreciation!!!
    Janie x

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    1. No reason why you can't have them for breakfast!

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  4. These sound utterly fantastic! I've never heard or arancini before and now I desperately want to try them!

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    1. Can't believe you've never heard of them. I've often had small versions as a starter but my ones are real whoppers!

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  5. I love arancini, they are so moreish and I could eat so many of these in one go!

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    1. Yup, you and me both. Not telling how many I ate...

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  6. I adore mushroom rissotto, so I imagine I would love these lovely little arancini - and love the idea of popping a piece of mozzarella in the middle - Yum! :-) Eb x

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    1. There is something so comforting about mushroom risotto. Definitely worth saving some to make these.

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  7. Oh I love arancini so much and haven't had it ages, am pinning this for later #CookBlogShare

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    1. I never tend to have enough leftover risotto t actually make them but they are so good its worth making a larger quantity so you can cook once and eat twice.

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  8. These must be so tasty with the mozzarella in the middle! I've only made arancini once before and really liked them but they didn't look anywhere near as good as these - they were quite misshapen. Maybe it's time I had another crack at them!

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    1. Do give them a go and let me know how you get on. I found it quite easy to get a good shape. Make sure your rice is cold and not too sloppy.

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  9. I love the idea of baking these rather than frying them. I don't tend to deep fry much so baking is a great alternative. I love the oozing mozzarella in the middle too - yum!

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    1. I've had such good success with baking things that would be traditionally deep fried. Hot oven and spray oil works a treat.

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  10. Yes please! These look so good and like Charlotte I prefer them baked. I have to try this! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

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    1. They can be described as healthy if you bake them I reckon!

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  11. These look so good! They are making my mouth water, I've always wanted to try making arancini.

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    1. Do give it a try Kat, they are well worth it and with oven baking really not tricky to make and cook.

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