Rice, meat ragù with peas, and a melting cheese center: Catania-style arancini are recognizable by their conical shape and crisp breadcrumb coating, best enjoyed freshly fried.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and add the finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Cook gently until softened, then add the ground beef and pork. Increase the heat slightly and cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink and begins to brown.
Pour in the red wine and let it evaporate. Add the double-concentrated tomato paste and stir well, then pour in the passata. Season with salt and black pepper and cook over low heat until the ragù is thick and well reduced. Add the peas towards the end of cooking and continue for a few minutes. Transfer the ragù to a container and let it cool completely.
Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a fairly wide saucepan. Add the Carnaroli rice and saffron, and season with salt only if necessary. Stir and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice has absorbed the stock.
At the end of cooking, the rice should be cooked but dry, with no liquid remaining at the bottom of the saucepan.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately stir in the butter and grated aged caciocavallo until evenly distributed.
Spread the rice straight away over a large tray or baking sheet in a thin layer and let it cool completely before shaping the arancini.
Lightly wet your hands with water and take a portion of rice. Spread it over your palm, making a hollow in the center. Add some ragù with peas and a few cubes of fresh caciocavallo, keeping the filling away from the edges.
Close the rice around the filling and compact it gently. Form a stable base, then gradually narrow the top to create the characteristic conical shape. Continue until you have made about 12 arancini.
Mix the 00 flour with the water and a pinch of salt until smooth and fluid enough to leave only a thin coating on the arancini.
Dip each arancino into the batter, let the excess drip off, then coat it thoroughly with the breadcrumbs. If necessary, gently reshape the cone with your hands after coating.
Heat plenty of peanut oil in a deep pot to 170–175°C (340–350°F). There should be enough oil to completely submerge the arancini.
If you do not have a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden skewer or the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. When small bubbles immediately form around the wood, the oil is ready for frying.
Fry 2–3 arancini at a time so the temperature of the oil does not drop too much. Turn them gently if necessary and fry until evenly golden and crisp.
Lift the arancini from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. Let them rest for a few minutes before serving: the filling will be very hot, and this brief rest also allows the arancini to settle.
Servings 12
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
For arancini that hold their shape well, let both the rice and the ragù cool completely before shaping. The ragù should be thick and well reduced: a filling with too much liquid makes the arancini harder to close and increases the risk of them breaking open during frying.
When shaping the cone, compact the rice without pressing it too firmly and make sure the filling is completely enclosed, especially around the pointed top. If the rice sticks to your hands, lightly wet them with water.
The batter should form only a thin coating. If it is too thick, add a little water at a time; if it is too thin and runs off completely, mix in a little more flour. After coating with breadcrumbs, check that there are no uncovered areas.
Keep the frying oil at around 170–175°C (340–350°F) and fry only a few arancini at a time. If the temperature is too low, they will absorb more oil; if it is too high, the coating will brown too quickly before the filling is thoroughly heated.
Arancini are best freshly fried after resting for a few minutes. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and reheat them in the oven to restore more of the crispness of the coating than reheating them in the microwave.
It is difficult to look at a Catania-style arancino without thinking of Mount Etna. Its pointed top and broad base recall the outline of the volcano that dominates the landscape around Catania, while the ragù revealed when the arancino is cut open has further strengthened the association.
The connection has become part of the popular story surrounding the arancino and is often given as an explanation for its characteristic shape. There is, however, no historical documentation establishing that the cone was originally created as a deliberate representation of Etna. It is more accurate to regard this as symbolism that developed over time around a shape already strongly associated with the city.
Etna nevertheless remains difficult to separate from Catania's identity. Whether the volcano actually inspired the first conical arancini or the association came later, the image brings together two immediately recognizable features of the same place: the volcano and one of its best-known street foods.