Crumbs' Parsley Pesto Aranchini Balls
For a traditional Italian delicacy, it’s difficult to find one as simple and satisfying as arancini balls. With a beautiful oozing centre of fragrant pesto, wrapped in risotto made from Bertolli with Butter and Olive Oli, aborio rice, chicken stock and parmesan, and coated in a beautifully-crispy Panko breadcrumb batter, this dish is bound to impress your friends as a snack or a main dish – delizioso!
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Prep time20 minutes![]()
4 portions
Ingredients
Risotto
- small bunch spring onions
- 20 grams Bertolli Margarine Spread
- 250 grams Arborio rice
- 800 ml chicken stock boiled
- 15 grams Parmesan grated
Pesto
- large bunch parsley
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 50 grams toasted almonds
- virgin olive oil add to required consistency
Arancini
- 60 grams mozzarella chopped into cubes
- 1 egg
- 170 grams plain flour
- water
- panko breadcrumbs
- oil to fry
Nutritional Guidelines
(per serving)
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Instructions
- Place the Bertolli margarine spread in a large saucepan over the heat. Once it’s melted fry the spring onions until translucent.
- Add the rice, and fry until each grain is covered in oil.
- Slowly add hot stock, spoonful by spoonful until it’s all absorbed.
- Stir in the grated Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
- Place in a flat bowl and cool quickly in the fridge.
- Whilst it is cooling, make the pesto.
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until they are a paste.
- Add enough olive oil so the paste is glossy and smooth (roughly 2 tbsps).
- Prepare the batter by mixing the flour and egg in a bowl. Add enough water to make the solution less dough-y and more like pancake batter.
- Pour out the breadcrumbs on to a large plate.
- Once the rice is cooled, stir in the mozzarella.
- Take a handful of rice, roll into a loose ball and spoon some pesto into the middle. Fold the ball around it a little and plug the gap with a little more rice.
- Place each ball in the batter, roll it in the breadcrumbs and put on a clean plate.
- Fill a large pan a third high with vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot – test by seeing if it sizzles when you throw a breadcrumb in it – add a batch of the arancini. Fry till golden and place on a paper towel, and repeat with the next batch.
- Serve!
