Ingredients

• 500 g Originario rice
• 1.1 L water
• 0.3 g saffron threads
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 60 g grated caciocavallo or pecorino
• 200 g minced beef
• 100 g minced pork
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 100 ml dry red wine
• 2 tbsp Sicilian tomato paste (estratto)
• 400 g tomato passata
• 150 g peas
• 100 g caciocavallo
• 200 g plain flour
• 300 ml cold water
• 300 g fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1.5 L sunflower oil
• to taste salt
• to taste black pepper

Method

1. 01
   Soften the soffritto Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat, add the chopped onion, carrot and celery, and cook gently until soft and golden.
2. 02
   Brown the meat Add the minced beef and pork, break it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until it loses its pink colour and starts to brown.
3. 03
   Deglaze with wine Pour in the red wine and let it bubble until the smell of alcohol is gone.
4. 04
   Simmer the ragù Stir in the tomato paste and passata, season with salt and pepper, cover partly, and simmer on low heat until thick and rich, stirring now and then.
5. 05
   Add the peas Stir in the peas and cook until tender and the sauce is dense enough to hold its shape on a spoon.
6. 06
   Cool the ragù Spread the ragù on a wide plate and leave it to cool completely while you make the rice.
7. 07
   Bloom the saffron Crumble the saffron into a few tablespoons of hot water and leave it to steep.
8. 08
   Cook the rice Bring the water to a boil with a good pinch of salt, add the rice and the saffron with its water, and cook on low heat, stirring often, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
9. 09
   Enrich and cool the rice Take the rice off the heat, stir in the butter and grated cheese, then spread it in a thin layer on a large tray and leave it to cool completely.
10. 10
    Make the batter Whisk the flour, cold water and a pinch of salt into a smooth batter about as thick as pancake batter.
11. 11
    Shape the arancine With wet hands, flatten a handful of rice in your palm, make a hollow, fill it with a spoonful of ragù and a few cubes of caciocavallo, then close it with more rice and roll it into a firm ball the size of an orange.
12. 12
    Coat the arancine Dip each ball in the batter, let the excess drip off, then roll it in the breadcrumbs until fully covered.
13. 13
    Heat the oil Heat the sunflower oil in a deep, heavy pot to one hundred seventy degrees Celsius.
14. 14
    Fry in batches Lower three or four arancine into the oil and fry, turning gently, until deep golden all over.
15. 15
    Drain and rest Lift the arancine onto paper towels and let them rest a few minutes before serving so the filling settles.