Rice balls are a staple in my Italian family household. Perfectly cooked rice, mixed with 3 different types of cheeses ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella, then rolled into a ball and coated with seasoned bread crumbs and then fried up to golden perfection.
I use Arborio rice this can be found in your local grocery store. Arborio rice is a short grain starchy rice, when cooked the rice should firm, chewy and creamy. Cook the rice with a little bit of water and a few dabs of butter on low heat until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Your 3 cheeses are then stirred in along with fresh Italian parsley. I then take an ice cream scooper to get perfectly sized rice balls a trick I learned from my grandmother growing up. Place the rice balls on a parchment sheet lined baking pan and place them in the refrigerator to set and cool about 30 minutes. Once cooled roll the rice balls in some eggs and then your seasoned breadcrumbs, and fry until golden brown.
It may seem like it’s a lot of work but I can promise you they are totally worth the time. The crispy coating of the breadcrumbs, followed by the ooey gooey cheeses as you take that first bite all I can say is yummy!!. In my family you can find a platter of these at all of our family get togethers. This recipe is sure to be one of your favorites!!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Arborio rice
- 3 ½ cups of water
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ tsp parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Directions
- 1Place rice, water and butter into a pot, bring water to a boil, constantly stirring.
- 2Cook the rice until all the water has been absorbed into the rice and the rice is tender
- 3Take the pot off the heat and stir in the parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, salt and parsley
- 4Take your ice cream scooper and scoop your mixture onto a lined baking sheet
- 5Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes
- 6Take 2 bowls on with about 3 eggs and the other with some bread crumbs
- 7Get a deep pot and fill it halfway with vegetable oil or if you have you can use a deep fryer
- 8Fry until golden brown
