Three Cheese Arancini Bites
These arancini pack three kinds of cheese into a crisp fried shell, plated on a fresh dipping sauce for a smaller, snackable bite.
Mixing parmesan, mozzarella and a little fontina into the risotto itself, not just the center, means every bite of these smaller arancini carries cheese instead of just one melted core. Making the bites smaller than traditional arancini also cuts the frying time and makes them easier to eat in one go. A garlicky yogurt dip on the side keeps things a little lighter.
Ingredients
Method
Tap a number to mark a step doneStir the parmesan, mozzarella, fontina and 1 beaten egg into the chilled risotto until the cheese is evenly distributed.
Scoop tablespoon-size portions of the cheesy risotto and roll them between your palms into small, tight balls about 1 inch across.
Set up a breading station with the flour, the remaining beaten egg and the breadcrumbs in three separate shallow bowls.
Roll each ball in the flour, dip it in the egg, then coat it evenly and completely in the breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 350F and fry the bites in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown.
Drain the fried bites on a wire rack while you finish frying the remaining batches in the same oil.
Stir the grated garlic and chives into the yogurt with a pinch of salt to make the dipping sauce.
Serve the warm arancini bites right away with the garlic yogurt dip set alongside so everyone can share the plate.
Kitchen note
Keep the risotto balls small and uniform in size so they all fry at the same rate; oversized balls end up raw in the center by the time the outside browns.
