Packed with pure Italian flavour, you won't be able to resist Pizzerria Libretto's arancini with mozzarella recipe.

Ingredients for arancini

• 6 cups vegetable stock
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup salt, divided
• 1 cup arborio (short-grain) rice
• 1 cup white wine
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup finely chopped fior di latte cheese (fresh mozzarella)
• 4 cups dried breadcrumbs
• 8 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Directions for arancini

1 In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring vegetable stock to a simmer.

2 In another saucepan over medium heat, combine oil, onion, and 11/2 Tbsp salt. Saute onions until translucent, stirring continuously to prevent colouring. Add rice and saute until edges are translucent (you will hear grains snap, crackle, and pop). Add wine and, stirring continuously, cook until rice has absorbed wine. Add just enough hot stock to cover rice and, stirring continuously, allow rice to absorb all of the liquid before next addition of stock. Repeat, adding 1 to 2 cups of stock each time, until all of the stock has been added and rice is tender to the bite and creamy. Remove from heat and stir in butter and Parmesan until incorporated and creamy. Remove from saucepan and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate risotto until completely cool, at least 2 hours.

3 In a large bowl, using your hands, combine chilled risotto with fior di latte, ensuring evenly incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl.

5 Using a standard ice-cream scoop, portion out the arancini, rolling each mound of rice in your hands to form a ball. Set balls on prepared baking sheet.

6 In a deep-fryer or large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat vegetable oil until temperature reaches 375°F on an instant-read thermometer.

7 Roll arancini in breadcrumbs until well coated. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt to taste.

To serve: Spoon ¼ to ½ cup of tomato sauce (recipe below) onto a plate and arrange 3 arancini on top. Garnish with fried sage leaves, if desired.

Variation: Add 1 cup pureed squash and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage to risotto mixture along with the butter and Parmesan, and substitute 1 cup grated scamorza (similar to mozzarella) for the fior di latte.

Ingredients for tomato sauce

• ½ cup olive oil, divided
• ½ large onion, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 4 cups canned puréed
• San Marzano tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup Bomba
• 1 ½ tsp salt

Directions for tomato sauce

1 In a saucepan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat.

2 Add onion and saute until translucent. Add chopped garlic and saute for 1 minute.

3 Add tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Add basil, bomba, and salt and simmer for 5 minutes.


Serves 4 to 6.
 

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Excerpted from Toronto Cooks by Amy Rosen. Recipes Copyright © 2014 Amy Rosen, Photography copyright © 2014 Ryan Szulc. Excerpted by permission of Raincoast Books, Richmond, B.C. All rights reserved.