Arancini Balls - Valentine weekend recipe

I got this recipe by adapting something I read in an insert to Food Network Magazine.  They called it Happy Valentine's Day.  For this Sweetie Holiday, my sweetie is making me Steak au Poivre (I've posted about this before.)  It is a bit complicated so instead I recommend you surprise your special someone with an appetizer that is gooey and special and not your typical fried cheese item.  Serve it with a marinara and impress them so much you can make anything you want for the main dish!

I got this recipe by adapting something I read in an insert to Food Network Magazine.  They called it  Arancini Appetizer Balls (No. 41). For those who aren’t familiar with these balls of gooey goodness, arancini balls are made from rice rolled with egg, cheese, herbs and breadcrumbs and then deep-fried until they are crispy and golden. Yes for the rookies out there, they taste as delicious as they sound. The Food Network version seemed to be missing herbs, so I experimented with what would go well in this.  Since the Parmesan is a popular ingredient in Italian food, I added oregano, then basil and rosemary to give them a savory and robust flavor.  Here is my version of

Quick Arancini Balls

1 cup Arborio rice

1 2/3 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup white wine

1/3 cup chopped onion (if you want to use dry, use 2 Tbls dried soaked in 2 Tbls water)

2 eggs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

3/4 cup grated provolone

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Panko or other seasoned breadcrumbs

Microwave Arborio rice, chicken broth, white wine and chopped onion in an 8-inch microwave-safe dish, stirring halfway through, until tender, 18 minutes; cool. Mix in eggs, grated Parmesan and provolone and herbs. Roll into 1 1/4-inch balls; dredge in breadcrumbs. Chill. Deep-fry in 350 degrees F vegetable oil until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with marinara sauce. Makes 12 to 18 balls.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018, or Recipe2019 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2020 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Feb 2020 - Footbal Tailgate Favorites (AppFeb)

March 2020 - Kabobs (KabobMar)

April 2020 - Brunch (BrunchApr)

May 2020 - Non-Traditional Pizza (PizzaMay)

June 2020 - StirFry Dishes (StirJun)

July 2020 - Salads with no lettuce (SaladJul)

August 2020 - Pickled things (PickleAug)

September 2020 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2020 - Squash Soups (SquashOct)

November 2020 - Pumpkin (again) (PumpNov)

December 2020 - Turkey Recipes (TurkDec)