Lamb Arancini

1 Batch Moscato risotto base

1 batch Lamb shanks

100g granted cheddar

200g bread crumbs

100g plain flour

2 eggs

100ml water

Salt and pepper

1 batch Goats Fondue

Apparatus

3 medium sized bowls

Deep fryer

Method

Take your lamb shanks, pull the meat off and shred it. Once shredded, apply some braising liquid to give it some moisture.

Mix cheddar cheese through the risotto base.

Grab your risotto base, make a rough, flat circle across the palm of your hand. The palm of my hand is roughly 4 inches across, so I did mine to a four inch diameter. I then placed a ball of shredded lamb in the centre of the rice, of roughly a 2 centimetre diameter, and moulded the rice round the lamb. Repeat this process with all the remaining lamb and rice.

Try to ensure there is at least a half centimetre thick circle of rice covering the lamb in the middle. When the arancini heats up, the moisture in the lamb will want to blow through the rice, so make sure it can’t blow through.

Place your flour and bread crumbs into separate bowls, then crack the eggs into the third bowl. Add the water to the eggs and whisk the egg mix until the eggs are broken down.

Season the bread crumbs.

Take a bald arancini ball, roll it through the flour until coated, then roll it through egg wash until coated, and do the same with the bread crumbs. Ensure you allow for the excess egg wash to run off the arancini ball before rolling it through the bread crumbs, or you’ll end up with a bowl of something that resembles wet risotto before you have finished crumbing all the arancini’s.

Place your crumbed rice ball into a grease proof paper lined storage tray, and repeat the crumbing process with the rest of the arancini balls.

Heat your deep fryer up to 180c, and cook the balls for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. If you are unsure if they are warm in the middle, stick a skewer into the middle of one, hold it there for a few seconds before removing it, then check the skewer. If the whole tip of the skewer is hot, then your arancini is ready, if its cold, it’s not ready.

If the middle of the arancini is still cold, you can finish it in the oven, or just place it back into the fryer.

Serve with some goats fondue or anything else you might desire.

#Pro tip. The best way I have found to roll arancini, is to work with wet fingers. Have a bowl of water present when you start. Simply dip your fingers and hands into the water, and then work your rice while there is a good amount of water present of your hands. The water acts as a barrier and prevents the sloppy rice from gluing to your hands. Simply wet them again between rolls, wipe off the gluey stuff that does get stuck, and go again.

References.

I have never been involved with making arancinis like this before. I applied my intrinsic connections to Tasmania and amalgamated that with historical research.