Arancini di riso (Sicilian rice balls)

Preparation

1. Cook the rice with half of the stock. Dissolve the saffron in the rest of the hot stock, add it to the rice and keep cooking until the rice is cooked through but still grainy.
2. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the butter and cheese, leave the rice to cool for about 20 minutes and then mix in the egg.
3. Brown the onion and meat in olive oil until golden, add the peas, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until you have a thick, creamy mixture. Leave to cool.
4. Flatten some rice in your hand, put a spoonful of filling and a cube of cheese on top, close it up with more rice and shape into an orange-sized ball; the filling must not leak out anywhere. Make 8 balls like this.
5. Roll the balls first in flour, then draw them through the beaten eggs and turn them in breadcrumbs.
6. Deep-fry in plenty of hot oil until golden brown all over, lift out and drain briefly on kitchen paper. One ball per person as a starter, two as a main course.

Drink with it

• Sparkling wine · excellent match

  Metodo classico brut, such as Franciacorta

  Bubbles and tight acidity cut the frying fat and keep the crust tasting crisp.

  Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference? ↗

• Rosé · excellent match

  Etna Rosato or Cerasuolo di Vittoria Rosato

  Fresh acidity stands up to the cheese and coating, and the red fruit suits the tomato and meat filling.

  Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing ↗

• Red wine · good match

  Frappato, lightly chilled

  A light Sicilian red with hardly any tannin: cherry fruit for the tomato without weighing down the coating.

• White wine · good match

  Grillo or Vermentino

  Citrus notes and saltiness freshen things up after the fried food, while saffron and cheese stay in front.

• Pale lager · good match

  Pale lager, ice cold

  Bubbles and light malt sweetness suit the golden crust and cut the fat.

  Pils or Helles: What's the Difference? ↗