My love affair with arancini began during a rather uneventful meeting at a hotel in London for a project I was working on five years ago. The highlight of the day was definitely lunch, when for the first time I was presented with several golden spheres of ricey mushroomy goodness.

Ever since that day I vowed to make some arancini of my own so that I could gorge myself with no one looking (I mean that is totally normal right? no?) ok.

The thing that put me off doing so, was the fact that I would have to make all this risotto goodness and wait until the next day before I could eat it because I mean who ever really has left over risotto? After failing to find a decent ready-made substitute in London, I finally decided to bite the bullet and do it myself and this is where I came unstuck – the day I decided to make my arancini I didn’t have any Arborio rice (a key ingredient you might think)
As it happens I managed to get around that key part (how you ask?) Cauliflower that’s right cauliflower.
I took inspiration from this recipe
for Seafood Risotto and adapted it to make arancini. For the coating, I took another non traditional route, to keep the recipe gluten-free I used dried hard cheese, the type you get from the supermarket next to the pasta sauces. Once fried you would never know the difference.

You should definitely try this you won’t regret it.

Recipe

500g of cauliflower (fresh or frozen)
10g dried Porcini mushrooms
1 tbsp sunflower oil
200g full fat cream cheese
120ml Chicken stock
20g Grana Padano / Parmigano Regiana (fresh)
60g Coconut flour
60g dried hard cheese
2 eggs beaten
1 medium onion
1-2 cloves garlic (according to taste)
50ml boiling water

Method

Makes 24

Rehydrate the Porcini mushrooms in 50ml of boiling water for 20 minutes (reserve the water).
Rice that cauliflower and set aside – I used a cheese grater although a food processor is probably quicker.
Chop onion and garlic and fry in oil until soft. Remove Porcini’s from water, chop and add to onion and garlic mix continue to fry for 1-2 minutes.
Add riced cauliflower, chicken stock, cream cheese and Grana Padano. Stir until well combined and simmer until liquid has reduced and cauliflower is tender. The cream cheese should make a thick creamy sauce.
Once ready leave to cool for two hours in the fridge but preferably overnight so that the risotto is mouldable.

Once the risotto is cold set up the beaten egg, hard cheese and coconut flour dipping stations.
Take spoonful’s of risotto roll them in your hands to ball of about 3cms round than dip in the coconut flour than beaten egg then roll in the hard cheese and set aside.
Once all arancini have been formed place back in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up. Fry in oil and serve with pesto or marinara or anything you like. You can freeze any un fried leftover arancini for another day.