Finger Food & Dips

Winter Lettuce and Red Wine Risotto Arancini

Please the crowd with these delicious gourmet vegetarian rice balls.

Serves 20.
Prep Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes plus 2 hours’ chilling.

Ingredients

• 2 witlof, shredded
• 1 Treviso™ radicchio, shredded
• 1 baby endive, sliced
• 1 tbsp garlic, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp onion, diced
• 700ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 125ml dry red wine
• 50ml port
• 100g butter
• 100g parmesan, finely grated
• 50g blue cheese, chopped
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 100ml milk
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• Selection of winter lettuce leaves, sliced to serve

Cooking Instructions

• Heat stock till boiling.
• Heat olive oil in a heavy based pot and add onion, garlic and rice. Cook until rice is lightly browned.
• Add lettuces, wine and port and simmer until wine has evaporated.
• Slowly add hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Do not add more until liquid has been absorbed. Cook until rice is creamy, about 12 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add parmesan, blue cheese and butter. Stir well and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
• Stand to cool then roll risotto into 1.5cm diameter balls.
• Whisk eggs and milk together.
• Dust with flour, dip in egg mix and coat with breadcrumbs. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
• Deep fry until golden, about 3 minutes. Drain well and season.
• Serve arancini on a bed of mixed winter lettuce leaves.