Recipe - Aracine With Sardines And Saffron

2 tablespoon Olive oil; plus 2
tablespoons
1 Red onion, chopped; into
1/8inch dice
1 pn Saffron
2 cup Arborio rice
3 cup Chicken stock
1 cup Grated Pecorino
2 Eggs plus; 2 eggs separated
1 cup Basic tomato sauce
8 ounce Salted sardines, rinsed,
heads removed; and roughly
ch
2 Sprigs mint
One fourth cup Flour for dusting
One half cup Bread crumbs for coating
Olive oil for frying

FOR RICE: In a 4 to 6quart saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until
just smoking. Add half the chopped red onion and saffron and cook until
softened, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add rice and chicken stock and bring to
boil, uncovered. Cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 25
minutes. Spread rice out to cool on a large cookie sheet, about 1/4inch to
1/2inch thick. When rice is cool, mix with Pecorino, 2 eggs and 2 egg
yolks and set aside

FOR STUFFING: In a 10 to 12inch saute pan, cook remaining chopped onion
in 2 tablespoons olive oil until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add
tomato sauce, chopped sardines and mint and cook 5 to 7 minutes until
reduced by one third and quite thick. Set aside and allow to cool.

TO ASSEMBLE: Place dusting flour, egg whites and bread crumbs in separate
shallow bowls and lightly beat egg whites. To form aracine, place 3
tablespoons rice mixture in palm of hand and make an indentation with the
back of a spoon. Spoon 2 tablespoons sardine mixture into indentation and
form an open bowl out of the rice in your hand. Cover filled portion with
another tablespoon of rice mixture and using both hands, shape the rice
into a ball. Continue with remaining rice mixture and stuffing until done.

Roll each ball in flour, then egg whites, then bread crumbs and refrigerate
1 hour, uncovered.

Heat 4 inches of cooking oil in fryer or deep frying pan to 375 degrees.
Carefully place 3 balls at a time into pan and fry until golden brown,
about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring with tongs or kitchen spoon to keep them
moving. Drained cooked balls on paper towels and place on large platter and
serve either warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings
Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #273

Date: Fri, 1 Nov 1996 22:32:48 0500

From: Meg Antczak meginny@frontiernet.net