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Tiny Arancini with Tonnato Sauce. Best Italian Snacks

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I make these Tiny Arancini with Tonnato sauce if I have a few people over. They are gluten-free if made with rice crumbs or gluten-free panko crumbs. I never get sick of them and they can be eaten hot or cold. They make great game day or party snacks!

Tiny Arancini for parties

Cook’s Hint: Make the rice a day ahead

Best to make the rice a day ahead if possible so it is well chilled and thick and sticky and easy to roll. Fry to order or make them ahead and reheat in the oven. They go amazingly well with tonnato sauce. This sauce is made with cooked canned Tuna and is best known for being served with Veal!. Try it it is so delicious with these Arancini.

What kind of rice should I use for Arancini?

I know that some people make Arancini out of leftover risotto, and you can, of course, but I find them more successful if the rice is made only for Arancini.

I used this beautiful Acquarello rice, which is quite expensive, but I had a can in the cupboard. Each grain is separate and tastes wonderful. You can use any risotto rice for these, including the supermarket Arborio. Try to find carnaroli rice, it is always best

Carnaroli rice by aqcuarello and arancini balls

There are 3 main kinds of rice used and grown in Italy. Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, and Aborio. All the grains are used in different ways. Italian rice used for the traditional dishes of risotto (several styles are made, depending on the region) and arancini, along with soups and desserts, is quite different from rice grown in other countries. Carnaroli is the king of rice grown in the Po Valley in Northern Italy and is prized for its superior texture and flavor. It has a longer grain and a higher starch content than arborio rice. This gives it a firmer bite and a more al dente texture. It cooks more slowly, holds its shape and produces a creamier but firmer risotto.

A dish of any kind made with Carnaroli Rice will surprise you. If you have tried to make arancini or risotto at home and have been unhappy with the results, find a pack of Carnaroli rice. It is more expensive but you will find the results completely worth the money *(It will be Italian as Carnaroli Rice is a DOP product- in other words, it is protected and only to be grown in Italy ). Arborio rice is a softer, fatter grain, cooking quicker and with less texture, creating a more mushy result. In Australia, we grow arborio rice.

Baby risotto balls made with Italian rice

Arancini in Italy

The first time I ate Arancini I was in Florence. They weren’t tiny Arancini like this, they were large and egg-shaped, sometimes filled with ragu. We cut and shared them in the afternoons, sitting at a roadside cafe up on the hill at the Piazza Michelangelo. Afternoons here were for cruising and checking out the locals. Chatting to our favourite gelato guys or slurping Frappes in the heat.

After the blissful afternoons, I would cook dinner for 100 people before going out and watching the sexy Italians dance at the clubs and restaurants that would always welcome me like an old friend. I spent the entire summer in Florence.

Try these Italian-style dishes too

One Pot Italian Chicken

Lambrusco, Strawberry Cream and Amaretti

Mascarpone Pannacotta, salted caramel & hazelnuts

Tiny Arancini for parties

Tiny Arancini with Tonnato Sauce

I have these tiny arancini with this unusual sauce, but try it it really works. any cups mentioned are Aust size
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Servings: 24
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 200 gm risotto rice carnaroli or aborio (1 cup)
  • 750 ml chicken stock 25.4 oz
  • 50 gm butter 1-2 ozs
  • 40 ml olive oil
  • 150 gm onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 100 gm Parmesan cheese grated
  • 150 gm bacon 2 small rashers derinded and cut finely
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 bunch chopped parsley or other soft herb
Crumb mixture
  • 200 gm breadcrumbs or rice crumbs
  • 100 gm Flour for dusting or gluten free flour
  • 250 ml milk
  • 1 whole egg beaten mixed milk
Tonnato Dipping Sauce
  • 1 whole egg 1 whole and 1 yolk if small
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 20 ml white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 piece preserved lemon or zest of half a lemon
  • 200 ml vegetable / grapeseed oil
  • 100 ml olive oil
  • 100 gm tuna in oil drained,

Method
 

  1. Sweat the onion, bacon and rice together with the olive oil in a medium sized pot until the onions are soft, without browning.
  2. Slowly add the stock letting it completely absorb each time you add more. The mixture should be firm and not soupy. The rice should be cooked. If you need to add more or less stock then do (not all rices absorb the same amount of liquid). When the stock is absorbed finish by mixing in the Parmesan cheese and the butter along with salt and pepper to taste). Pour onto a tray or brownie tin and cool . Let this cool as long as possible till quite cold.
  3. When cooled it will be quite firm. Roll into walnut sized balls. Roll in flour, then egg and crumb them. Refrigerate again till firm
  4. Deep fry ( in a medium sized pot in vegetable oil) for best results, or shallow fry if you prefer
Dipping Sauce
  1. Put the tuna, egg , dijon, vinegar, preserved lemon or zest in a food processor and mix. Gradually add the olive oil then the plain oil until the mayonnaise is thick. .
  2. If you want it thicker add a little more olive oil… thinner a little less or add a drop or two of water. ( or process your favourite mayonnaise with the Tuna)

Notes

You can also make the sauce with a store bough mayonnaise. add the tuna and lemon and blitz with a stick blender or in a processor

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Comments

  9. Eha

    Love the sound of that dipping sauce: shall try when friends are travelling by next weekend. Not necessarily with the arancini tho’ these have always been favourites!!

    Reply

  11. celia

    T, do you think these would work without the cheese, or would they fall apart? I looove arancini, and yours look divine. The aged carnaroli is very tempting – we’ve been using the Scotti brand. xx

    Reply

  12. Hotly Spiced

    I love aroncini balls. I made them once for a wedding I was catering. They were a big hit! Mine had porcini mushrooms in them. Your time in Florence sounds wonderful (apart from the cooking for 100 every night!). It must have been an amazing time. Great looking aroncini balls xx

    Reply

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