Arancini with pumpkin, mushrooms and Gorgonzola cheese

Introduction to the recipe

Every season has its typical colours and fragrances. Two of autumn’s most well-loved fruits, for instance, are the pumpkin, with its splendid bright orange hue, and mushrooms, in their endless variety. Gorgonzola is the perfect complement to these flavours, adding a strong dash of savour to any dish in which it is featured. In these arancini, the pumpkin is used to flavour the rice, while the mushrooms and Gorgonzola come together to create the savoury filling.

Gourmet

Medium

160 grams

Vegetarial

Ingredients for about 12 arancini

For rice:

500 grams of rice ("Roma" and "Originario" rices, mixed in equal doses)
1.1 liter of vegetable stock
200 gr of pumpkin pulp
10 grams of salt
60-100 grams of butter

For the finish:

100 gr of flour
180 ml of water
2 eggs
150 gr of bread crumbs

For the filling:

400 gr of mixed mushrooms with porcini mushrooms
½ onion
150 g of gorgonzola
½ glass of white wine
1 tuft of parsley
extra virgin olive oil
salt, black pepper

Preparation of rice and filling

Rice

How to prepare the rice:

Chop the pumpkin into chunks and steam until cooked, then purée
In a saucepan, put the broth, the butter, the saffron and the salt
When the stock is boiling, add the rice and mix well
Cover and cook over low heat until the rice absorbs all the broth and is cooked but al dente
Add the pumpkin purée
When cooked, stir, pour the rice on a cold surface and spread evenly to allow rapid cooling
When the rice is cool down, it is ready to prepare the arancini

Important

It is important to let the rice dry well during cooking. It should not be too hot or too wet, or it could stick to the mold.

For more informations about rice, Click here.

The filling

Mince the onion and sauté it in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil
Add in the mushrooms, let them sauté for a few minutes over high heat, then add the white wine and simmer until it has reduced
Add a cup of water, lower the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, then simmer for about 15 minutes
When it is done, remove the pan from the heat and, as a finishing touch, toss in some finely chopped fresh parsley. Then let it cool

How to shape the arancini

1 - Fill the base of the Arancinotto with rice and use a spoon to pack it down firmly.

2 - Put the lid on the base and insert the plunger as far as it will go.

3 - Remove the plunger and spoon your filling into the central hole, packing it in with a teaspoon to ensure there is a generous amount.

4 - Cover the top with a thin layer of rice and press it down using the other end of the plunger.

5 - Take the cover back off of the Arancinotto and gently remove your arancino.

How to frying the arancini

The finishing touch

Put the arancini in the batter and in the bread crumbs as follows:

In a bowl, place the flour
Add the egg and water and beat well with whips
When the batter is smooth and dense, pass the arancini
Immediately after having passed them in the batter, pass the arancini in bread crumbs

Frying

Fry in plenty of oil until golden brown, to ensure your arancini fry up perfectly, use one of the following oils: peanut oil, olive oil, or palm oil.
Heat the oil to the ideal temperature, 190°C, either in a frying pan or by setting the temperature on your deep fryer.
If using a pan, you can make sure that the oil has reached the proper temperature by dropping in a bread crumb. If it sizzles, then the oil is ready.
Immerse the arancini gently in the oil, only a few at a time, so as to prevent the temperature of the oil from falling too low.
When they are done, place the arancini on absorbent paper, then serve.
Serve the arancini with sauce on the side.

For more information about Finishing and Frying, Click here.

Enjoy your arancini!

Varation

You can switch the combinations of ingredients, mixing the Gorgonzola into the rice and blending the pumpkin purée with the mushrooms to create the filling.

Bonus idea

For arancini with a beautifully melting centre, add a little fresh provola cheese to the filling!

Gorgonzola, which originated in the Milanese city of the same name, is, along with French Roquefort and British Stilton, one of the three most well-loved and imitated varieties of blue cheese in the world. One of its most outstanding characteristics is its versatility, which has made it the star ingredient of numerous recipes in the Italian culinary repertoire. Whether it is Gorgonzola Dolce (the “sweet” variety) or Gorgonzola Piccante (the more highly-flavoured kind), whether or not it is “weeping”, it is a product that requires great skill to make. Indeed, there are only 427 master cheese-makers capable of making true Gorgonzola.

What do you think of the recipe? Send us the photos!