Recipe - Ficoccelle (sweet arancini) with chocolate and pistachio

Introduction to the recipe

Ricotta, whether made from cow's milk or sheep's milk, plays a prominent role in Sicilian pastry-making tradition. When properly handled, its texture becomes creamy, soft and light, and it is delicious when paired with chocolate. These ficoccelle have a centre that is soft and creamy, with a crunchy hint of chocolate chips... it’s impossible to have just one!

Dessert

Easy

30 grams

Vegetarian

Ingredients for about 70 ficoccelle (30 grams)

For the rice:

500 grams of rice ("Roma" and "Originario" rices, mixed in equal doses)
500 ml of milk
500 ml of water
80 grams of butter
170 grams of sugar
40 g of dark chocolate
1 vanilla stick

For the finishing touch:

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

For the filling:

150 gr of chocolate chips
80 grams of pistachios

Preparation of rice and filling

Rice

How to prepare the rice:

Put the water and milk in a pan with the butter, the vanilla stick engraved for long and sugar. When it comes to a boil add the rice and mix well
Cover and cook over low heat until the rice absorbs everything and is cooked but al dente
When cooked, chop the chocolate with the knife and mix with rice
pour the rice on a cold surface and spread evenly to allow rapid cooling
When the rice has cooled, it is ready to prepare the ficoccelle

It is important that the rice is quite dry and cold.

The filling

In a bowl, mix together the chocolate chips and chopped pistachios

Shape the ficoccelle

Buy the Arancini Maker

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.

Frying

The finishing touch

Put the ficoccelle 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 ficoccelle
Immediately after having passed them in the batter, pass the ficoccelle in bread crumbs

Frying

Fry in plenty of oil until golden brown, to ensure your ficoccelle 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 ficoccelle 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 ficoccelle on absorbent paper, then serve.
Serve the ficoccelle with sauce on the side.

Enjoy your meal !

Varation

To make these ficoccelle even sweeter and more delicious, they are often rolled in sugar as soon as they have been fried

Bonus idea

To make them even crunchier and more colourful, as soon as they are fried, roll your ficoccelle in chopped pistachios!

HISTORICAL NOTE

In many ways, sweet arancine have a story that is all their own. Ficoccelle, for instance, with their smaller size, their chocolate centre and their ‘breading’ made of sugar, are a joy for adults and children alike, a source of good cheer for all. Although they may be a calorie bomb, when you eat them you can’t help but feel good, not to mention a little silly, happy and optimistic. Although the ancient Latin people referred to rice (a grain) as oryza, wouldn't it be lovely to imagine that they spoke of it using the famous saying risus abundat in ore stultorum?

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