Arancine dolce / Sweet rice fritters
You almost can’t walk down a street in Sicily’s capital, Palermo, without finding arancine. Most often, they are savoury, filled with either a meat ragù, peas and mozzarella, or ham, cheese, and béchamel (arancine al burro).
In Catania, on the eastern side of the island, there are sweet rice fritters shaped like fingers. So why not a version somewhere in between? These arancine dolci hit all the notes: crunchy, creamy, aromatic, sweet, hot, cool and a little bit chewy in the right way.
The payoff is the soft, molten centre of orange blossom-scented pastry cream. You could opt to fill them with fruit preserves or Nutella with equal success. In any case, start these early in the day (or the day before) you plan to serve them.
Makes 12
Filling
• 170g crema pasticcera (see below)
• 1-2 tsp orange-blossom water (if using)
Rice
• 60g unsalted butter
• 500g Arborio or Carnaroli rice
• 900ml milk, divided
• 100g granulated sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Half a vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 150g fine dried breadcrumbs
• 100g all-purpose flour, or 80g 00 flour
• 180ml water
• 1 egg
• Canola, sunflower or other neutral oil for deep-frying
• 30g powdered sugar, to serve
First, make the crema pasticcera (see right), stirring in the orange-blossom water at the end.
In a wide, shallow saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice and stir, cooking until it begins to turn opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup (240ml) of the milk and continue cooking and stirring until the milk is almost completely absorbed. Add the remaining milk and stir in the sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, orange zest and salt; bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Spread the cooked rice out onto a baking sheet and let it cool. Cover and refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to finish the arancine, set up your assembly station. Prepare a small bowl of cold water for your hands. Put the breadcrumbs in a large shallow bowl. In another bowl, whisk the flour, water and egg together. Set a baking sheet near the bowls. Line another baking sheet with paper towels or a metal rack and set it next to the stove. Pour 4 inches (10cm) of oil into a deep heavy-bottomed pot.
Remove the chilled rice from the fridge and take out the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Divide the rice into 12 portions. To form the arancine, dip your hands in the water and grab a portion of rice in one hand. Flatten it out in the palm of your hand as much as you can. Cup your hand to make the rice curve into a well and fill this with a tablespoon of the pastry cream. Gather the rice up and pinch it together to enclose the pastry cream. Press and roll the rice in your hands to make a compact ball. Set aside on the unlined baking sheet while you roll the rest of the arancine.
Heat the oil to 350°F (180°C). In the absence of a deep-fry thermometer, test the oil by inserting the handle of a wooden spoon into it. If bubbles form quickly along the handle, the oil is ready for frying.
Dip one of the balls of rice into the flour mixture and let the excess fall back into the bowl. Roll it in breadcrumbs and lower it into the oil. Do the same with the rest of the rice balls, frying no more than 5 at a time. Fry until the arancine are nice and browned, about 4 minutes.
Remove them from the oil and drain on the paper towel – lined baking sheet or the rack. Dust arancine with powdered sugar just before serving.
Crema Pasticcera / Pastry cream filling
• 100g sugar
• 40g cornstarch
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 480ml milk, divided
• 30g cold unsalted butter, chopped into pieces
In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks and vanilla. Whisk half of the milk into the cornstarch mixture and half into the yolk mixture.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens and becomes glossy, about 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and slowly add the yolk/milk mixture, whisking constantly. Return to the heat and continue whisking just until the mixture is thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat and immediately add the cold butter and whisk until completely incorporated. Stir in the orange-blossom water (if using). Scrape the crema into a bowl, place a round of parchment paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface if you wish to prevent a skin from forming. Cover and chill completely in the fridge; it lasts up to 2 days.
Minnie di Sant’Agata / Ricotta pastries for Saint Agatha
Saint Agatha, patron saint of Catania, was a 15-year-old girl from a noble Sicilian family. She had taken a vow of chastity. Alas, Agatha caught the eye of a Roman prelate but spurned his advances, even when jailed and viciously tortured. Finally, the prelate ordered her breasts cut off. She’s often depicted in paintings carrying her breasts on a plate.
Makes 8 or 9
Pasta frolla / Sweet pastry dough
Makes enough for one 23 or 25cm tart
I use part all-purpose or 00 flour and part semola rimacinata, or fine semolina flour, for a bit more texture.
• 240g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150g sugar
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 80ml unflavoured fresh milk
• 270g all-purpose flour, or 250g 00 flour
• 250g semola rimacinata
In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. Stir in the egg, the egg yolks and the milk, then the flours, all at once. Do not overmix; you want the dough to come together with no floury bits remaining.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently a few times. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month.
Icing
• 230g powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp milk
• ¼ tsp fiori di Sicilia (citrus & vanilla extract), or ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, for egg wash
• ½ recipe crema di ricotta (below), made without the whipped cream
• 8 to 10 maraschino, Luxardo or Amarena cherries
In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, milk and fiori di Sicilia until smooth. Keep covered until ready to use.
Crema di ricotta / sweetened ricotta cream
Makes about 2 cups (480ml)
(Exclude the whipped cream for Minne Di Sant’Agata.)
One of the backbones of Sicilian pastry, ricotta cream is most often made with sheep’s milk or ricotta di pecora. To approximate the taste, mix 60g of unflavoured fresh goat cheese to every 340g of cow’s milk ricotta. If commercial ricotta is all you can find, look for one without emulsifiers or gelatin and drain it overnight in a strainer lined with a paper towel, coffee filter or cheesecloth.
• 450g whole-milk ricotta
• 90g powdered sugar
• 60g unflavoured fresh goat cheese (optional)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ to ½ tsp fiori di Sicilia or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 180ml heavy cream
• 85g chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips (about ½ cup; optional)
• 85g chopped, candied orange peel or candied watermelon rind (optional)
Start this the day before you plan to serve it. Put the ricotta in a strainer lined with a paper towel, coffee filter or cheesecloth, place over a bowl, cover with a plate, and chill for 2-8 hours.
Scrape the drained ricotta into a medium bowl and add the powdered sugar, goat cheese (if using), cinnamon, fiori di Sicilia and salt. Note: exclude the following step for this recipe: In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it’s billowy and nearly stiff. Fold in gently. Fold in the chocolate and candied peel, if using.
Best used the day it’s made or store airtight in the fridge for up to a day.
To make the minnie / pastries
If your pasta frolla is freshly made, chill it for an hour before you use it. If you’ve made it ahead of time, take out of the fridge 20 minutes before you plan to use it.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the egg and 1 tbsp of water together in a small glass to make an egg wash, and have ready a pastry brush.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out a quarter of the dough into a 30cm x 10cm rectangle. With a 7.5cm round cookie cutter, cut out four circles. Place two of the circles on a baking sheet, leaving two finger-widths between them. Brush them with egg wash and place a nice big spoonful of crema di ricotta in the centre of each. Carefully press the other two pieces of dough on top to enclose the filling. Trim each minne with the cookie cutter to neaten up the edges. Repeat with the other three portions of dough. Gather and re-roll the scraps to make one more minne.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until nicely browned. Cool completely, then pour icing on each minne with a large spoon, spreading it with a palette or butter knife to cover as much of the pastry as you can. Once the icing has set, about 30 minutes, top each minne with a cherry nipple.
Store airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days; serve at room temperature.
An edited extract from Sicily, My Sweet, by Victoria Granof (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $59.99).
