Arancini
By Diana Cercone
There are few words in the Italian language that are as musical to my ear as arancini. The “r” ripples along my tongue as it catches up to the soft sounding “ch” before ending in a sweet duet of its last two letters. Although, to be honest, there are few Italian words that aren’t. And there are few Italian foods that aren’t among my favorites. Arancini placing high among them ever since I traveled to Sicily. It’s where arancini originated.
Its roots stretch to the 10th century when Arabs occupied the island, bringing with them rice and saffron. And where today, you’ll find it sold as a popular street food, or as a specialty of a neighborhood trattoria or even a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Arancini has been immortalized in The New York Times best-selling author Andrea Camilleri’s “Inspector Montalbano” mysteries set in Sicily. And fans of the HBO hit “White Lotus” will recognize it as the only food featured in the second season, filmed in Taormina, Sicily.
Rice is key to this delicacy. Described as small balls of rice stuffed with a savory filing, arancini are then coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. But that description doesn’t even come close. One bite is all you need to know they’re so much more.
So why isn’t arancini widely known in our area? Or found more readily on our area’s Italian restaurants’ menus? For answers I turned to Chef Anthony Boccella, co-owner with his wife, Rosa Bianca, of Trattoria Rosa Bianca in Yardley. And where Anthony is known for the best arancini this side of Sicily.
It’s a few weeks before Christmas when I catch up with him. Sitting across from me at one of the white linen-covered tables in the main dining room, Anthony shakes his head, saying he’s been wondering that for years. Such an integral dish to Italian cuisine, especially Sicily’s, he says, it’s almost a sacrilege that very few people know about it.
But don’t blame Anthony. Ever since he and his wife opened Trattoria Rosa Bianca 10 years ago, arancini have been featured on its menu. No matter the season, he says, you’ll always find his Classic Arancini. This he sets before me, shimmering with heat from the fryer, as well as two other arancini he has created this day. It’s the size of a baseball. But that’s where all comparisons end.
Slicing into the arancini is like slicing through whipped butter. The crisp exterior of breadcrumbs easily gives way to its treasures awaiting inside. Anthony’s Classic Arancini is made with perfectly prepared risotto and packed with a ragù Bolognese pomodoro sauce and pecorino cheese, then rolled in breadcrumbs and quickly deep-fried.
With my first bite, I taste an explosion of welcoming flavors and textures. Not even in Sicily do I remember arancini this luscious. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Anthony’s lips moving. Looking up from my plate, I ask him in my best DeNiro voice, “Are you talkin’ to me?” He laughs. It’s all he needs to know that his Classic Arancini has claimed another ardent fan.
Like a well-orchestrated symphony, every element in his Classic Arancini hits the right notes. Unlike most Bolognese sauces, where a mixture of ground veal, pork and beef are used, Anthony uses only pork and veal. Instead of grinding them, he cubes the veal and pork, so that each retains its own integrity of flavor and texture. He then simmers the cubes in his pomodoro sauce for several hours until all the flavors meld together, creating a rich Bolognese.
It’s the same with the Italian rice Anthony uses. “Only Arborio,” he says. “It’s starchier than carnaroli.” Instead of carnaroli grains adhering to one another with the help of egg, the arborio grains embrace one another, retaining their “al dente” texture and a purer flavor without the need of egg. While his Bolognese Pomodoro sauce simmers, Anthony makes the risotto, allowing it to cool before forming the risotto into balls and stuffing them.
As for the coating of his breadcrumbs, I’ve never had one so delicate or savory. To explain, Anthony says, he dusts the arancini with breadcrumbs from the flavorful focaccia he makes daily.
The second arancini Anthony sets before me is a seafood one, created especially for his annual Italian Christmas Seven Fishes dinner. The jumbo lump crabmeat is sweet and succulent while the bottarga and colotura add a chorus of flavors. Suffice it to say it’s that good I advise you to make your dinner reservations now for next Christmas.
Lastly is a dessert arancini. Noting the surprised look on my face, Anthony says he knows a dessert arancini is not typical, but he likes to mix things up. Like musicians and artists, Anthony takes the basics and riffs on them. This time it’s a decadently delicious creation of risotto, fresh raspberry puree, vanilla bean and sugar topped with pistachios and rich dark chocolate. Need I say more?
Anthony cooks according to the seasons—and to his culinary muse, well-rooted in his Sicilian and Neapolitan heritage. He particularly creates dishes that showcase Sicily’s many culinary contributions, such as fish, rice, saffron, salt, pistachios and lemons. And many of the dishes he creates are his own take on his mother’s Sicilian recipes, including arancini. “My mom only made them for special occasions,” he says, much to little Anthony’s disappointment. Lucky for us, Chef Anthony thinks they should be enjoyed every day.
Anthony is also all about creating dishes that highlight the freshness and variety of local farms and producers—both in Bucks and across the river in Jersey.
One of the reasons Anthony loves creating arancini, he says, “It’s like working with a blank canvas. But you have to be great from the start. Build on the basics.” From there he says you need to bring everything else into harmony: texture, temperature and flavors to hit all the senses and ring the umami bell. The same goes for his vegetarian and gluten-free arancini.
Come spring, Anthony says, he’s ready to “come out of the darkness. I want to see green.” Seeing green for him translates to the stars of spring vegetables: fava beans, asparagus, fresh peas and spinach. Look for these to show up on his spring arancini menu, many married with his own in-house fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheese, as well as his Classic Arancini.
According to “Tasting Table,” arancini are among the 20 classic Italian dishes you must try to make yourself at least once. But why bother? When you can enjoy arancini stress-free and delicious every time at Trattoria Rosa Bianca.
Trattoria Rosa Bianca is located at 94 S. Main Street in Yardley; rosabiancatrattoria.com; 267-392-5738; BYOB; Mon.–Fri. 4 p.m.–9 p.m.; Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday Brunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; Mon. & Tues. Evenings 3-Course Chef Tasting Menu.
Diana Cercone is an area freelance writer who specializes in food, art and travel.