Arancini

Arancini (Italian for “small orange”) are small rice balls, usually stuffed with mozzarella, that are breaded and deep fried. I’ve also seen them called Suppli al Telefono, due to the long strands of mozzarella resembling telephone cords (no joke!), but that is more of a northern-Italian name. Traditionally, cooks would use left over risotto to make the arancini because, try as you might, it’s impossible to get reheated risotto to taste as good as when it’s just been made. I guess you can say they were invented more as a way to enjoy the leftovers than by a stroke of genius (though some may argue that point).

I was first introduced to arancini in the winter of 2000, when I spent four months in Sicily as part of a military deployment. We stayed in a town called Motta Sant’Anastasia, and there was (literally) a hole in a wall in town where you could walk up and get whatever the cook (an old Sicilian woman) had made that day. Though the menu varied daily, she always had arancini ready to be flash-fried and served piping hot! I found arancini all over Sicily, but I never had a better version than these. Most places would serve a side of tomato sauce with their arancini, but the old Sicilian woman would place both the mozzarella and the sauce in the center of the arancini, which made them divine!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Notes: I suggest you only stuff the arancini with the mozzarella and serve the marinara sauce on the side, as it tends to get very messy if you try to stuff both in the risotto balls. Also, don’t use shredded cheese, as this will make it almost impossible to stuff into the arancini.

Ingredients:

2 cups left over risotto
4 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1/2 cup marinara sauce, warmed

For the breading:
2 eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp of water
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Canola oil for frying
Salt

Procedure:

Place enough oil in a heavy-bottomed pan so that it will reach about half-way up the arancini and heat it to 350 degrees. While the oil comes up to temperature, use an ice cream scoop and divide the risotto into portions, then roll each portion into a small ball (they should be about the size of a golf ball). Take one piece of cubed mozzarella and place it in the center of each ball, then re-shape them if necessary.

Prepare your breading station in an assembly line. Roll the arancini in the flour (removing any excess), then in the egg (making sure to let the excess drip off), then in the bread crumbs; set aside until all the arancini are breaded. Once the oil reaches 350 degrees, fry the arancini in batches (3-4 at a time) for 3-4 minutes, moving them around so that they brown evenly. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels for draining and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Serve hot with the marinara on the side.

Buen Provecho!

Review: The Pit, Raleigh NC

The in-laws were in town for a few days so we decided to have lunch at The Pit in Raleigh. The Pit is owned/operated by Pitmaster Ed Mitchell, who is well-known around these parts and even beat Bobby Flay in a rib throwdown. If you’re lucky, you will even see Ed roaming around the restaurant, stopping to talk to people eating at his restaurant (he even gave me the “secret” to his ribs on one of my visits there). The restaurant is exactly what you wouldn’t expect from a place called “The Pit,” as the restaurant is clean, modern, well decorated, and appropriately lit. If you ask people in The Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) for a recommendation on which Eastern North Carolina BBQ restaurant to visit, you will probably get quite a few of them that will suggest Allen and Sons, and quite a bit more that will tell you to avoid The Pit. Personally, I think The Pit gets a “bad” reputation because it’s “fancy.” Ask a person who complains about the Pit to tell you what they don’t like and you’re likely to hear the same thing: it’s too expensive or it’s not authentic (or both). But, even with it’s detractors, the restaurant is hugely popular and it was packed on our visit, with a 45-minute wait for a table at 1pm on a Saturday (reservations are suggested).

When it comes to BBQ, just because a place isn’t a pit, a joint, or a dive doesn’t mean that the food won’t taste good. My wife ordered the chopped BBQ plate for $7.99 (dinner price is $11.99), and it came with two sides, hush puppies and a biscuit. Sure, the dinner price is a bit more expensive than other places, but it’s not outrageous. For instance, a plate of ‘cue at Allen and Sons will run you $9.90, and it only comes with one side (fries or potato salad) and some hush puppies. The Pit gives you an extra side (plus a bigger selection of sides) and a biscuit for about $2 more, which I don’t consider anywhere near outrageous.

As for authenticity, The Pit is the only location in The Triangle that cooks the whole hog over wood/coals (most other locations use gas). Even Allen and Sons isn’t whole hog, as they only cook the shoulder. Whole hog BBQ is superior to any method that only cooks a part of the pig due to the combinations of flavors and textures that you only get when you mix in every part of the pig (belly, loin, ribs, ham, skin, etc.). So, for my money, it’s more authentic than all other BBQ restaurants I’ve tried here in The Triangle. Just to be clear, I love Allen and Sons, and I’m not picking on them; they’re my second choice when it comes to ‘cue. I’m merely trying to shoot down the erroneous ideas regarding The Pit, not bring down Allen and Sons in any way.

As for what we ordered on this visit, we started with the Vidalia Onion Rings as our appetizer. They were big, crispy, and oh-so-divine, with a wonderful black pepper flavor that went well with the crunch and the mustard remoulade they were served with. What I couldn’t taste was the sweetness that comes from a Vidalia onion and they might as well have been regular onions. If you like onion rings, you have to try these when you visit. Here’s a pic of the onion rings:

For my entrée, I decided to break from tradition and try the fried chicken (everyone else got the pork). Not that I think the chopped ‘cue isn’t great, nor is it that I didn’t feel like dealing with the ribs (that, by the way, are amazing so long as you order them unsauced and add the sauce yourself), but I just felt like I wanted something different (and I’m glad I ordered the chicken!). I received three pieces of chicken (one breast, two drumsticks), along with my two sides (mac and cheese and mashed potatoes), which was more than I was expecting. The breading was thick (just how I like it), and very crunchy, and the chicken remained moist and tender. I’m normally not a breast guy because I think they tend to dry out too quickly, but this one was perfect. And, for $7.99, you really can’t beat the price, either!

However, I do have one complaint: the dish is called Mother Mitchell’s Fried Chicken, which (in my mind) had me expecting chicken cooked in a cast iron skillet using lard or shortening. Now, I couldn’t tell if the chicken was cooked in lard or shortening, but I do know that it wasn’t cooked in a cast iron skillet, as the chicken was browned evenly, with no darker spots to be seen (chicken fried in a skillet will get darker where the chicken touches the pan). I don’t know if this is how Mother Mitchell used to cook her chicken (in a deep fryer), or if this was changed for the quickness/convenience of restaurant operations, but it was the one little thing that I wish were different.

Grade:

Taste: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Would I eat it again? It’s only my favorite Eastern NC BBQ restaurant!

The Pit
328 West Davie Street
Raleigh NC, 27601
919-890-4500
thepit-raleigh.com