Arancini with arrabiata sauce

From Hugh F-W o the River Cottage

A great way to use up leftover risotto, but so delicious you won't regret making it from scratch, too. You don't have to make the sauce, but it's a nice addition; or just serve with a crisp green salad. They make great fresh buffalo mozzarella at Laverstoke Park in Hampshire (laverstokepark.co.uk). Makes 10-12.

For the arancini

20g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
250g arborio or other risotto rice
800ml-1 litre vegetable
or chicken stock, hot
25g parmesan, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tbsp shredded basil (optional)
2 eggs, 1 of them separated
100g mozzarella
A few slices good ham
140g fine dry breadcrumbs, seasoned
1 litre sunflower or groundnut oil

For the sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1-2 medium red chillies, membrane and seeds removed, then sliced fine
400g tin chopped tomatoes (in summer use fresh, ripe ones, cored, deseeded and roughly chopped; if they're not perfectly ripe, you'll have to skin them, too)
1 good pinch sugar
1 tbsp finely shredded basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

First make the risotto (if you've already got cooked leftover risotto, just skip this bit). Over a medium-low heat, warm the butter and oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add the onion, and sauté until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes more. Tip the rice into the pan, stir until all the grains are well coated, then add hot stock, a ladle at a time, stirring until the stock is almost all absorbed before adding another ladle. The end result should be smooth and slightly drier than a normal risotto, with the rice still a little al dente. Stir in the parmesan, season generously, then stir in the basil, if using. Leave to cool, then stir in one egg yolk.

While the rice cools, make the sauce. In a small frying pan, heat the oil over a medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chilli, sauté for a few minutes until soft and fragrant, then add the tomatoes and cook, stirring from time to time, for five to eight minutes, until thickened. Season with a pinch of sugar, the basil, a little salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Once the rice is cooled, take a heaped tablespoon of rice in the palm of your hand (working with wet hands makes it a bit easier). Press a small hole in the middle and fill the cavity with a little mozzarella and/or a small piece of ham. Press the rice ball around the filling, so it's thoroughly enclosed within the rice and you have a fairly firm ball about the size of a small tangerine.

Whisk together the egg white and the whole egg. Dip each rice ball in beaten egg and then roll in breadcrumbs until coated.

Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan until it reads 160C on a cooking thermometer (or until a cube of stale white bread turns golden in about 80 seconds). In batches of three or four at a time (and allowing the fat to come back up to temperature between batches), lower the balls into the hot fat with a slotted spoon and fry until golden, about five minutes. Serve piping hot, with the sauce in a bowl for dipping them into.