Air-Fried Arancini with Grilled Red Pepper Sauce
A favorite in Sicily, arancini are round, deep-fried croquettes that are typically made from leftover risotto. Here, we serve these addictive morsels with a grilled red pepper sauce for dipping. Two innovative appliances from Philips—the smoke-less indoor grill and the airfryer—streamline the cooking process.
Ingredients
For the red pepper sauce:
- 2 red bell peppers
- 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
For the risotto:
- 1/4 lb. (125 g) thinly sliced prosciutto
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz./330 g) Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) white wine
- 6 cups (48 fl. oz./1.5 l) chicken broth, warmed
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1 cup (5 oz./155 g) frozen peas, thawed
To assemble:
- 2 cups (4 oz./125 g) fresh bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 eggs
Directions
To make the grilled red pepper sauce, preheat a Philips smoke-less grill. Place the bell peppers on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until grill-marked and slightly softened, about 4 minutes per side. Let the peppers stand until cool enough to handle, then remove the stem and seeds. Transfer the peppers to a blender or food processor and process until coarsely chopped. With the processor running, slowly add the olive oil until incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the basil. Let stand until ready to serve. (The sauce can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)
To make the arancini, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the prosciutto until crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool, then finely chop. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir until the liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the broth 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) at a time, stirring constantly until it is almost completely absorbed before adding more.
When the rice is tender but firm to the bite, after 20 to 25 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter, peas and prosciutto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the risotto out in an even layer on a baking sheet and let cool completely.
Preheat a Philips airfryer to 400°F (200°C).
In a shallow bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and the 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) olive oil. In a shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Form the risotto into balls, using 2 Tbs. for each one. Dip in the beaten eggs, then coat in the bread crumb mixture. Working in batches, place the arancini in the airfryer in a single layer and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and season with salt. Serve warm with the grilled red pepper sauce for dipping. Makes 24 arancini.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen