Arancini with Wild Mushrooms & Lemon Mayo
Arancini are Sicily’s gift to anyone who has ever stood around a kitchen with a drink in hand: golden, bite-sized and dangerously moreish. Look inside, though, and northern Italy gets a say. Risotto rice grows in the paddies of the Po Valley around Vercelli and Novara, just a short drive from Menabrea’s Alpine home in Biella.
James Martin fills his arancini with wild mushrooms and tarragon, then serves them with a sharp lemon mayo. The recipe makes twenty, which sounds like plenty until you place them in front of people. Crisp, golden and made for sharing, they are everything aperitivo hour should be, especially with a cold glass of Menabrea alongside.
Ingredients
For the arancini
• 25g butter
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 200g risotto rice
• 100ml white wine
• 700ml hot vegetable stock
• 200g wild mushrooms, chopped
• 50g grated Parmesan
• A few sprigs of tarragon
• Salt and pepper
For the coating
• 100g plain flour, seasoned
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 200g panko breadcrumbs, blitzed
• 2 litres vegetable oil, for deep frying
For the lemon mayo
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 200ml vegetable oil
• 1 lemon, zest only
To serve
• Grated Parmesan
The Method
1. Heat a large saucepan and melt the butter. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add the rice, coat it in the onion mixture and stir for 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to the boil, then ladle in the hot vegetable stock, stirring occasionally.
2. Cook for 15 minutes, then stir through the mushrooms, Parmesan and tarragon. Season, then chill.
3. Heat the vegetable oil to 170°C. Roll the mixture into 20 bite-sized balls, then coat in the seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Fry in batches for 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper.
4. Meanwhile, make the mayo: whisk the egg yolks, vinegar and mustard together, then slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil, whisking continuously until thick. Add the lemon zest.
5. To serve, put the arancini onto a platter and drizzle over some of the mayo; pop the rest in a bowl on the side, and grate over Parmesan.
Serving Line
A chilled chalice glass of Menabrea cuts through the mayo whilst lifting the rich wild mushroom flavour.
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