CHOC BALLS RECIPES RECIPES

Steps:

• Warm 175ml water in a saucepan until steaming, then add the butter and set aside to cool until warm but not hot. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl or tabletop mixer. Add the cooled water and mix to make a soft dough. Knead for 10 mins by hand, or for 5 mins in a mixer, until the dough feels bouncy and smooth. Return to a clean, oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Leave somewhere warm to rise for 1½-2 hrs, or until doubled in size.
• Oil a baking sheet. Knock the air out of the dough and knead again for several mins. Take a small piece of dough (about the size of a walnut) and roll it into a ball. Place the ball on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the dough balls about ½ cm apart. Cover and leave to rise for 30 mins. Meanwhile, to make the garlic butter, melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the garlic. Season.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. The dough balls should be almost touching by now. Bake for 25-30 mins until cooked through. Brush with some of the garlic butter and leave to cool for 5 mins. Serve with the remaining garlic butter and a selection of crudités and cured meat, if you like.

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan until foamy. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry gently over a low heat for 15 mins, or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another min. Stir in the rice and cook for a further min, then pour in the wine. Bring to the boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in half the stock and simmer, stirring continuously, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the remaining stock a ladleful at a time as the rice absorbs the liquid, stirring, until the rice is cooked through (this should take about 20-25 mins). Stir in the parmesan and lemon and season to taste. Spread the risotto out into a lipped tray and leave to cool to room temperature.
• Scoop the cooled risotto into 18 equal portions – they should be slightly larger than a golf ball. Flatten a risotto ball in your hand and put a piece of the mozzarella in the centre, then enclose the cheese in the rice and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining risotto balls.
• Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into three separate shallow bowls. Dip each prepared risotto ball into the flour, followed by the eggs and finally, the breadcrumbs. Transfer to a tray and set aside.
• Half-fill a large, heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil and heat over medium-low until it reads 170C on a cooking thermometer or until a piece of bread turns golden brown in the oil within 45 seconds. Lower the risotto balls into the oil in batches and cook for 8-10 mins, or until golden brown and melted in the centre. Set aside on a tray lined with a clean kitchen towel.
• Eat the arancini warm, or serve with a basic tomato sauce for dipping.