Arancini 

Source: Authentic Italian Recipes from Ristorante d'Annamaria

Arancini are stuffed rice balls that have been coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried. They are most often a part of a restaurant antipasto, but you can also buy them from side-walk vendors while shopping or just taking a stroll. Some are the size of golf balls while others are the size of a baseball but, they are always great.

Ingredients for 4 persons:
4 cups Rice, white (cooked and cooled) 
1/4 cup Peas, cooked (optional) 
1/2 pound Ground beef (cooked) 
1/2 cup Ragu sauce (optional) 
1/2 cup Cheese (parmesan or Romano) (grated) 
1/4 cup Cheese (Mozzarella or provolone) (cut into 1/4" cubes) 
4 Eggs (fresh) 
Salt to taste 
Bread crumbs (plain or seasoned):

enough to cover all rice balls
Frying oil (Crisco, Wesson, whatever): 

about 3 inches in the bottom of a frying pan


How to do it:
If you don't have left over rice, prepare enough white (Calrose type) rice to make 4 cups when cooked.
Let the rice cool to room temperature (cold rice directly from the fridge is fine). Slightly beat the eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add the rice, grated cheese, and salt and mix well. This mixture needs to be pretty moist because it will be the eggs that hold the cooked rice balls together. Wet your hands with warm water to prevent the rice mixture from sticking to them. Take an abundant tablespoon of the rice mixture into the palm of your hand and make an indentation in the center. Fill this indentation with ground beef or a couple of cheese cubes or a few peas or any combination. Carefully wrap the rice around the filling so that the filling ends up in the center of the rice ball. Pack the rice ball fairly tightly with your hands. Roll the rice ball in the bread crumbs. Heat the oil in the frying pan to very hot. This is where it gets a little tricky. If the oil is too hot the bread crumbs may burn before the center of the rice ball gets thoroughly cooked. If the oil is just a bit too cool, the cheese will melt and start to leak out of the rice ball before the bread crumbs become brown enough. Try just one at first to get a feel for things. Very carefully ease the coated rice balls into the hot oil and fry until the bread crumbs are a golden brown and the arancino is cooked through. Move the ball around in the oil so that it browns evenly. Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to drain. Break the first one open to ensure the egg is completely cooked if you're unsure.

Serve warm or at room temperature.