Main courses
Golden Sicilian-style rice arancini with a smoky scamorza melt, a fiery nduja center, crisp breadcrumb shell, and aromatic wild oregano dust. Serves: 6 servings / about 18 small arancini
Warm the stock in a small pot and keep it hot but not boiling.
Melt butter in a wide pan, add onion, and cook gently for 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the rice and toast for 2 minutes, stirring until the grains look glossy.
Pour in the white wine and stir until almost fully absorbed.
Add hot stock gradually, one ladle at a time, stirring often, until the rice is creamy but still slightly firm, about 16–18 minutes.
Stir in Parmesan, salt, and black pepper, then spread the risotto on a tray to cool completely.
Chill the rice for at least 1 hour so it becomes firm enough to shape.
Mix diced smoked scamorza with nduja until the filling is evenly marbled but still chunky.
Scoop a portion of chilled rice, flatten it in your palm, add a small spoonful of filling, and close the rice around it.
Roll each arancino into a compact ball, pressing gently so there are no cracks.
Arrange three bowls with flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs.
Coat each arancino in flour, dip in egg, then cover fully with breadcrumbs.
Chill the breaded arancini for 20 minutes to set the crust.
Heat oil to 170°C / 340°F and fry the arancini in batches for 4–5 minutes until deeply golden.
Drain on a rack, dust with crushed wild oregano, lemon zest, and flaky salt, then serve hot with tomato passata.