Wild Fennel and Goats cheese Arancini

The Recycled Cook

Wild Fennel and Goats cheese Arancini

As we now have rather a lot of wild fennel, amongst other things in the herb garden I thought it was time to use some of it in a dish. 

I had some leftover rice in the freezer and some goats cheese that needed using so decided on a nother twist on Arancini today. 

 Wild fennel doesn't have the large bulb that we are used with "Florence " fennel , the wild variety has just a strong root so cut the fronds above ground level and it will continue to produce.

 You will need to simmer the Fennel for about 30 minutes as it is quite fibrous

 While this is cooking you can chop your cheese into small pieces, don't worry if it is soft as it will be mixed in.

 I put the rice in a bowl over the cooking fennel to defrost gently. You need to be careful with saving and re-using rice, as it should not be left at room temperature long before freezing.something I have covered in a previous blog about Rice

Once you have cooked your fennel, strain and rinse in cold water to cool, finely chop and set aside with the goats cheese.
Mix the fennel and goats cheese together a bowl working it in well to a rough paste. Season with white pepper and some salt. I added a squeeze of garlic paste but you could finely chop and crush garlic cloves if you don't have any paste. 
When you have blended the mixture well, form into small balls with your hands. Using latex gloves will not just keep your hands clean it is more hygienic too when working with rice. 

 Aracini actually means small oranges, in Italian, if you made larger ones they would be called Arancia 

 Once the Arancini are made then you need to roll them in a fine flour, (rice or potato flour work well) beaten egg and breadcrumbs








Put your Arancini in the fridge to firm up, do not re-freeze if your rice had already been frozen, if the rice has just been made and is freshly out of the fridge you can freeze until required.

When you are ready to cook your Arancini fry in a little light oil turning careful to avoid them breaking up, I fine the best way is with two small spoons rather than using tongs.

 Drain on kitchen paper and serve with a dip of your choice such as Aioli or a spicy mango chutney, use what you have available, even chilli sauce or ketchup.






Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines.

  

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx


Always be careful in the kitchen, we accept no responsibility for any accidents caused as a direct or indirect result of preparing any of these dishes. 


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