Hear us out. Italian classic meets American classic. We bet you’ve never heard of an Arancini burger before right? But that’s what makes it so good. We’ve created a totally unique recipe that’s sure to impress everyone. What’s not to love about this. It’s cheesy, fried, flavourful, and completely decadent. 

We won’t lie, this recipe involves a few steps and a lot of care, but that’s part of what makes it so fun. The end result is completely worth the work.

WHAT IS ARANCINI?

Arancinis are a staple of Sicilian cuisine. They’re Italian risotto rice balls that can be stuffed with a variety of different things, including sometimes meat, peas, or mozzarella. They are then coated in breadcrumbs and fried in oil. You can’t go wrong with these.

So what’s the most North American thing to do with such decadent food? Make a burger out of it of course, and that’s exactly what we did.  

PREP: 45min | TOTAL TIME: 60min | SERVINGS: 1

Ingredients

• 1 burger bun
• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1.5 cups spinach
• 1 portobello mushroom, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1 red endive, thinly chopped
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup Smoke Show Hot Sauce
• 1 tbs cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar

Steps

1. Heat a drizzle of oil with a knob of butter in a pot on medium high. Cook the portobello mushrooms for 3-4 minutes until colored. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
2. Add another drizzle of oil, the shallot and the garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the rice and mix well.
3. Add the vegetable stock little by little while stirring constantly until the liquid is completely absorbed. The rice should have a creamy texture. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan, a knob of butter, mushrooms and half of the spinach. Add salt and pepper, transfer to a tupperware, let cool and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
4. Mix the endives with half of the spinach (chopped), parsley, the cider vinegar, 2 tbs of olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside. Put the flour, whisked egg and panko in 3 different bowls. (Keep 1 tbs of flour aside)
5. Fill a pot with oil with about 5cm depth of vegetable oil. Heat on medium high.
6. Take the risotto and make a patty. Dip in the flour, the egg and coat with the breadcrumbs.
7. Cook the patty in the oil about 3 minutes on each side until the breadcrumbs are golden and crispy. Remove from the pot and transfer to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
8. Heat a knob of butter in a pan on medium high heat until it becomes bubbly. Add the 1 tbs of flour and mix for 1 minute. Add the milk and whisk until it becomes a smooth sauce.
9. Reduce heat to medium, stir in the mozzarella and cook until it has completely melted.
10. Garnish the burger bun with the arancini patty, the mozzarella sauce, the Smoke Show sauce and the endive slaw.