Gluten-free finger food doesn’t have to been bland. Our roast pumpkin arancini balls are perfect for entertaining.
Do you have leftover risotto from last nights dinner? Don’t waste it. Turn it in these delicious, crunchy balls of gluten-free goodness. Roll your leftover risotto into bite-sized balls and follow the last two steps in the method below.
Instead of reheating the risotto and eating the same meal again. You’ve now created a brand new dish to enjoy in a fraction of the time.
You can turn any flavour or leftover risotto into gluten-free arancini balls. While the roast pumpkin recipe below is one of our favourites, we also love mushroom, ham and cheese, semi-dried tomato and even smoked salmon and dill. You’re really only limited to your imagine (and what’s in your fridge).
Roast Pumpkin Arancini Balls
Ingredients
- 150 g pumpkin cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock hot
- 1/4 cup Parmesan grated
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
- 1 cup plain flour gluten-free
- 3 eggs beaten with a little milk
- 2-3 cups breadcrumbs store bought gluten-free
- Rice bran oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180º C. Roast pumpkin on a lined baking tray turning every 5 minutes until browned.
- Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent, do no brown. Add rice stir for a couple of minutes.
- Start adding stock, a ladle at a time, stirring until all stock is absorbed and rice cooked.
- Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan, followed by egg then set aside to cool.
- Combine risotto with pumpkin, pine nuts and parsley, mix well. The roll risotto mixture into bite-sized balls.
- Set up a crumbing station with the flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Dredge each ball with flour, roll in egg, then roll in breadcrumbs, covering well
- When all the balls are crumbed, deep-fry until golden and crisp. Drain and serve hot.
Roast Pumpkin Arancini Balls: Photo by Brandee Meier
