Arancini al Telefono

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked, cooled arborio rice
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• 1 pinch saffron threads, steeped in 2 tbsp hot water
• 4 oz mozzarella, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup fine breadcrumbs
• ½ cup flour
• 4 cups neutral oil, for frying
• 1 cup warm marinara, for dipping
• Salt

Method

1. Stir the saffron water, parmesan, and one beaten egg into the cold rice until it holds together when squeezed — cold rice is non-negotiable; warm rice falls apart.
2. With damp hands, flatten a golf-ball of rice in your palm, tuck a cube of mozzarella in the center, and seal it into a tight sphere. Repeat to make about 12.
3. Roll each ball through flour, the remaining egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing so the coating grips.
4. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) and fry in batches, turning, until deep bronze all over, 3–4 minutes per batch. Drain on a rack and salt while hot.
5. Rest 2 minutes — molten cheese shows no mercy — then serve with warm marinara and watch for the cheese pull the name promises.