Freeze-ahead, smokey and salty blue cheese and bacon giant arancini recipe
Cheesy and fragrant risotto, rolled in crispy breadcrumbs and fried to perfection for this indulgent starter. The perfect way to kick off your festive feast.
These freeze-ahead giant arancini make entertaining on Christmas Day an absolute breeze.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs
Cal/Serv:
643
Ingredients
150 g streaky smoked bacon rashers, roughly chopped
25 g butter
g onion, finely chopped
2 g garlic cloves, crushed
Small handful thyme leaves, roughly chopped
300 g risotto rice
150 ml dry white wine
750 ml hot chicken stock
75 g Stilton, crumbled
For the coating
50 g plain flour
2 medium eggs, beaten
100 g dried breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, to fry
For the purée
500 g frozen petits pois
1 large garlic clove, peeled
125 ml double cream
Directions
Step 1Heat a large, deep frying pan over high
heat and dry-fry the
bacon until golden,
about 5min. Using a
slotted spoon, transfer
to a plate. Reduce heat
to medium, add the
butter to the pan and
fry the onion for 10min,
stirring occasionally,
until softened.
Step 2Stir in the garlic and
thyme, cook for 1min,
then stir in the rice and
cook, stirring, for 1min.
Add the wine and
bubble until absorbed.
Gradually add the stock
1 ladleful at a time,
stirring constantly, only
adding the next ladleful
when the previous one
has been absorbed
– this should take
about 20min. Remove
from heat, return the
bacon to the pan, add
the Stilton and stir
until melted; check
seasoning. Tip out on to
a large plate and spread
into an even layer (to
help speed up cooling),
leave to cool, then chill
for 30min until firm.
Step 3Line a large plate
with baking parchment.
Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into
3 separate shallow bowls.
With damp hands, divide
and roll the risotto into
6 balls. Coat each risotto
ball in flour (shake off
excess), then egg and
then breadcrumbs
(reshaping into balls
if needed). Set aside on
the lined plate.
Step 4Pour enough oil into
a large, heavy-based,
high-sided pan so it
comes 12cm up the
sides. Heat oil to 160°C.
Using a slotted spoon,
lower 3 arancini into the
oil and fry for 5min, until
golden brown, turning
occasionally. Lift out
on to kitchen paper.
Sprinkle with a little
salt. Repeat with the
remaining arancini,
monitoring the oil
temperature.
Step 5Leave to cool, then
transfer to a couple of sealable freezer
bags and freeze for
up to 1 month.
Step 6Make the purée. Bring
a large pan of salted
water to the boil. Add
the petits pois and garlic
and simmer for 3min.
Drain well. Tip into a
high-speed blender with
the cream and some
seasoning. Whizz until
smooth. Scrape into a
freezer-safe container,
leave to cool, then
cover and freeze for
up to 1 month.
Step 7To serve, defrost the
purée overnight in the
fridge, then gently reheat
in a pan until piping hot.
Preheat oven to 200°C
(180°C fan) mark 6.
Cook the arancini from
frozen on a lined baking
tray for 35min, until
golden and crispy.
Serve with the purée.
GH TIP:
You can of course make these veggie friendly by omitting the bacon.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
Grace is Good Housekeeping’s Former Senior Cookery Writer, serving up delicious food and drink content. Grace was trained at Leiths Cookery School and worked as a chef in some of London’s most exciting restaurants before starting at Good Housekeeping. When she isn’t eating and drinking her way through London's restaurants, you’ll find her attending music gigs and binge-watching the newest TV shows.
