Arancini: our signature dish
Sarina's story
My name is Sarina and I was born in Sicily in 1950.
Around the age of twelve it seemed to me that my mother was the centre of everyone’s happiness and joy. She just loved cooking and caring. Where I grew up we all shared in the making of bread, pasta, the marinating of olives, the pickling of eggplant and the making of tomato sauce. When I say ‘we’, I mean the family and all the families around us.
At the time, bread was scarce. One day when my mother went out to work I decided to make a loaf of bread for when she returned. I lit a wood fire and guessed about the temperature and how close the bread should go, and so on. I was worried I’d get into trouble for playing with the fire but my mother was full of praise.
In this way, she encouraged me to learn more. Cooking for other people became a heart-felt joy for me. I still feel it.
When I was sixteen my mother and I travelled to Lentini, a small town, and brought back some arancini. They were large. Finely crumbed and fried to an orange tinge. Filled with a generous amount of beef, some vegetables and risotto with warm, melting mozzarella.
My mother was very excited about them and I decided to learn how to make them. I wanted to please her. I asked everyone for their advice and I experimented constantly. From that time on I made arancini for all our family milestones. It’s part of my whole family’s story now, in Italy and Australia.
Serving Suggestions
Give your menu a contemporary Italian zing. Bite sized 50g arancini are a treat. Bundle them up for kids or serve as antipasto. Great with dips, chips or salad.
80g arancini are a substantial snack. Use as a more filling antipasto or combine with a main to round out a meal. Ideal with pasta, cutlets, salad - even roast vegetables.
Range
At present we offer beef or vegetable arancini. Both are available in 50g or 80g in a twelve piece bag (600g or 960g). Commercial deliveries on request.
Cooking instructions
50g:
PRE-HEAT to 180°
Cook for 8-10 MINS
OR 16-18 mins if frozen
Cooked when mozzarella is stringy; internal temp 65°
80g:
PRE-HEAT to 180°
Cook for ~10 mins
OR ~20 MINS if frozen
Internal temp: 65°
Food safety
We apply HACCP principles to managing food safety risks and are Food Stars certified.
