Citrus Arancine with Pecorino Cheese

Ingredients

• 10 ounces arborio rice 
• 3 cups bread fresh french crustless (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons butter ()
• 0.8 cup wine dry white
• 3 large eggs 
• 1 teaspoon fennel powder freshly ground
• 0.5 teaspoon lime zest finely grated
• 4.5 cups chicken broth divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin extra-virgin
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 cup shallots finely chopped ( 2 large)
• 6 cups vegetable oil for deepfrying (; )
• 0.3 cup milk whole

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• sauce pan
• oven
• pot
• plastic wrap

Directions

1. Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot overmedium heat.
2. Add shallots and sauté untilsoft, about 4 minutes.
3. Add rice, sprinklewith 1 teaspoon salt, and stir until ricestarts to become translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add wine and cook until absorbed, stirringoften, about 3 minutes.
5. Add 1/2 cup brothand simmer, stirring often, until absorbed,about 3 minutes. Continue to add broth,1/2 cup at a time, until risotto is creamy andrice is tender, stirring often and allowingbroth to be absorbed each time beforeadding more, about 25 minutes total.
6. Remove risotto from heat.
7. Mix in fennelpollen and all citrus peels. Season withpepper and more salt, if desired.
8. Spreadrisotto out on large rimmed baking sheetand cool completely, about 1 hour.
9. Place cheese in small bowl. Beat eggsand milk in medium bowl.
10. Place panko inanother medium bowl. Using wet hands,shape 1 heaping tablespoonful risotto intoball; enclose 1 cheese cube in rice. Dip riceball into egg mixture, then into crumbs tocoat.
11. Place on clean rimmed baking sheet.Repeat with remaining risotto, cheese, andcoating. Cover with plastic wrap and chillon sheet at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
12. Preheat oven to 300°F.
13. Place largerimmed baking sheet in oven.
14. Pour enoughoil into heavy large saucepan to reach depthof 1 1/2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometerto side of pan.
15. Heat oil over medium-highheat to 340°F to 350°F.
16. Add 4 to 5 arancineat a time; fry until golden brown and crisp,adjusting heat to maintain temperature,about 5 minutes.
17. Transfer to baking sheetin oven to keep warm.
18. Mound arancine on platter.
19. Garnish withcitrus wedges, if desired, and serve hot.
20. * A spice extracted from wild fennel plants;available at specialty foods stores and fromzingermans.com.
21. ** Available in the Asian foods section ofsome supermarkets and at Asian markets.
22. This recipe calls for
23. Brinata or Etorki cheese. Brinata is aspecific kind of pecorino fresco, a freshsheep’s-mik cheese that is milder intaste and softer than Pecorino Toscanoor Pecorino Romano. Look for pecorino fresco at your local cheese shop or buy itonline from murrayscheese.com. Etorki is asheep’s-milk cheese from the Basque regionof France. It has a soft texture and a sweet,delicate flavor. Etorki is available at cheeseshops and online from igourmet.com.