How To Transform Leftover Rice Into A Fancy Fried Appetizer

My family and I are pretty good about eating our leftovers. Whatever is left from dinner the night before is typically eaten in a day or two for lunch. But I can't tell you the number of times my leftover white rice has ended up in the trash can, because who wants to eat plain, leftover rice? As I've discovered, the trick to making every leftover grain of rice get gobbled up is to transform it into something tastier. And you can't get much more delicious (or fancy) than an Italian appetizer called arancini.

Arancini is an ancient Sicilian specialty that consists of deep fried orbs of rice that are stuffed with cheese; Leftover risotto is often used, but leftover rice works just as well. The rice is flavored with spices and Parmesan cheese and held together with egg. After forming them into 1- to 2-inch balls and stuffing some mozzarella cheese in the middle, you dredge the outsides in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs, and finally fry them until they're golden brown and crispy. They're popularly served with marinara sauce for dipping (homemade or a great store bought marinara), and make an appetizer that will positively vanish, taking all your leftover rice with it.

Classic Sicilian arancini appetizers with marinara sauce are absolutely delicious. But, here's the thing about leftover rice: It is a blank canvas. You can flavor it up dozens of different ways, depending on your appetite, the theme of your party, or whatever leftovers you have in the fridge. As long as you have a binder (like eggs) to shape the rice and ingredients into balls, and treat them with the basic flour-egg-breadcrumb trio, you should be able to fry up most flavors.

Steam some broccoli and chop it up very finely, then mix it with your leftover rice, binder, and seasonings, and place a chunk of cheddar cheese inside. You'll have all the flavors of a great broccoli cheddar soup (but in fried form), in no time. Other flavors you could try are feta cheese, chopped cooked spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes; or shredded corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese. Dip these Reuben-esque rice balls into Russian dressing. Chopped prosciutto and peas with fresh mozzarella would be delicious, as would leftover shrimp or salmon mixed with the rice, along with some lemon zest and peas. For a Thanksgiving spin, try chopped turkey with dried cranberries and sage. Serve these treats with gravy, and you'll never have to worry about making too much rice again.