Ingredients
| 100g (approx ½ cup) risotto rice | |
| 500ml milk | |
| 50g (approx ¼ cup) caster sugar | |
| zest and juice of ½ orange | |
| 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional) | |
| 1 egg, lightly beaten | |
| 50g (approx â…“ cup) flour | |
| 1 teaspoon baking powder | |
| oil, for frying | |
| 4 tablespoons honey | |
| juice of ½ lemon | |
| icing sugar |
Rice was introduced to Sicily by Arabs in the 10th century and these little fritters originate in the area of Catania. They are particularly popular in March, during the feast of San Giuseppe. Some variations of this Sicilian treat use yeast to make the fritters airy and light, but this is a quicker version using baking powder. Cinnamon is usually added, but I prefer the unadulterated flavour of orange here. These bite-sized fritters are best eaten while still warm and crunchy. I made the honey-orange sauce more of a drizzle but if you prefer the fritters to be coated in the sweet syrup then simply double the quantities of honey and citrus.
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Instructions
| 1. | Cook the rice with the milk and a pinch of salt in a pot, stirring every so often until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. |
| 2. | Watch it near the end of the cooking time as the milk can catch on the bottom of the pan. |
| 3. | While the rice cooks, mix the sugar with the orange zest and set aside. |
| 4. | When the rice is cooked, stir through the sugar mix and the orange blossom water, if using, and spread onto a wide tray to cool. |
| 5. | Put the cooled rice into a bowl and mix with the beaten egg. |
| 6. | Combine the flour and baking powder and stir through the rice mix. Refrigerate for an hour. |
| 7. | Heat the oil in a heavy pan or deep fryer to 180°C. |
| 8. | Use a couple of teaspoons to drop spoonfuls of the mix into the hot oil. |
| 9. | You will need to do this in batches. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning as required, and cook until golden. Drain on paper towels. |
| 10. | While the fritters fry, make the honey syrup by heating the honey with the orange and lemon juices and reducing slightly until syrupy. |
| 11. | Put the fritters onto a platter, dust with icing sugar and drizzle over the warmed honey. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe