Arancini

Today for lunch I used left over butternut squash risotto to make arancini, which are Italian fried rice balls.
This is the recipe I used:
Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups of leftover, cooked risotto
• 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs, seasoned
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 eggs, room temperature, beaten
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2-3 cups of vegetable oil

Begin by adding the basil, eggs, and parmesan cheese to the risotto. Mix, and mix well. Yes, you will get a bit dirty, but that is the fun of cooking some times.
Preheat your oil on medium heat in a heavy fry pot. You want the temperature to be about 350 degrees when frying.
Add your breadcrumbs to a small casserole dish.
Next, run your hands under water, then begin rolling meatball size shapes of the mixture. Keep in mind that you can make these as small or as big as you want, just be mindful of the oil quantity when doing so. If you are stuffing the arancini, take your thumb and gently make an imprint in the middle. Stuff with your cheeses, ground meat, or vegetables, then form back into the meatball shape. Roll the ball into the breadcrumb mixture, making sure it is evenly coated.
Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
Carefully drop the coated rice ball into the oil, and fry, roughly 4-6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until they are a golden brown. Remove and let them drain on some paper towel before serving.

You can serve this with marinara. I stuffed a piece of mozzerella into the middle of mine! Yum!