Arancini (rice zrazy) with eggplant and cheese

A wonderful dish of Italian (more precisely, Sicilian) cuisine is rice balls fried in breadcrumbs with filling.

Ingredients

• Olive oil - ½ cup
• Vegetable or olive oil for frying
• Eggplant - 1 pc.
• Chicken or vegetable broth - 4 cups
• Butter - 5 tbsp. l.
• Onion - 1 pc.
• Carrot - 1 pc.
• Celery stalk - 1 pc.
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Arborio rice - 1 ½ cups
• Parsley greens - 1 zhmenka
• Fresh thyme leaves - 1 tbsp. l.
• Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
• Hard cheese (preferably fruity-sweet Italian Grana Padano), grated - 1 cup
• Semi-soft cheese (preferably Italian Taleggio with a delicate aroma) - 300 g
• Flour - ½ cup
• Large eggs - 2 pcs.
• Breadcrumbs - 1 cup
• Salt pepper

Directions

1. Cut the eggplant into small cubes. Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley and thyme. Cut soft cheese into small cubes. Whisk the eggs lightly.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp. l. oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the eggplant (in batches), stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Salt.
3. Bring the broth to a boil. Heat the remaining olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes until the onion is soft. Add garlic and after 30 seconds - rice. Stir for 2 minutes. Pour in ½ cup of simmering broth, stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue to add the broth in the same way for 20 minutes until the rice is soft.
4. Remove rice from heat, add parsley, thyme, lemon juice and zest, hard cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Put the rice mass on a baking sheet and cool. Form the rice into small balls, putting a piece of soft cheese and eggplant inside.
5. Dredge the rice balls in flour, dip in egg, and then roll in breadcrumbs. Heat the vegetable oil well in a deep frying pan (in a wok or in a cauldron). Deep fry the arancini until golden brown. Pat dry on paper towel and serve hot.
6. Bon appetit!