Sweet potato quinoa arancini balls. Balsamic black garlic sauce

Are you minimising simple carbs and maximising nutrition? This version of arancini quinoa balls uses a sweet potato and quinoa mix wrapped around a piece of fresh mozzarella. The balsamic black garlic sauce brings some complementary acidity and umami notes while also looking quite dramatic.

Doing variations on Italian cuisine is a minefield. Arancini, though does invite experimentation. Arancini balls are normally filled with creamy risotto. While I love a good risotto, I do try to use healthier grains where there is an opportunity to do so. Hence arancini quinoa balls. Along similar lines, check this red quinoa risotto recipe.

Both sweet potato and quinoa are well known for their nutritional value and wonderful taste.  Together they delivered a rich, sweet, creamy, nutty, and slightly crunchy filling. A filling that was actually a lot more interesting than many of the standard risotto fillings I have experienced. However, there will surely be people who disagree!

The balsamic and black garlic sauce looked stunning. In addition, its sweet and sour taste was very complementary to the creamy arancini quinoa balls. Black garlic has none of the drawbacks of fresh garlic and all of the benefits. It is not hard to find in supermarkets these days, on Amazon, or you can make your own.

Sweet potato quinoa arancini balls. Balsamic black garlic sauce

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: International

Keyword: black garlic, mozzarella, quinoa, sweet potatoes, vegetarian

Servings: 5 people

Author: Steve Paris

With the intention of minimising simple carbs and maximising nutrition, this version of arancini quinoa balls use a sweet potato and quinoa mix wrapped around a piece of fresh mozzarella. The balsamic black garlic sauce brings some complementary acidic and umami notes, while also looking quite dramatic.

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Ingredients

Quinoa Arancini Balls

• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 10 g butter
• 2/3 cup gruyere cheese grated
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 cup sweet potato cooked and mashed
• 2 cups quinoa cooked (red, black, or mixed adds colour)
• 250 g fresh mozzarella
• 1 cup bread crumbs I used Panko crumbs blended until fine.
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• vegetable oil for frying

Balsamic Black Garlic Sauce

• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp mashed black garlic (about 4 large cloves)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Mixed leaf salad

Instructions

Quinoa Arancini Balls

• Toast the pine nuts in a pan until just starting to brown.
• Finely chop the onion and garlic and saute in butter until transparent.
• Whisk 1 egg.
• Combine the whisked egg, grated gruyere, mashed sweet potato, sautéed onion and garlic, toasted pine nuts, chopped parsley, and quinoa in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Cut the mozzarella into roughly 10cm square or round pieces.
• Take a handful of the quinoa mixture and wrap around piece of mozzarella, forming a ball about about 5 to 6 cm in diameter.
• Repeat until the mixtures are used up.
• Add the flour to a bowl.
• Whisk the milk and two eggs in another bowl.
• Add the breadcrumbs to a third bowl.
• Dip the arancini balls into the flour, then the milk egg mix, then the breadcrumbs.
• Deep fry the crumbed arancini balls until golden brown.

Balsamic Black Garlic Sauce

• Combine all ingredients, except oil, in a blender.
• Slowly drizzle in the oil while blending, until thickened.
• Pass through a fine sieve to get a very smooth drizzle.

Tried this recipe?Mention @delectabilia or tag #delectabilia!