Spanikopita Arancini - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup short-grain rice (uncooked)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine (or use another 1/4 c lemon juice)
1/4 cup fresh dill
2 teaspoons lemon zest
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet onion, finely diced
1 bunch green onion, sliced
5 ounces spinach (frozen, thawed, drained well)
1/2 - 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
1 - 1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
oil (for frying)

Preparation

Bring stock, wine, lemon juice, salt and rice to a boil over med-high heat. Cook according to package directions, stirring frequently. For this recipe, you want the rice to be very tender, with no real \"bite\" to it, but not mushy either. To achieve this, you may need to add additional stock. When rice is tender, taste and add salt and pepper to taste--keep in mind you will add feta later which will add some saltiness. Remove from heat and stir in dill and zest.
In a skillet over medium heat, saute sweet and green onions in oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir into rice along with spinach and feta (add as much or as little as you like). Taste and adjust seasoning. You may want to add more lemon juice, dill or salt and pepper. Allow to cool to roughly room temperature Add 2 beaten eggs and heavy cream. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Roll rice mixture into 1 inch balls. Dredge in flour, then in eggwash made from 1 egg and 2 T milk, then in breadcrumbs.
Deep fry in hot oil until golden. Drain on paper towels and enjoy! Really good with tzatziki sauce.