Mozzarella-Filled Rice (Risotto) Balls - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the risotto
1 red onion
75 g butter or 75 g olive oil
150 ml dry white wine
275 g arborio rice
1 liter vegetable stock
salt and pepper
25 g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
To finish
2 eggs, beaten
125 g mozzarella cheese, cubed
16 small basil leaves
125 g breadcrumbs
oil (for deep frying)

Preparation

Begin by making a basic white risotto. Peel and finely chop the onion.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, and fry the onion for 5 minutes.
Pour in the white wine and boil rapidly until most of the liquid is gone.
Add the rice, and stir to coat with the onion and wine.
One ladle at a time, add the stock, and simmer until almost completely absorbed (keep an eye on this - it'll stick to the bottom of your pan like nobody's business!).
Continue until the rice has been cooking for ~20 minutes and it is soft and creamy but still has a little bit of bite to it.
Season generously (if you can't find fresh Basil then at this point stir in a healthy portion of dried Basil or Mixed Herbs) and add the parmesan.
Stir in the beaten egg (If you're making a big batch and planning to eat some, then obviously do this after you've taken out tonight's meal!)
Allow to cool completely (ideally overnight - but half an hour in the fridge should do it. It's just easier to handle when completely cold).
Spoon 1tbsp of the risotto into the palm of your hand.
Place a basil leaf and a piece of mozzarella - about half an inch across - on top of the rice.
Add another spoon of risotto and shape into a smooth ball.
Roll the ball in breadcrumbs until evenly covered.
Heat a pan of oil (use the smallest pan you have available to minimise wastage) until it is smoking hot and then fry the balls, a few at a time, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.