Polenta dumplings stuffed with cheese

Ever heard of arancini? If you've grown up in a Germanic-speaking country, chances are you think I am talking about candied peel here, but I am not. I am referring to the Sicilian dumplings that are so called because their colour reminds one of an orange.
The last time I had some was at a rather special evening dedicated to Italian rice and like so many times, we were told that arancini are made from left-over risotto. I bet you have heard this before and I cannot help but think this is an urban myth that has been perpetuated over the centuries, but bears little relation to reality.

By show of hands: who has ever come across left-over risotto? The only instances where my family would not eat their risotto up is if it didn't taste good (overcooked rice, too dry, bad ingredients), in which case frying might help to mask the taste a little, but wouldn't really make the spoilt rice into something as delicious as these glistening balls stuffed with lava-hot melting goodness you're craving.
I maintain that it's a nice theory to be able to use left-overs, but it hardly ever happens. At least not in my house. But then, I love a good dumpling, even more so if it is stuffed with cheese, crunchy on the outside, gooey and exploding with flavour inside - but making risotto from scratch just to drown it in hot oil doesn't seem like a feasible idea as it would a) take too long and b) feel like a waste of a perfectly good dish...

What about polenta, then? It's readily available, put together in a flash and also much less temperamental than rice when you roll it. Stuffed with some hard cheese or diced ham (I have tried parma, but find that uncooked ham acquires a funny flavour when you deep-fry or heat it) or porcini mushrooms, these dumplings are a real treat and very difficult to resist.
Being Austrian, I have rolled many a dumpling in my life - if you're a bit apprehensive about making them, here are some useful tips for dumpling rolling, a handy guide that can be applied to any dumpling, really:

• Start out by making small round patties out of whichever dough your using. Sit the filling in the middle, gently roll the dough up on the sides and over the top, squeezing just enough to make it slide without the cheese running for its life at the other end.
• Roll the dumplings softly, but determinedly, between the palms of your flat hands until they're evenly round. If you apply too much force, the dough won't spread evenly, but if you don't show the dough who's boss, it'll get all sloppy and won't keep the cheese in the centre. The trick is to move your hands quite fast.
• The dough might be quite sticky and that's a good thing - if you feel you cannot tame it at all, moisten your hands, making sure they're not dripping wet, and roll them in that way. Be sure not to make the dough too wet, though, or there'll be a lot of hot oil splattering about the kitchen and the dough won't hold its shape.
• When frying dumplings, the hot oil : dumpling ratio is essential. You need to make sure not to overcrowd your pan or the temperature of the oil will drop too much - the dumplings need to fry rapidly or they risk disintegrating. I fry these dumplings in batches of 5 - 6 in a 28 cm frying pan.

Try these for your next dinner party as a nibble to accompany your aperitif or even as a starter, with a herb salad on the side. With this handy guide and a bit of practice, you'll be a dumpling roller par excellence in no time!

These dumplings were initially made for September's Blog Party ("What's inside?") over at Dispensing Happiness - as so many times before, I just didn't make the deadline ;-)

Polenta dumplings stuffed with cheese
(makes 16)

80 g easy-cook polenta*
milk
vegetable stock
1 handful chopped sage (optional)
2 tbsp polenta for rolling
16 dice of cheese, Gruyère, Comté etc (about 1 - 1.5 cm)
(alternatively, use diced cooked ham or re-hydrated porcini mushrooms as a filling)
oil for frying
good, home-made tomato sauce for dipping

To prepare the polenta, check the package instructions. Take only half of the stated liquid and use half milk, half stock to make it creamier. (In my case, I would have needed 500 ml liquid for 80 g, so I only used 250 ml, 125 ml stock, 125 ml milk).

Heat the liquid with the polenta, constantly stirring, until you have a thick, gluey paste. In the case of easy-cook, this will take about a minute or two. Polenta has the tendency to spit like lava if left unattended, so the constant stirring is vital! If using, add the chopped sage or other herbs at the end.

LEAVE UNTIL COOL ENOUGH TO HANDLE WITH YOUR BARE HANDS. Plunging the pot in ice-cold water about half-way up the sides and continuing to stir does a world of wonders.

When the polenta has cooled down, take about 1 tbsp full at a time, making small round patties. Sit the cheese cube in the middle, gently roll up on the sides and over the top, squeezing just enough to make the dough slide without the cheese escaping at the other end. Then roll softly, but determinedly between the palms of your flat hands until they're evenly round. If you apply too much force, the dough won't spread evenly, but if you don't show the dough who's boss, it'll get all sloppy and won't keep the cheese in the centre.

The dough will be quite sticky and that's a good thing - if you feel you cannot tame it at all, moisten your hands making sure they're not dripping wet, and roll them in that way. Be sure not to make the dough too wet or there'll be a lot of hot oil splattering about the kitchen and the dough won't hold its shape. Make sure you haven't got any edges of cheese sticking out, or you'll end up with empty dumplings and all the cheese in the pan.

The minute you have an evenly round dumpling, roll it gently in some polenta so it's fully covered - then set aside while you make the other dumplings.
Heat some oil in a frying pan until it is very hot - it should reach about half-way up the dumplings.

You need to make sure not to overcrowd your pan, or the temperature of the oil will drop too much - the dumplings need to fry rapidly or they risk disintegrating. I fry them in batches of 5 - 6 dumplings in a 28 cm frying pan.
Turn them frequently so they seal quickly and brown evenly - using 2 tbsp, gentle nudges will suffice.
If you see any spots where some cheese is starting to come out, make sure these holes stay on top to prevent the filling from escaping. This usually only happens about half-way through the frying process, so the dumplings will be cooked enough, even if they're lacking colour.

Drain on some kitchen towel and serve while still hot, with the sauce on the side.

* I used Sole Umbro polenta al tartufo, but plain is just as good.

Comments

[Kit]

I remember having arancini when I lived in Rome at the tavola calda - they were one of my favourite takeaway snacks, but I've never tried to make them for myself. We do occasionally have leftover risotto but in such miniscule quantities, that we'd get about one arancino out of it.

[Judith]

Wow! Those look absolutely amazing! I've been having trouble finding polenta, but if I do I'm going to be all over that recipe.

Anyway, the original reason I stopped by today was to let you know about a food blogging event I'm hosting, called "A Vegetarian Feast." I love that your blog has a lot of great veggie-themed recipes, and it's not a requirement that participants be vegetarian, just that the dish you submit contains no meat. The first round is thanksgiving themed, but broadly it can include any vegetarian dishes that use fall ingredients or make you think of Thanksgiving. If you're interested in participating or mentioning the event on your blog, you can find details at the post I listed as my "URL" for this entry. Thanks!

[Claudia]

They look very delicious. I could imagine them with preserved cranberries as well.

[Anne]

Oh. My. God. That's just.. over the top. I *have* to make them. Just have to. They look incredible, all crunchy, gooey.. aaah!

[Joanna]

Hi Johanna ... what a good idea ... as you say, less trouble than making risotto from scratch - although, I find the way to make sure there's some left over is to make enough for twice the number of people that there are, large portions all round. Then there's a little left! And great to have dumpling rolling tips from an Austrian master of the art ...

Thanks for sharing
Joanna
joannasfood.blogspot.com

[Flo Bretzel]

That looks great!

[maninas: food matters]

mmmm sounds lovely! i love the combination of cheese and corn, so i'm sure i'd like this one!

[Julie]

I've always wanted to try these! They really do look divine. I have leftover risotto every time I make it!

[Dolores]

These look sensational... I can't WAIT to try them!

[Erin]

I just had my first arancini ball last week. I loved it. The best thing about your post is that I have batch of leftover polenta in my fridge. I can't wait to make your recipe!

[Manggy]

Yum! Though polenta can be found easily here, I'm still afraid to make it. Baby steps-- I'll try making it basic before moving to your level!

[maria~]

Wow! That looks so good! I can't imagine how wonderful they must taste!

[Vida]

Yum, BUT I am more interested in the bowl at the back of the photo and it's contents??? Vida x

[Jeanne]

I can vouch for the fact that these were heavenly. The only problem is suddenly finding that you have eaten the entire bowl!! Lovely shot, Johanna :)

[johanna]

kit, that's exactly what happens around here, even though, joanna, i sometimes make double quantities... it's a bit of a miracle, really!
judith, vegetarian thanksgiving options? we don't do thanksgiving here, but i guess anything autumnal will do? thinking about it already...
claudia, cranberries are a great thought: sort of like fried cheese, but with the added bonus of the polenta!
yes, anne, you're spot on. i just know you're going to like them.
maninas, we don't use corn very much, so i had never had cheese with corn - but it's a winning combo!
julie, if you do, you probably don't have a large family or they're all on a diet ;-)
erin, so pleased i could help you out here. let me know how it went!
manggy, ah, don't worry, it's not that difficult. you'll be rewarded for your efforts!
Vida, the bowl holds tomato sauce - I normally make my own, but this particular one is a "seeds of change" tomato and roast pepper sauce i buy because there's always someone in need of a quick lunch around here ;-)
jeanne, tell me about it, it happens all too often. but we did well, still managing the cheese fondue after? and the preserved pecorino? god, now i know why my jeans don't fit this week!

[tokyoastrogirl]

Want These Now.

[Deborah Dowd]

These look tempting and delicious, and I will have to give these morsels a try!

[Audrey]

That sounds so delicious and not TOO complicated to make. Sure, I never made any dumplings, despite living in Austria (to my excuse, I wasn´t born here). But it looks like something I will definitely try.

[Mansi]

Wow johanna, these look amazing! I bet I could drop these dumplings into a gravy and eat with rice or bread too:) yeah, I'm thinking of fusing indian with german food!

[Vida]

Thank you, but I doubt I can get there here in Australia!!! I will do the red pepper sauce Joanna posted instead. Vida x

[Tartelette]

Seriously drooling here! These should be illegal!!

[lulu]

I couldn't find a way to privately email you so I'm leaving this comment. Your post has been copied and pasted to another website without citing you as the source. You can find it here:http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977165431 as Polenta Dumplings. If this were my post and it was taken without giving me credit, I would hope someone would notify me so I'm leaving this information here for you.

[Stacey]

Thanks so much for the recipe.. a great gluten free alternative to Kartoffeln Klöße. My 4 year old and I made them together last night and they were fabulous!