Italian Sausage Arancini (Rice Balls)

Ingredients

• 3 Zweigle’s Italian Sausage links, medium diced
• 1-1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 5-8 cups of chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 eggs whisked
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In heavy-bottom pan, heat oil for 3 minutes and add rice stirring often.
2. Start slowly adding chicken broth.  Once the broth is absorbed, add another cup of broth, always stirring, until all the broth is used up.
3. Add all the broth until the rice is cooked through. Stir in the butter and add the salt and pepper to taste.
4. Take rice off the heat and spread over a cookie tray so it can cool completely.
5. Place eggs, flour and bread crumbs in separate bowls for breading.
6. Place roughly 2 tbsp. of cooked rice in your hand and take 2-3 pieces of diced sausage links (roughly the size of a fingernail) and place on top of rice, wrapping the rice around the sausage.
7. Final size should be a little smaller than the size of a golf ball.
8. Take the rice ball and roll in flour, then egg and finally in bread crumbs. Then repeat until all sausage or rice is gone.
9. Fry rice ball in 1/2 cup of vegetable oil for 4-6 minutes or bake in oven for 5-7 minutes until golden brown.
10. Serve with any meat hot sauce mixed with ranch dressing.