Rice Balls & Tomato Sauce

Ingredients for Rice Balls:
4ozs. of cold, cooked white rice ('sticky' is fine)
2 eggs
handful of chopped corriander or parsley
and enough dried breadcrumbs to make a nice 'balling' mix
grated parmesan (to taste)
salt, black pepper, pinch of  chilli flakes (to taste)

Seasoned flour to roll rice balls in before frying
Corn Oil for deep frying

1. Process the above (red) ingredients, plus seasoning together in the food processor until you have a nice mixture that you can roll easily into balls. Taste for seasoning.
2. Roll each ball into the flour - patting off any excess and deep fry until golden.  Drain on kitchen paper.

Ingredients for Quick Tomato Sauce:- made in the Micro
1 can of tomatoes
dried basil and oregano - approx. teaspoon of each - or to taste
little sugar
olive oil
small amount of chopped onion
crushed clove or two of garlic
salt and black pepper
and about a teaspoon of Arrowroot with a little water to add to the sauce - this just takes away the acidity.

1. Place all the ingredients into a micro bowl,  and zap for a good 10 mins - longer is fine. Stir after about 5 mins.
2. Taste for seasoning and while still hot, stir in the slaked Arrowroot.

Serve the rice balls either hot or cold with the tomato sauce - also either hot or cold.

These rice balls are also called Arrangini - Italian Rice Balls - you can also fill them with meat, cheese or veg. before rolling them into balls and frying - they are lovely as a snack, but even nicer in the tomato sauce or using it as a dip.

You can also make them all by hand, so that the rice isn't so squished as when using the food processor, and you dont need to roll them in flour - so there are several different ways of making them - but the basic ingredients are generally the same.