Arancini Pea and Rice Balls

300 grams or 8 oz. risotto rice
150 grams or 6 oz. shelled green peas
150 grams or 6 oz. ground beef
2 ripe, firm tomatoes
3-4 eggs
1 large onion, chopped finely, divided into three bunches
50 grams or 2 oz. fresh provolone cheese
50 grams or 2 oz. mozzarella
4 T. fine breadcrumbs
1 liter or 36 oz. beef stock
30 grams or 3 oz. butter
1 c. dry white wine
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
80 grams or 3 oz. fresh grated parmesan cheese
Peanut oil for frying
Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Scald tomatoes in boiling water, drain, peel, seed them and chop, set aside.
2. Dice the provolone and mozzarella cheese, set aside.
3. Place 2 T. of oil in large skillet, add half of chopped onion and cook to soft but not brown.
4. Add the ground meat and cook until not pink.
5. Add ½ of the wine and let it evaporate over high heat. Season. Cover and continue to cook over medium heat for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. In another skillet, place rest of olive oil, add rest of chopped onion and cook until soft but not browned.
7. Add peas and cook for a short time and season. Pour a ladle of water and let peas cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Remove pea mixture from heat, pour into a bowl and let cool.
9. Once cool, add the cooked meat, diced cheeses and chopped tomatoes. Taste for seasoning.
10. Place half of butter in a pot, adding remaining chopped onion and cook until soft. Add rice and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring with wooden spoon, pour in remaining wine and let evaporate on high heat.
11. Add stock a little at a time and continue cooking over medium heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Basically doing risotto method.
12. Take risotto off heat and add remaining butter, parmesan cheese, 2 eggs and salt and pepper. Mix well. Place mixture on a wide dish to cool slightly.
13. To make the balls: Roll rice into many little balls the size of a mandarin; make a hole in center of each ball and stuff with a spoonful of pea mixture; plug hole with more rice.
14. Prepare two bowls: One with remaining eggs lightly beaten and seasoned and the other bowl with the breadcrumbs. Roll the balls first in egg and then in breadcrumbs.
15. In a deep skillet heat peanut oil. When oil is hot, drop balls, a few at a time. When they turn an even golden color, turning to get all sides, remove and place on paper towels to drain. Serve hot.
*****These are very old Italian recipes that use the metric system. I had to work and guess at some of the conversions. Below you will see a conversion table to help you with your calculations.

METRIC CONVERSION TABLE FOR FOOD PREPARATION

WEIGHT EQUIVALENTS:

8 oz. 227 grams 0.50 lb.
7 oz. 198 grams 0.44 lb.
6 oz. 170 grams 0.38 lb.
5 oz. 142 grams 0.31 lb.
4 oz. 113 grams 0.25 lb.
3 oz. 85 grams 0.19 lb.
2 oz. 57 grams 0.13 lb.
1 oz. 28 grams 0.06 lb.
0.5 oz. 14 grams 0.03 lb.

LIQUID MEASURE EQUIVALENTS:

1 C. 8 oz. 16 Tbs. 237 ml.
¾ C. 6 oz. 12 Tbs. 177 ml.
2/3 C. 5.3 oz. 10 Tbs. +2 tsp. 158 ml.
½ C. 4 oz. 8 Tbs. 118 ml.
1/3 C. 2.7 oz. 5 Tbs.+1 tsp. 79 ml.
¼ C. 2 oz. 4 Tbs. 59 ml.
1/8 C. 1 oz. 2 Tbs. 30 ml.
1/16 C. .5 oz. 1 Tbs. 15 ml.

1 liter=about 34 ozs.
1 kilogram=2.2 lbs.