Vegan Arancini Balls with Pumpkin and Sage

Step 1

Peel and cube the pumpkin and place it onto a roasting tin. Drizzle with a little olive oil & sprinkle with sea salt, then roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until soft and golden.

Step 2

Heat 1 Tbsp dairy-free butter in a large pan and sauté the chopped shallots for about 2 minutes or until translucent, then add the crushed garlic and cook for another minute. Add the fresh sage leaves and allow for them to slightly crispen on the edges, then deglaze the pan with the vegan white wine.

Step 3

Roughly mash the roasted squash with the back of a fork and add to the pan, then sprinkle in the risotto rice and stir to roughly combine everything.

Step 4

Slowly add about ⅕ of the stock to the pan and stir to combine. Gradually add the stock to the pan whilst stirring continuously for the next 10-15 minutes, allowing for the liquid to lightly simmer until the majority of the liquid is soaked up and the rice cooked.

Step 5

Set aside to cool in a large bowl. Add 5 Tbsp of the breadcrumbs to the mix and stir to combine.

Step 6

In a deep pan with a lid, slowly heat about 750ml of vegetable oil over low heat.

Step 7

Place the remainder of the breadcrumbs into a small bowl and shape the risotto into bite-size risotto balls with your hands. Place these into the small bowl and coat with breadcrumbs one by one.

Step 8

Carefully drop them into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Fry until crispy - for roughly 3-4 minutes each - then place them onto a paper towel to drip off any excess oil. Place them in the oven at 100C to keep them warm and crispy until all of them are done and ready to eat.

Step 9

Drizzle and dip into your favourite sauces!