Tarjanċini
This is a hybrid between a froġa tat-tarja (angel hair pasta omelette) & the traditional rice arancini. Perfect for parties and they are simply divine!
Ingredients:
400g Capellini Pasta (angel hair)
1 Dried Gozo Cheese (ġbejna)
250g Mozzarella Cheese
3tbsp Fresh Parsley
3 Large Eggs
200g Fresh Mini Mozzarella Balls
90g Prosciutto Crudo
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable Oil for deep frying
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 3 minutes stirring frequently to avoid sticking.
2. Discard the water and allow it to cool down. You can use some cold water to help it cool quickly.
3. Transfer it to a large bowl and add the grated Gozo cheeselet, parsley, grated mozzarella and eggs. Season to taste and mix very well.
4. Roll the fresh mozzarella balls in prosciutto.
5. Place a square piece of cling film on the kitchen top, add some of the pasta mixture, place a prosciutto ball on top and cover with some more pasta mixture.
6. Roll tightly into a ball.
7. With this mix, you should obtain about 8-10 pasta balls. But this depends on how big you make them.
8. Freeze the pasta balls at least for 3 hours to hold shape. Do not freeze them further or you might risk that the center won't cook properly.
9. Heat a large pot of vegetable oil (I used 1 liter) between 160°c & 180°c.
10. Remove the pasta balls from the plastic and deep fry them immediately (still frozen) in batches of 3. Do not place more or you will lower the oil temperature.
11. Fry for 8 minutes gently flipping them halfway through. They should be crispy deep brown in colour.
12. Transfer on paper towel to remove access oil and let them rest for about 4 minutes.
13. Serve and enjoy!
