On many Sundays during the summer we find ourselves at 2Amys , tired and famished after a long morning at the zoo, trying to keep our two thrashing children from making too much of a disturbance. An order of arancini deep-fried risotto balls stuffed with cheese usually does the trick, settling the children (and us) at first bite.

I LOVE arancini, but they’re a total pain to make, not only calling for leftover risotto, but also requiring a lengthy assembly process shaping, stuffing, breading and deep frying. Crispy on the outside, oozing with cheese on the inside, these “little oranges” are worth their every effort once I made them at home but they are not something to whip up every day, better ordered out a place like 2Amys , best (not that I speak from experience) picked up at a vendor parked along a Palermo sidewalk.