baked rice pie
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Loading...Baked Rice Pie (Riso al Forno) is one of the many ways in which, in Italian Cooking, we bake pasta or, as in this case, rice. The result is a really appetizing pie that is not particularly difficult to prepare even if, I must admit, it requires a little time and a lot of patience The secret of this dish, in fact, are the meatballs which must be very small: pearls of flavor almost invisible to the eye but which surprise the palate. The good news is that they can be prepared in advance. In addition, this is truly a rich and inviting main course that I serve especially on Sundays with the family, followed by a rich salad and a dessert
Ingredients
- "Carnaroli" Italian Rice 400gr
- "Passata" Tomato Puree 800gr
- Minced Meat 300gr
- Parmesan Cheese 200gr approx.(freshly grated)
- Mozzarella Cheese 500gr approx.
- Milk 1/2 glass
- White soft bread 1 slice
- Egg 1
- Garlic 2 cloves
- Bay Leaf 1
Instructions
First, prepare the “mini” meatballs, which can also be cooked the day before: season the minced meat with salt and pepper, soften it with a slice of white bread (which you have previously soaked in half a glass of hot milk) and tied the mixture with a egg. Knead well and let it rest for at least half an hour
With great patience, prepare the “mini” meatballs, which must be very “mini”, the smallest you can: try to make them little more than a hazelnut. Then fry them in abundant extravirgin olive oil
In the meantime, also prepare a simple tomato sauce by browning 2 cloves of garlic in a pan with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, add tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of hot water, salt, pepper and complete with a bay leaf
After about 20 minutes, when the sauce begins to take consistency, add the meatballs to the sauce so that they flavor
In the meanwhile, cook the rice in plenty of salted water for about 5 minutes less than the cooking time indicated on the package, so that the grains will be still a little hard inside
Finally, cut the mozzarella and cubes and grate the Parmesan Cheese
The time has come to assemble all the ingredients as a “rice pie”. Preheat the oven to 200 ° / 400 F. In a large bowl pour the rice and season with the meatballs sauce and plenty of Parmesan. Pour everything into a baking dish (that can also be brought to the table) and add the pieces of mozzarella creating a real pie
Cover the surface with more Parmesan and a little oil (or butter) and bake for about 20 minutes plus 10 minutes on the grill for browning. The pie must be well colored and very consistent. Taste with a teaspoon: take some rice and check if it is perfectly cooked
Remove from the oven and let it rest, before serving, for at least 15 minutes so that, as we Italians say, it "sits" and is tastier and easier to serve
Notes
Not everyone knows that Italian Cooking has a great tradition in rice. Not just pasta: Northern Italy produces many varieties of fine rice and there are many wonderful recipes to prepare them, among which the most flavoursome is "Risotto" Italian rice is divided into “Originario”, “Semifino”, “Fino” and “Superfino” and each recipe requires its right variant. I will dedicate a few posts to this, but I can tell you right away that “Superfino” rice holds up very well when cooked and releases little starch: this category includes the famous Carnaroli rice that I prefer and that I use for my baked rice
ItalianCookingTips
The choice of rice is important: for this recipe, where the grains are cooked twice, I recommend an Italian “Carnaroli” rice, with fine grains that resist cooking and release little starch. Absolutely avoid the “Parboiled” because you would cook the rice three times!
ItalianCookingTips
An ancient tradition involves very small meatballs in baked pasta (or rice): you will need to have a lot of patience and a little skill. But if you love cooking, it will be a lot of fun to take on this challenge and the result will amaze you!
ItalianCookingTips
Whenever you cook pasta (or rice) in the oven, remember NOT to serve it immediately. That hot “mess” of flavors, aromas, tastes must “sit”, rest a bit so that, when it gets cold, it thickens and becomes compact. Cutting and serving a boiling lasagna is impossible: let it rest and you will see what a result!
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