Italian cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Sartù di Riso

Neapolitan rice cake, filled with small meatballs, peas and mozzarella and turned out of the oven.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 500 g risotto rice
• 1.2 l vegetable stock
• 400 g ground beef
• 1 egg
• 60 g breadcrumbs
• 150 g peas (frozen)
• 200 g mozzarella
• 100 g parmesan
• 600 g passata (strained tomatoes)
• 1 onion
• 50 g butter
• 4 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Finely dice the onion, sauté in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 min. until translucent, add the passata, season with salt, and reduce uncovered for 30 min. into a thick sauce.
2. Knead the ground beef with egg, 40 g breadcrumbs, 30 g grated parmesan, salt and pepper, shape into hazelnut-sized balls, and brown all over in the remaining olive oil for 6 min.
3. Cook the rice in the vegetable stock for 12 min. until still clearly firm to the bite and the liquid is absorbed, then let cool; mix with half the tomato sauce and 40 g parmesan.
4. Butter a 24 cm springform pan, dust with the remaining breadcrumbs, and press two-thirds of the rice as a 2 cm layer onto the base and sides to form a hollow.
5. Fill in the meatballs, thawed peas, diced mozzarella and the remaining sauce, cover with the rest of the rice, and smooth the top; dot with butter flakes and the last of the parmesan.
6. Bake at 180°C top/bottom heat for 45–50 min. until the surface is firm and golden brown, let rest for 15 min., then turn out and cut into wedges.