Im proud to say Ive eaten a lot of Italian food in my day.
Growing up in New Jersey, if we ever went out to eat, it was likely Italian.
Take, for example, the sartu di riso.
I discovered this dish flipping through an imported Italian cooking magazine.
(No, I dont read Italian, yet, but the pictures help.)
Browsing for recipes online, I eventually settled on usingthis recipe by Giada de Laurentiisas a guideline.
She makes everything from scratch, including the pasta sauce, and she probably even grew the peas herself.
I did not do that.
A great deal of what I love about this dish is that theres plenty of room for modification.
you might make the sauce and the meatballs, or you could just buy them.
Make the filling vegetarian, or go with a brown or red gravy.
Make the risotto using the method you prefer.
Once the risotto is made, let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
you’re free to branch out to use whats available to you.
Try ground sausage, cubed ham, shredded chicken, or sauteed vegetables to fill your sartu di riso.
I suggest keeping the sauce lightjust enough to coat the other ingredients.
Preheat the oven and prepare your pan.
Use what you have available to you, but grab a bundt pan if you have one.
If you dont have a bundt, use a cake pan, or a loaf pan.
Thoroughly, and generously, butter the pan, and place it on a sheet pan.
Do not substitute oil.
The butter will cling to the baking dish walls; oil will puddle at the bottom.
Coat the butter in bread crumbs, and knock out the excess.
Fill the valley with your filling of choice.
make a run at keep it within the boundaries of the rice.
Carefully cover the filling with the other half of the risotto.
Let the sartu di riso cool on a wire rack for 10-20 minutes.
The cake should fall out easily.
If it doesnt, Im sending you good vibes.
Try returning it to a warm oven for five minutes to loosen the butter and turn it out again.
Worst-case-scenario, just dig into the dish with a spoon.
Itll still make your eyes roll back with pleasure.
Wrap any leftovers and store them in the fridge for up to five days.
Using a pastry brush, or your fingers, generously butter the inside of a bundt pan.
Toss the breadcrumbs inside to coat the butter so you have an uninterrupted layer of crumbs.
Dump out the excess crumbs into a small bowl and set aside.
Toss the bolognese sauce, cheese, and meatballs together in a bowl to coat.
Use a small spoon to spread half of the risotto around the bottom of the baking pan.
Press and smooth this top layer so its even and firmly connected.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
The edges will begin to brown, but there shouldnt be any liquid bubbling at the top.
Let the cake cool for about 10-20 minutes, and flip it out onto a serving dish.
Serve in slices with a side of sauce.
