Sartù di Riso

Ingredients

• 500g Carnaroli rice
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp lard
• 400g beef chuck in one piece
• 200g pork ribs
• 700ml tomato passata
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 100ml red wine
• 250g minced pork
• 1 egg, for the meatballs
• 30g dried breadcrumbs, for the meatballs
• 40g grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for the meatballs
• 150g peas, fresh or frozen
• 3 eggs, for hard-boiling
• 200g smoked provola, diced
• 60g grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for the rice
• 500ml sunflower oil, for frying
• 20g butter, for the tin
• 40g dried breadcrumbs, for the tin
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Finely chop the onion.
• Cut the provola into 1cm dice and leave it in a sieve to drain.
• Mix the minced pork with one egg, 30g breadcrumbs, 40g Parmigiano, a good pinch of salt and plenty of pepper.
• Roll the mixture into meatballs the size of a hazelnut; you should get around forty.
• Butter a 24cm deep cake tin and coat the inside all over with breadcrumbs.

Steps

1. Warm the olive oil and lard together in a heavy casserole over a low heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and cook it gently for 10 minutes until soft and pale gold.
3. Add the beef chuck and pork ribs and brown them on every side for about 8 minutes.
4. Pour in the red wine and let it bubble away for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato purée and let it toast in the fat for 1 minute.
6. Pour in the passata, season with salt and bring the pot to a bare simmer.
7. Set the lid slightly ajar and simmer the ragù for 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
8. Heat the sunflower oil in a small deep pan to 170C.
9. Fry the meatballs in small batches for 2 minutes each until browned, then drain them on kitchen paper.
10. Boil the three eggs for 9 minutes, then cool them under cold running water and peel them.
11. Cut the peeled eggs into quarters.
12. Simmer the peas in a little salted water for 4 minutes, then drain them.
13. Lift the beef and ribs out of the finished ragù and keep them for another meal.
14. Add 400ml water to the ragù and bring it back to the boil.
15. Tip in the rice and cook it in the sauce for 12 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are still firm.
16. Take the pan off the heat and stir 60g Parmigiano through the rice.
17. Leave the rice to cool for 20 minutes, until it is warm rather than hot.
18. Heat the oven to 180C.
19. Press two thirds of the rice over the base and up the sides of the prepared tin to build a shell about 1.5cm thick.
20. Scatter half the meatballs, peas, provola and egg quarters into the hollow.
21. Cover them with a thin layer of rice and press it level.
22. Add the remaining meatballs, peas, provola and egg quarters.
23. Seal the sartù with the last of the rice and smooth the top flat.
24. Sprinkle the surface with breadcrumbs and dot it with a little butter.
25. Bake for 1 hour, until the crust is deep golden and pulling from the tin.
26. Rest the sartù in its tin for 30 minutes.
27. Run a knife round the edge, invert it onto a serving plate and lift the tin away.