SARTù DI RISO NAPOLETANO Bake Neapolitan rice pie

This rich, fulfilling pie is surprisingly a traditional Neapolitan recipe. Such a meaty course that you never think of a maritime city as birthplace. It is an extremely tasty rice pie, made with tomato risotto, mini meatballs, fresh pea, eggs and of course, mozzarella. Since being introduced to the dish, I have given it my personal touch and have loved cooking it ever since. The perfect Sartù di riso is nice and crispy on the outside with melting mozzarella inside. 

Chef tip: This is a time consuming great recipe so it could be great to get the kids involved in and it makes the perfect sharing course for a get together family meal!

Serves: 4 // Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes // Cooking Time: 45 minutes // Categories: Main Course

Ingredients:

• 250 g of Mozzarella (diced)

• 200 g of cooked mini meatballs (see below)

• 4 hard boiled eggs

• 200 g of boiled fresh peas

• 50 g of breadcrumbs

For meatballs

• 150 gr finely minced beef meat

• 1 egg

• 1 slice of white bread soaked in milk

• 4 gr of nutmeg

• Flour to dust

• Salt and pepper (to taste)

For the rice:

• 300 g of Riso Gallo Traditional risotto rice

• 200 g of good tomato sauce (already cooked with onion and seasoned)

• 500 ml of vegetable stock (or water)

• 20 g of unsalted butter

• 50 g of grated Grana Padano

• 20 ml of dry white wine

• 50 g of chopped onions

• 1 egg

• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation: 

For the mini meatballs knead well together the meat with the egg and the soaked bread until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and start with the making of the meatballs. They should be between 2 and 4 gr maximum. 

Quickly roast the meatballs with a tsp of oil and a knob of butter. Once golden and crispy let them cool aside.

Prepare a good tomato sauce in advance, any leftover can be used in other dishes. Make sure to use good peeled tomatoes in juice, quality olive oil and onion or garlic and lots of basil.

In a large casserole, start to roast the rice on a low heat with a pinch of salt, without adding oil or fat. In this way, the heat reaches the core of each rice grain resulting in more uniform al dente rice. Keep stirring the rice, so the rice does not catch on the bottom of the pan or burn. When the rice is very hot, pour the white wine in. Let the alcohol evaporate, set the cooking time to 15 minutes and add the simmering stock a ladle at a time, little by little. Stir the rice occasionally, and keep cooking. 

Halfway through the cooking, add the the tomato sauce.

 Once the time is up, taste the risotto for texture. Remove from heat and start the “mantecatura”. Add the butter, the Grana Padano and the egg. Stir well to increase creaminess. Season to taste and let the rice settle until warm. Line a cake tin with baking parchment. Brush with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Fill the tin with a couple of spoonfuls of the warm risotto and spread it on the base. Create layers of sliced eggs, peas, mozzarella and meatballs and cover with the remaining rice. Press well until it is evenly packed and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake the Sartù at 160 degrees for about 45 minutes until it is nicely golden and crispy. It should create a solid crust. Remove from the oven and let it cool down for 15 minutes. Remove gently the pie from the tin tray, slice and serve hot.