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Sartu di Riso

Sartu di Riso is a traditional Neoplitan dish served with all delicious ingredients like risotto, meat sauce, meatballs, and a hearty helping of cheese.
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Ingredients
  

Sauce

  • Olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed
  • ½ yellow onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 1 lb ground sausage
  • 1 tbs tomato paste
  • ¼ cup red wine
  • 1 jar of tomato passata
  • ¼ cup water

Meatballs

  • 1 ½ cups seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 2 eggs add more if too dry
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 tbs dried mint or fresh if you have
  • Sprinkle of salt
  • ½ cup pecorino cheese
  • ½ lb ground meat
  • Frying olive oil

Risotto

  • 1 shallot
  • 1 ½ cups risotto
  • 4-5 cups water
  • 3-4 tsps tomato bouillon powder
  • Knob of butter
  • Sprinkle of pecorino romano

Additional

  • 1/2 block of mozzarella diced

Instructions
 

Sauce:

  • To a pot add olive oil, smashed garlic, diced onions, celery, and carrots. Sautee until onions are translucent
  • Add pork sausage and sautee till no longer pink.
  • Add tomato paste and splash of red wine
  • Add tomato passata and a little water (added to the sauce jar to get remaining passata) and bring to a boil than reduce to a low flame and let simmer for at least 30 minutes but can be up to an hour or two till you reach desired consistency of thicker sauce.
  • Add frozen peas during the last 5-10 minutes.
  • Remove the whole cloves of garlic and then set aside.

Meatballs:

  • In a bowl, add breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, pecorino cheese, mint, and salt. Mix till moist breadcrumb mixture is formed.
  • Add ground beef and mix well
  • Form tiny little meatballs (around a teaspoon size)
  • Once all the balls are formed, add a frying olive oil to a pan and fry till the meatballs are no longer pink and fully cooked.

Risotto:

  • Prepare a shallot by dicing it finely. Prepare risotto by rinsing and draining.
  • To a pot, add water and tomato bouillon to form stock. Bring to a light simmer so that the stock is hot and ready when you begin the risotto.
  • To large enough pan with high sides add olive oil, shallots, and rinsed risotto. Let the risotto toast a little in the pan, you should see the grains color will change as it absorbs some of the oil.
  • Once the shallots have become translucent and the grains have begun to change color, start ladeling a spoon or two of the stock.
  • As the risotto absorbs the stock, you will see the liquid evaporate and you should be able to push a spoon through the risotto and leave a streak before it comes back together again. At this point, add more stock.
  • Remove from the heat and add a little butter and pecorino cheese.
  • Continue to do this until the Risotto is fully cooked.
  • Once cooked, transfer to a flat baking sheet to cool and set aside.

Assembly

  • Dice ½ a block of mozzarella into little cubes.
  • Grease a bundt pan with butter
  • To the bundt pan, sprinkle in bread crumbs to coat all the sides
  • Add a layer of risotto and form around all the edges leaving a well in the middle to add filling.
  • Add a layer of meatballs, chopped mozzarella and sauce.
  • Sprinkle pecorino cheese over the sauce.
  • Add remaining risotto to cover the and form a flat a top.
  • Top with breadcrumbs and thin slivers of butter.
  • Bake at 375 for 30 minutes
  • Let sit for 10-15 minutes to cool. Then place on serving dish and flip over carefully. Tap the bottom of the bundt pan to ensure it loosened.
  • If it messes up, it is totally ok. Just scrape the parts that stuck and assemble it again. (Believe me no one will notice)

Optional Garnishing

  • To the center of the Sartu di Riso, add remaining little meatballs.
  • Top with fresh grated pecorino and a few leaves of basil (totally optional but it makes it pretty.
  • When serving, cut into slices and add extra meatballs and a little spoonful of sauce.

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