Sartù di riso in sfoglia di melanzane

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g risotto rice *
• 1 onion(s)
• 100 ml olive oil
• 100 ml white wine
• 1 ½ liters of chicken stock
• 150 g peas, blanched
• 150 g minced beef
• 1 bread roll, soaked in milk
• 3 egg yolks
• e.g. salt and pepper
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• some flour
• 2 chicken livers
• 3 tbsp cognac
• 150g mozzarella
• 2 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 eggplant(s)
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• ½ onion(s)
• 1 carrot(s)
• 1 stalk(s) celery
• 40 ml olive oil
• 80 g minced beef
• 100 ml white wine
• 600 ml tomato puree, ideally from San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

Rice casserole in eggplant dress, southern Italian

First, make the tomato cream: Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery stalk and sauté in olive oil to make the soffritto. Add the ground beef and fry briefly. Deglaze with white wine, add the tomato puree, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for about 1/2 hour. [Info about San Marzano tomatoes: these are grown at the foot of Mount Vesuvius on fertile volcanic soil. They have a particularly intense fruity aroma and a distinctively fresh flavor that only really comes through when preserved.] Remove the bay leaf and puree the tomato sauce, then set aside. Prepare the Sartù risotto as usual. In short: use the onion, oil, white wine, stock, and peas. Note: you can add the onion either in small cubes or as half a whole onion; in this case, it is removed as a whole at the end of cooking. Spread the finished risotto on a work surface (e.g., a baking sheet) and let it cool. In a bowl, thoroughly mix the ground beef, the soaked and torn bread roll, one egg yolk, salt and pepper, and a pinch of marjoram. Form the mixture into cherry-sized balls and coat them in flour. Fry in oil until crispy. Clean the chicken livers and sauté them in a small pan with the cognac. Transfer the cooled risotto to a bowl, mix with two egg yolks, mozzarella cubes, chopped chicken liver, Parmesan cheese, and fried meatballs. Thinly slice/grate the eggplant lengthwise and fry in olive oil. Preheat oven to 180°C. Oil a 20 cm diameter baking dish, line the bottom and sides with the eggplant slices, and pour in the rice mixture. Cover the top with eggplant slices as well, thus “dressing” it all around. I prefer a taller dish, either round or a loaf pan, or ramekins for individual portions. Bake the Sartù in the oven for about 25 minutes. Serve on a layer of tomato cream. * (Superfino rice of the Arborio, Baldo, Carnaroli, or Roma varieties or semifino rice of the Vialone nano, Padano, or Rosa marchetti varieties)