Tamburo di Riso – Sicilian rice casserole

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 chicken, fresh or frozen, thawed
• 1 package of soup vegetables
• n. B. water
• 1 tbsp instant chicken broth
• 700 g minced veal
• 500 g rice (Aborior rice)
• 150 g cheese (Pecorino)
• 200 g cheese (Asiago)
• 2 sausages (salsiccia)
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 100 g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), grated
• Fat for the mold

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Grease a large casserole dish. Cover the chicken with the soup vegetables with water and cook in a pressure cooker with the broth for 25 minutes. Form the minced meat into small meatballs. Remove the cooked chicken from the broth and let it cool, discarding the soup vegetables. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cook the meatballs in the chicken broth for about 10 minutes. Sear the sausage and cut into small pieces. Cook the rice in the broth until al dente and stir in the Pecorino. While the rice is cooking, remove the chicken from the bones and cut into strips. First, add a layer of rice to the casserole dish, then the Asiago, then the chicken. More rice, then Asiago, now the meatballs and sausage. More rice and pour the beaten eggs over it. Finally, add the Parmigiano Reggiano and place everything in the oven for about 25 minutes. A fresh salad goes well with this. In Sicily, this dish is often prepared for Christmas Day lunch. Some families also layer it with minced meat sauce and chicken.