Crostato Di Riso

Hello everyone, this is one of those recipes about which I wasn't enormously excited, but found the finished dish was delicious! I think it's yet another example of a simple dish that when made with good quality ingredients really shines. It comes from a book called "Italian Rice Dishes" by Diane Seed. I also have two books of pasta recipes that she has compiled. They are very good books that I have been using for years!

Have a lovely week. Love from Jane xxx

Crostato Di Riso

Serves four

What you need:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 litre light stock, or water
• 2 1/3 cups arborio rice
• 2 cups fresh tomato sauce (make yourself or buy at a good deli, or use Savion tomato dip if you can find it, I've seen it most recently at Coles at Chatswood Chase in Sydney)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 6 basil leaves, torn
• 300g fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 30g butter

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C.
2. Lightly oil a large round oven proof dish
3. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion until soft.
4. In another pan, bring the stock to the boil and pour in the rice.
5. Simmer for ten minutes, then drain and stir the rice into the onion.
6. Cook for five minutes and mix in three quarters of the tomato sauce with the parsley, salt and pepper.
7. Stir in three quarters of the Parmesan and the basil.
8. Spoon half of the rice mix into the ovenproof dish, levelling the top.
9. Cover with the mozzarella slices and top with the remaining sauce.
10. Make another layer with the remaining rice and sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan.
11. Dot with butter and bake for 35 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for ten minutes before serving.