Oven baked rice

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PRESENTATION

Oven baked rice is a homey first course, well-loved for its rustic and genuine flavor that evokes happy memories of rich and hearty family lunches loved by all palates. With oven baked rice you bring exquisitely Mediterranean aromas and flavors to the table. Its melted heart of fiordilatte cheese will reveal itself as soon as you sink your spoon into it: it will be love at first bite. A creamy and rich basil cream envelops the rice in flavor, once it has absorbed all the aroma when cooked. Oven baked rice can also be perfect for rustling up a last minute meal: whenever you have some leftover cooked rice don't throw it away, give it a new lease of life with this recipe, or with a tasty ring cake, also perfect for taking to the office, for a packed lunch everyone will envy!

INGREDIENTS
Carnaroli rice 2 cups (375 g)
Tomato purée 4 cups (1 l)
Fior di latte mozzarella cheese 2 cups (300 g)
Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1 ⅓ cup (150 g) - for grating
Onions 1 - medium
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Fine salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Basil 7 leaves
Water to taste
Preparation

How to prepare Oven baked rice

To prepare oven baked rice, start by dicing the fiordilatte mozzarella into 0.21 inch cubes approximately 1 and leave 2 or 3 slices for the final decoration. Place the cubes in a colander 2 and leave to one side for at least an hour, to drain the excess whey. Prepare the sauce in the meantime. Peel and finely chop the onion 3.

Add a drizzle of oil to the saucepan, followed by the onion 4; stir and sweat on a low flame for around 5 minutes. Soften the onion and then add the tomato puree 5; pour a little water to the emptied bottle to clean it and dilute the sauce. Add salt to taste 6 and leave to cook for at least 40 minutes.

Once the indicated cooking time is up, dilute the sauce with a little hot water if necessary, bring to the boil and add the rice 7. Cook for the length of time indicated on the packet (usually around 18 minutes) and stir frequently so that it does not stick to the pan. Remove from the heat 2-3 minutes before the end of the cooking time 8, add 2/3 of the diced fiordilatte cheese 9

and 2/3 of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano 10, a few hand-torn basil leaves 11 and lastly, pepper to taste 12.

Stir thoroughly 13 and place in a baking tray. Smooth the surface and sprinkle with the remaining fiordilatte cheese, the grated Parmigiano Reggiano 14 and a few basil leaves. Bake in a static oven preheated to 430°F (220°C) for around 15-20 minutes; if you want a crust to form on the surface then switch the oven to grill mode and leave the rice inside a few minutes longer. When ready, leave the oven baked rice to rest for 5 minutes before serving 15.

Storage

You can prepare oven baked rice in advance and heat it a few minutes before serving. Or you can store it for 1 day in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. If you prefer, you can also freeze after cooking.

Tips

Let your taste guide your imagination and replace fiordilatte cheese with another melted cheese of your choice, like scamorza or caciocavallo. For a richer version you can add other tantalizing ingredients, like sliced boiled eggs, peas, diced salami or ham.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.