Savory rice pudding

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PRESENTATION

If you're hunting for a tasty twist straight from Tuscany, you can't go wrong with budini di riso salati. Really good stuff. These little gems take the classic sweet rice pudding and turn it into something savory and satisfying. I mean, think of them as mini appetizers, perfect for any gathering. The base? It's a flaky pâte brisée, kinda like a light pie crust, but the filling really, really shines. Inside, you've got a tomato risotto packed with green peas, diced ham, and gooey taleggio cheese. The cheese—super super creamy—adds a creamy touch that balances beautifully with the salty ham. For sure, these buds are a hit at any aperitivo or buffet, especially since you can just pick them up and enjoy. And look, they’re a mix of Tuscan tradition and modern flair, showing how dishes can evolve. All over Italy, you'll find unique snacks, but budini di riso salati toscani are really special. They combine the comfort of familiar flavors with a surprising twist. You might see these served as a budini di riso salati antipasto at parties or when friends come over. Pretty simple. The blend of tomato risotto, melty cheese, and bits of ham makes each bite a bit savory and slightly rich—just enough to be satisfying without being too much. And the crust? It's golden and keeps everything together, making utensils unnecessary. People love to get creative with these; some opt for budini di riso salati con verdure, adding more veggies, while others go for budini di riso salati con formaggio for extra cheesiness. However you choose to make them, they’re perfect for sharing, capturing the core of Tuscan cuisine—comforting yet never boring. This ricetta budini di riso salati is a wonderful example of Tuscany’s easygoing yet tasty cooking style. So here's the thing, you’ll love them.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the pastry
Butter 7 tbsp (100 g) - cold
Type 00 flour 1.6 cups (200 g)
Water 0.3 cup (70 ml) - iced
Fine salt to taste
for the risotto
Carnaroli rice 1 ½ cup (300 g)
Peas 1 cup (150 g)
Prosciutto cotto 3.5 oz (100 g) - diced
Taleggio cheese 3.5 oz (100 g)
Vegetable broth 2 cups (500 ml)
White wine 3.4 oz (100 ml)
Butter 1.8 oz (50 g)
Shallot 1
Triple concentrated tomato paste 1 spoonful
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Fine salt to taste
Preparation

How to prepare Savory rice pudding

To make the savory rice puddings, start by preparing the pastry. Follow our recipe Easy Shortcrust Pastry: place the flour, cold chopped butter 1, and a pinch of salt in a food processor and blend until you get a sandy and floury mixture. Place the obtained mixture on a work surface in the classic fountain shape and knead quickly, gradually adding cold water 2 until you get a compact and fairly elastic dough. Once ready, wrap your pastry in a sheet of plastic wrap 3 and let it rest in the fridge for at least 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the risotto. In a pan, heat a drizzle of oil and add finely chopped shallots 4; let the shallots soften and then add the rice 5, allowing it to toast for a few minutes. Deglaze with white wine 6

and then add a ladle of vegetable broth (for the best result, follow our guide Vegetable broth), stir 7 and separately dilute a tablespoon of triple tomato concentrate in 50 ml of broth 8 and pour it into the rice 9. Cook the rice, gradually adding vegetable broth and stirring occasionally.

Halfway through cooking, add the peas 10. Continue cooking by incorporating the broth little by little until the rice is ready; it should be very al dente because it will continue cooking in the oven. When the rice is ready, cream with taleggio cheese 11 and also add the diced cooked ham 12.

Let the risotto cool 13 and roll out the pastry to about 1/8 inch 14, cut out circles using a pastry cutter with a diameter of about 4.75 inches 15

and line a greased muffin tin with these casings 16. Fill the pastry with the risotto 17 and bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 60 minutes. Once done, take the puddings out of the oven and let them cool slightly, then remove them by turning the mold onto a tray or removing them one by one from the mold. Your savory rice puddings are ready to be enjoyed 18.

Storage

Store the rice puddings in the refrigerator for a couple of days at most. It's possible to freeze the puddings if you've used fresh ingredients.

Tip

You can vary the risotto ingredients according to your taste or the season's availability: potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, fava beans, or beans are just a few of the countless variations you can try. To cream the risotto, you can replace taleggio with a milder cheese like brie. Alternatively, you can use mortadella or smoked bacon instead of cooked ham.

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