I love rice, I would simply eat it every day, so I’m always trying to invent new recipes to enjoy it in many different ways. Today it’s the turn of baked rice medallions, gluten-free and egg-free. It’s actually a vegetarian main course in a finger food version to be prepared for a standing dinner; or if you have lunch outside. They are very easy to make, can be prepared in advance and eaten as needed because they are delicious both hot and cold. The rice medallions can also be made with leftover plain rice or with tomato sauce, or with risotto, to avoid waste.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 10 medallions
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 5 oz Carnaroli or Arborio rice
- 20 Green olives
- 3 tbsps Table cheese (mix of grated pecorino and grana)
- to taste Asiago
- to taste Fine salt
- to taste Turmeric powder
- to taste Black pepper
Tools
- 1 Burger press
Preparation
To form the rice medallions, we can use our hands or a special mold. I used a burger press, oiling it each time to release them without problems.
1) Bring water to a boil, add the rice and boil according to the cooking times. Salt the water to taste.
2) Drain the rice well and place it in a large bowl. Add the grated cheese, a pinch of turmeric (or alternatively, a sachet of saffron dissolved in a teaspoon of rice cooking water), black pepper, coarsely grated Asiago (or other hard cheese to taste), and pitted, chopped green olives. Mix all the ingredients, cover and let it rest for about ten minutes.
3) Take an amount equal to about 2.5 oz of mixture (for 10 small medallions that will weigh about 2 oz each after cooking) or 3.5 oz (for about 6 larger medallions), place it in the oiled mold, press, remove it with the help of a fork and place the medallions on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4) Bake them for 5-7 minutes under the grill to compact and brown them.
Bon appetit
