The Sicilian baked rice is a truly extraordinary first course. I wanted to prepare a nice tray of baked rice but wanted to do something different from the usual, so I cooked the rice using the method for Sicilian arancine (yes, in our region they are female, they are not called arancini :D) and I seasoned it like those “with butter“, that is, with saffron, béchamel, cooked ham, cheese, and butter (which, this time, I avoided adding since there is already in the béchamel, I made it slightly lighter :D). The result? A spectacular baked risotto, creamy, stringy, and super tasty! Sicilian baked rice is excellent freshly made but also delicious cold, it’s perfect for a delicious lunch, a buffet, to take to the beach, park, or office, it is a sort of maxi arancina in a tray, but obviously baked in the oven, not fried, definitely try it because you will fall in love with it 😀
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4-6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups rice
- 3/4 cup béchamel
- 7 oz scamorza cheese
- 5 oz cooked ham
- 2 1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 packet saffron
- 1 sprig parsley
- to taste black pepper
- to taste breadcrumbs
Steps
● Sicilian baked rice is very easy to prepare, first bring the vegetable broth to a boil and add the risotto rice, let it cook without ever touching or stirring it for 15 minutes, it must absorb all the liquid.
● Put the rice in a bowl and season it with the béchamel, saffron, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and mix, then add the cooked ham and diced scamorza cheese and blend everything together.
● Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased pan sprinkled with some breadcrumbs, level it well and add a little more breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese on top.
● Bake the Sicilian baked rice in a preheated oven at 392°F for about 25 minutes, it should slightly brown on the surface.
Notes:
Sicilian baked rice can be stored at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge for a couple of days.
Do you want to make the arancine? Find the recipe HERE
