The baked saffron rice with cheese is my answer to cravings for arancine or arancini.
Rice can be included in the diet of someone with hyperglycemia, prediabetes and diabetes in the portion sizes and frequency indicated in the meal plan by the professional who follows them.
Today we prepare a baked saffron rice with cheese made with deamidated whole-grain (brown) rice, recommended for people with hyperglycemia.
Rice | glycemic index
– whole-grain brown rice GI 50.
For those following a low glycemic index diet and for people with diabetes it is useful to deamidate the rice.
The deamidation technique lowers the glycemic impact of rice, shortens cooking times and improves texture.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Low cost
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 7/8 cup whole-grain (brown) rice (parboiled, cooking time 10 minutes)
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 broth cube (vegetable, homemade or use vegetables)
- 1 sachet saffron
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (for a grinder)
- to taste grated cheese (Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano)
- slices melting cheese (stringy "pasta filata" slices (e.g., mozzarella))
- to taste grated cheese (Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano)
- to taste breadcrumbs (or whole-wheat breadcrumbs)
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (for a grinder)
Suggested tools
- Bowl
- Sieve
- 1 Pan with lid preferably glass
- 1 Springform / Pan for pastiera pan diameter 9.5 in height 1.5 in
Preparation
Using a fine-mesh sieve to help you:
1. rinse the rice under running water, rubbing the grains between your hands until the water runs clear and transparent;
2. soak it in cold water for about 2 hours – for basmati rice 30 minutes is enough – stirring occasionally and changing the water at least a couple of times;
3. finally, rinse again and drain well before cooking.
If you taste a grain you will have the sensation of eating a par-cooked rice.
Prepare a quick, light vegetable broth.
Choose one of the two options:Vegetable broth with a cube
In a saucepan, pour 1 2/3 cups of water and a pinch of salt.
Bring to a boil.
Dissolve a vegetable broth cube.Vegetable broth with vegetables
In a saucepan, pour 1 2/3 cups of water and a pinch of salt.
Add half an onion, parsley stalks and/or celery stalks.
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.Dissolve a sachet of saffron in the vegetable broth.
Heat a pan, add the deamidated rice and toast it or rather warm it: it is already hydrated, so it will not heat up like raw rice – this is normal.
Deglaze with the white wine and let it evaporate.
Add the saffron-colored vegetable broth [the rice is already hydrated and will not absorb a lot] little by little, stirring until absorbed as you would for a traditional risotto.
If the broth runs short, add hot water.
Remember that deamidation shortens cooking times, so taste the rice a few minutes before the time indicated on the package.
If necessary, adjust the salt.
Grind the pepper.Finish (mantecatura) the risotto without butter
Add:
– 1-2 tablespoons of grated cheese;
and stir vigorously off the heat.
After finishing, let the risotto rest covered for 2-3 minutes.Line a baking pan with parchment paper; I usually use a pastiera pan, diameter 9.5 in.
Pour half the rice into the pan and level it.
Distribute the cheese evenly leaving a few mm of edge free.
Pour the remaining rice over the cheese and level it.
Sprinkle the surface with:
– a dusting of grated cheese;
– a dusting of breadcrumbs or whole-wheat breadcrumbs;
and grind pepper on top.
Preheat the oven.
Bake in a fan-assisted oven at 356°F for about 20 minutes, until the cheese becomes melty and a crunchy crust forms on top.
Plate.
Your baked saffron rice with cheese is ready.Enjoy your meal!
Start the meal with a generous portion of raw or cooked vegetables.
This is a complete dish; add your portion of vegetables to compose a balanced meal or single-plate meal that helps keep blood glucose stable.
Storage, tips and variations
Storage
You can store cooked rice in the refrigerator in a closed container for 1-2 days.
Reheat in the oven.
Tips and variations
You can make a richer baked saffron rice timball with meat ragù, peas, stringy melting cheese and hard-boiled eggs.
Not all meal plans allow combining multiple protein sources.
Don’t overdo the quantities of individual ingredients.
FAQ – Questions and Answers
Arancine / Arancini
Arancine/Arancini … honestly, I get confused too and I’m Sicilian!
In Palermo they say arancine (feminine) and in Catania arancini (masculine); in Ragusa, like Palermo, they say arancine.
They are rice assemblies, round or pointed in shape, stuffed and coated in breadcrumbs that become deliciously golden and crunchy when fried.
Originally, the rice was flavored with saffron and had no tomato, seasoned with vegetables and meat.
The breadcrumb coating is a later invention and transforms what started as a rice timbale into Sicily’s most famous street food.
Among the many variations, the best known is the ragù version stuffed with meat ragù, peas, stringy melting cheese and in some cases even hard-boiled eggs.
The original coating is made with water, flour, eggs and breadcrumbs.
The saffron risotto prepared with deamidated whole-grain rice and without butter is not exactly suitable for making arancine/arancini because it does not hold together firmly.
The solution was to go back in time: if the rice timbale became arancine/arancini, let’s bring the arancine/arancini back to being a rice timbale!Prediabetes and cheeses
Follow your meal plan.
In general, cheeses should be eaten in moderation – no more than twice a week – preferring fresh cheeses over aged ones such as: cottage cheese, cow’s ricotta, light spreadable cheese, mozzarella, feta.
