Sartu di Riso

First, prepare the sauce. Use a big square of cheese cloth to wrap up the bay leaves, parmesan rind, thyme, rosemary, and peppercorns in a tight package. Tie the package with kitchen twine to keep it closed. Set it aside. Combine the garlic, carrots, celery, onion and basil in the bowl of a food processor. Run the processor to puree them all together into an aromatic mixture. Get out a large dutch oven and heat the olive oil in it over medium high heat.

Pour the pureed aromatics into the pot and let them get bubbly and fragrant for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and let it cook for 30 seconds with the aromatics. Then pour in the red wine, Worcestershire and crushed tomatoes. Let the sauce come to a gentle boil and submerge the cheesecloth sachet of deliciousness in it. Reduce the heat to simmer.

Prepare the meatballs while the sauce begins simmering. In a bowl, combine the cubed bread and milk. Let the bread soak in the milk for 15 minutes. While they soak combine the ground beef, eggs, parmesan, salt, dried onion, and dried oregano in a large mixing bowl. Remove the bread cubes from the milk and gently squeeze the excess milk out of them. Add them to the bowl of the rest of the ingredients and mix everything together well with clean hands.

Form small, palm-sized meatballs out of the mixture and set them on a lined tray. Get out a cast iron skillet and fill it with about an inch of canola oil. Heat it over high heat. Brown the meatballs in the skillet in batches, removing them with a slotted spoon to a plate as they are done. Turn the heat down as necessary if the oil gets too hot. When they are all browned, add them to the pot of sauce. Also add the frozen peas at this point. Give the mixture a stir and let it simmer together for 2 hours.

While the filling mixture simmers, prepare the rice for the crust. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Stir the rice in the butter and just lightly toast the rice for a minute. Pour in the chicken stock and let it come to a gentle boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let the rice cook for about 20 minutes, until it absorbs all of the liquid. Fluff it up with a fork and set it aside. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled, stir in the parmesan and eggs to make the perfect crust mixture. Set it aside.

When the filling is done simmering, take it off the heat and let it cool. While it cools, preheat the oven to 350ºF and get out a bundt pan. Grease the bundt pan very well all over with the butter, then dust it with the breadcrumbs. It is very important to coat the entire pan, including the middle, with the breadcrumbs to help the cake release.

Keep a small bowl of water handy to make the rice crust. It helps to dampen your finger tips when forming it. Take the rice and form a solid layer 3/4 up the inside and middle of the bundt pan. You’ll use about 2/3 of the rice to do this. Take the cooled filling and stir the mozzarella into it. Spoon it into the well of the bundt pan and pack it down to make sure it is even. There will be lots of sauce leftover to warm up for serving. Use the remaining rice to form a solid bottom crust. Dot little bits of butter on the bottom crust to help it brown. Bake the sartu di riso for 45–50 minutes. The bottom should be golden and a solid crust.

Let the cake cool for 30 or so minutes to really set. When it has cooled, gently run an offset spatula along the edges and middle to help release it. Put a large plate that fits over the bundt pan on it upside down and carefully flip it over. Leave the bundt pan on it for a minute, then gently take it off to reveal the gorgeous cake! Slice it and serve immediately with the remaining sauce and some fresh basil for garnish.