This rice and Provolone pie will be perfect with a tossed salad at a luncheon, and will also work nicely as an alternative first course dish. Though the recipe calls for Provolone, you can also use Caciocavallo. To serve 4 you'll need:
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound (200 g) Provolone Dolce, diced
- 2/3 cup (120 g) short grained rice
- A package of commercially prepared puff pastry dough, thawed
- A link of mild Italian sausage, casing removed and sausage meat crumbled
- The white part of a leek, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 quart (1 liter) simmering vegetable bullion (canned will be fine)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine, warmed (optional)
- 2 eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Sauté the leek and the sausage in the butter in a pot until the leak turns golden, and then remove the mixture to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the pan drippings behind. Sauté the rice for about five minutes in the drippings, stirring it briskly, then return the leek mixture to the pan and add the wine, if you're including it. When the liquid has evaporated begin adding broth a ladle at a time, and cook the rice as you would a risotto, adding broth as it is absorbed and stirring gently until the rice reaches the al dente stage. Stir in a little more liquid, as the rice will continue to absorb it, and remove the pot from the fire.Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
Roll out the puff pastry dough and use it to line a 9-10 inch pie pan. Lightly beat the eggs and combine them and the diced cheese with the rice mixture. Fill the pie pan with the rice mixture, using a spatula to even the top, and bake the pie for about a half hour.
