Italian Rice Recipes

ITALIAN RICE WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large, shallow ovenproof pan, add the chicken and cook for 3-4 mins until golden all over. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add the onion and peppers, and cook for 3 mins or until lightly golden. Tip in the garlic and fry for a min. Stir in the rice, then the tomatoes, stock and reserved chicken. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil before transferring to the oven to cook, uncovered, for 20 mins. Season to taste and drizzle over the pesto before serving.

ITALIAN RICE BALLS

Steps:

• In a bowl whisk together the eggs, Parmesan cheese, basil or parsley (I prefer basil), pepper, and salt; cover and refrigerate.
• Pour the chicken broth (or water and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt) into a large saucepan and bring to a boil; stir in the rice, cover and reduce the heat to low.
• Cook the rice until liquid is almost absorbed, about 15 to 17 minutes.
• Remove from heat and gradually pour in egg mixture, continually stirring rapidly to coat the surface of the rice and prevent the egg from scrambling; allow rice mixture to cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Pour bread crumbs into a shallow dish.
• Dampen your hands with water and create 1-inch balls from the rice mixture, then coat each one with bread crumbs.
• In a small, deep skillet, heat enough oil to cover the rice balls to an adequate frying temperature (350 degrees F) so that a piece of rice from the mixture actively sizzles when dropped in; alternately, a deep fryer may be used.
• Fry the rice balls 4 to 6 at a time, turning as needed to ensure even browning.
• Drain on paper towels, then serve warm as is or with a bit of marinara sauce.
• Another nice touch you can use with these is to put a small cube of mozzarella cheese in the middle of each rice ball!

ITALIAN-STYLE RICE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add rice; cook on medium for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and turmeric; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in cheese.

ITALIAN STYLE RICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400F/200C. Toss the eggplant cubes, zucchini, pepper, chopped onion, and tomato with the oil, in a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper.
• Roast for 15 - 25 minutes (until the vegetables are fully cooked)
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan add the garlic and cook it starts to brown.
• Mix in the tomatoes, oregano, stock, and seasoning. Add the rice and bring to boil. Lower the heat to low heat, cover and simmer 15 -20 minutes until the rice is tender.
• Add the roasted vegetables and parsley. Taste for seasoning and serve.

SIMMERED ITALIAN RICE

Steps:

• Heat the broth and Italian seasoning in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.
• Stir the rice and spinach in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in the cheese. Serve with additional cheese.

ITALIAN BEEF AND RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Brown and drain the ground beef. Place the ground beef in a large casserole dish.
• Mix in the onion, green pepper, diced tomatoes, shredded carrots, rice, broth, garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400˚F for 50-60 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
• Once the rice is tender, remove the foil, add the cheese to the top, and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
• Once the cheese is melted, remove from oven, garnish with chopped parsley (optional) and serve warm.

SAUSAGE AND RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the sausage slices and cook for a few minutes on each side, until brown, about 5 to 8 minutes total. Remove to a plate, blot with paper towels to remove any excess oil, and set aside. (Tip: To finish this meal in 30 minutes, prep the peppers and onions while the sausage browns.)
• With a paper towel, carefully wipe the skillet until it is mostly clean. Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium high. Add the bell peppers, onion, basil, salt, and pepper and cook until the onion begins to soften and brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice, garlic, and red pepper flakes, stirring to coat the rice. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and canned tomatoes in their juices, stirring well. Bring to a boil, stir again, then cover and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the reserved sausage slices until evenly distributed, then re-cover the skillet and remove from the heat. Let stand 5 minutes, until most of the remaining liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.

ITALIAN HERB RICE

Steps:

• Place the rice, chicken stock and all the spices in the a large skillet on the stove-top. Stir and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat and then immediately reduce heat to low. Stir the rice and re-cover with the lid. Simmer covered over low heat for 16 minutes and then check to see if it is tender. Stir the rice and either simmer an additional minute or two or remove from the heat. Stir in a tablespoon or two of butter and then fluff with a fork. Cover with lid until ready to serve. Enjoy!

RISI E BISI, ITALIAN RICE AND PEAS

Steps:

• Sauté shallots: Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the shallots and stir to combine. Let these sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Heat stock and water: Meanwhile, heat up the stock and 1 cup of water in a small pot. You want this at a simmer while you make the rice.
• Add garlic and prosciutto to shallots: Add the garlic and the diced prosciutto to the pot with the shallots, stir well and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
• Add rice: Pour in the rice, stir again and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Slowly ladle in stock: Ladle some of the hot stock into the pot and start stirring. Risi e bisi is cooked like risotto, and is supposed to be pretty soupy, so you need a lot of water and you need to stir it constantly. Let this first ladle of stock cook down before you add the next. Keep adding stock, letting it cook down and stirring until you're done with the simmering stock. It is likely that you may need at least one more cup of water to finish the dish, because all that stirring in an open pot means you evaporate more liquid than you would when you cook rice the normal way, i.e., covered. If you think you are going to need more water, add more to the simmering stock.
• When you get to this last cup of water, add the peas: Keep stirring until the water has almost cooked away. Taste some rice and test for salt and doneness: Add a little salt and some more hot tap water if the rice is still crunchy - you want the rice to be a little al dente, but not so much you're gnawing on raw grain.
• Add the parsley and the parmesan and mix well: Your finished rice should be slightly soupy, so it's OK to add a tad more water before serving. Links: Risi e Bisi with Baked Prosciutto Chips - from Sippity Sup Rice and Peas Salad - from The Nourishing Gourmet

ARANCINI DI RISO: SICILIAN RICE BALLS

Steps:

• Make the risotto by adding the rice to the heated oil in a large saute pan, and stirring quickly for one or two minutes. Quickly add the white wine while stirring. With the heat on medium high, begin adding the chicken stock a little at a time, and continuously stirring, until all the stock has been used and the rice is cooked, yet still al dente (I have a risotto recipe here on my blog). Taste; adding salt if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Add an egg to the risotto and mix well, then refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight.
• To make the arancini:
• Place some rice in your hand and flatten it into your cupped hand, but don't make it too thin, or the filling will ooze out. Place a piece of mozzarella, and/or a little tomato sauce (and peas, if using) in the center of the cupped rice. Next, close the rice around the filling and shape into a ball.
• If you'd like to make conical shapes, flatten the bottom of the ball, and make the top more pointed.
• Now, roll the shaped arancini in flour, then roll them in the beaten egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Set aside until all of the rice has been used.
• Heat some oil in a deep fryer, pot or wok until it is very hot. Add the arancini, and cook quickly, turning often so they don't brown too much on one side. If serving immediately, fry for a few minutes, so the cheese will melt in the center. Remove from oil and place on paper towel lined plate or tray. (If you'd like to serve them at a later time, remove them quickly after just browning; then, just before serving, place them on a baking sheet and re-heat in the oven at 400ºF for 5 to 10 minutes.)
• Serve plain, or place on tray with a little tomato sauce and garnish with basil. You can also serve them with a little extra sauce on the side, although this isn't done in Italy.

ITALIAN RICE

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Stir in spinach. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender; drain well. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir in the rice and red peppers until combined. Cook and stir until heated through.