Time
35 minutes
Serves
4
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients
2 cups rice
3/8 cup pancetta or bacon
1 onion
1 400g can of whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 stick butter
30g grated parmesan
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1l vegetable broth
4 basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Dice the pancetta and saute it with half of the chopped onion in the oil over medium heat. When the onion starts caramelizing, add the tomatoes and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. This sauce will be used to dress the rice.
In the meantime, warm the broth in a saucepan for the rice. Put butter and the other half of the chopped onion in a saucepan and saute the onion until it is very soft. Pour a little broth and let the onions reduce. Then add the rice, stir for a few minutes to completely coat the rice and then pour in half the warm broth. Keep mixing and slowly add the rest of the broth a little at a time, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring until the rice is cooked, but still has a slight bite and nearly all the broth is absorbed. Then add the tomato sauce and the grated parmesan. Stir through to mix thoroughly, and leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.
