Tiella di riso, zucchine e prosciutto

The tiella of rice, zucchini, and ham is a flavorful and comforting dish, perfect for those who love the tastes of Italian cuisine. Here’s the recipe to prepare this tasty dish:

Ingredients

• 300 g of rice
• 500 g of zucchini
• 150 g of diced cooked ham
• 1 small onion
• 80 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 30 g of butter
• 200 ml of vegetable broth (you can also use chicken broth if you prefer)
• Extra virgin olive oil as needed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Breadcrumbs for the surface

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Thinly slice the zucchini and lightly fry them in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped onion until they are lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a bowl, mix the uncooked rice with the fried zucchini, diced cooked ham, and half of the grated Parmesan cheese. Add more salt if necessary.
4. Take a baking dish (tiella), grease it with a little butter, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Pour the rice mixture into the tiella.
5. Distribute small flakes of butter on the surface and pour the hot broth over so that the liquid just covers the rice.
6. Sprinkle the rest of the grated Parmesan cheese on top to create a golden crust, and if desired, add a little more breadcrumbs.
7. Cover the tiella with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes. Then, remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and crispy.
8. Let the tiella rest for a few minutes before serving.

Curiosity

The tiella is a type of baking dish that in Apulian cuisine is used to cook rice, potatoes, and mussels, but in a more generic version can refer to various similar baked preparations like this unmixed, oven-baked risotto. The process that involves adding the broth all at once and not stirring the rice during cooking makes the dish less creamy than a risotto but with an equally irresistible flavor.