Sartù di Riso

• 400 g Arborio or Carnaroli rice
• 300 g beef chuck, cut in small pieces
• 300 g pork ribs, cut into individual ribs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 clove garlic, crushed
• 800 g San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 120 ml dry white wine
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 150 g frozen peas
• 250 g fresh mozzarella, diced
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• 80 g grated pecorino romano
• 60 g butter, plus extra for the mold
• 50 g plain breadcrumbs
• sea salt, to taste
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and brown the beef and pork ribs on all sides — take your time here, a good ten minutes, because this color is what gives the ragù its depth. If the meat steams grey instead of browning, your pot is too crowded; do it in two batches.

2. 2

   Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Don't let the garlic scorch — if it darkens past pale gold it turns bitter and you cannot fix that later.

3. 3

   Pour in the wine and let it reduce until almost gone, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

4. 4

   Add the crushed tomatoes, a good pinch of salt, and enough water to just cover the meats. Bring it to a gentle simmer, cover partially, and let it whisper for at least two hours — the sauce should reduce to something thick and dark, the beef tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

5. 5

   Remove the meats from the sauce. Shred the beef, pull the pork off the bones, and chop everything into small pieces. Stir the meat back into the sauce along with the peas. Taste and adjust salt and pepper — this filling should be intensely seasoned because the rice around it is plain.

6. 6

   Cook the rice in plenty of well-salted water — the water should taste of the sea — until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package suggests. Drain and let it cool enough to handle, then stir in 50 g of the grated pecorino, the butter, and 2 ladles of the ragù sauce to lightly coat and flavor the grains.

7. 7

   Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a round mold or springform pan generously and coat it evenly with breadcrumbs, tapping out any excess. Press a layer of rice across the bottom and up the sides, about 1 cm thick, leaving a well in the center.

8. 8

   Fill the well with the meat ragù, then dot with the diced mozzarella and arrange the egg quarters throughout. Cover the filling with the remaining rice, sealing the edges so no filling shows.

9. 9

   Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden and you see the sauce bubbling at the edges. Let it rest for 10 minutes — if you unmold too soon it will collapse and spill.

10. 10

    Run a knife around the edge, invert onto a plate, and lift the mold off. Sprinkle with the remaining pecorino.

11. 11

    Serve in wedges, with bread to finish the plate — there will be sauce, and you will want it.

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