Nonna Pucci’s rice pie, perfect for merenda!

Pucci, Patti’s mother, has always been a beloved grandma by all her many grandchildren. She is a sweetheart, but, above all, she is amazing in the kitchen: for her, cooking is like breathing. And she is a wonderful ‘merenda maker’! Merenda is the typical afternoon tea for Italian children, and all Pucci’s grandchildren are happy to visit nonna’s home at merenda time.

Here is her recipe of a savoury rice pie, simple, healthy and always successful.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lt. milk
  • 7 full tablespoons rice
  • 6 tablespoons grated parmisan
  • 7 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 150 gr. ricotta
  • 60 gr. yoghurt
  • salt

First of all, make the milk boil in a pot, then add the rice. Then, stir and salt milk and rice, letting them cooking for 5 minutes. Finally mix in ricotta, parmisan, the egg and the yoghurt.

In a round baking tray (24 cm. diameter) put 5 tablespoons of oil, then add the mixture (which must be still almost liquid) and evenly spread the remaining oil on the surface.

Cook in the oven at 200° for 25 minutes, more or less, until the pie turns to a light brown.

     

Serve it warm and enjoy your rice pie! Buona merenda!

 

Many thanks for the photos to Zoe Beltran! Zoe is a young and talented photographer and one of Pucci’s grandchildren.

If you want to read the recipe in Italian language, this is the post.