Cold picnic food recipes from Italy :
tasty Easter food to take away

'Torta di Riso' is one of Italy's favourite cold picnic food recipes and a big part of
Easter Italian food customs.

Cold picnic food recipes rice cake

Use it any time as Italian finger food
to eat at home or away.

Easter Monday in Italy is a favourite time for picnics and Italian food customs quite often use ingredients to be found in any self-respecting store-cupboard in Italy, or left overs from other meals.

'Torta di riso', or rice cake, is the most common Italian finger food enjoyed as a cold picnic food recipe on Easter Monday.  It uses up one of the major ingredients of Easter food  - eggs - and spinach, often grown in vegetable plots and frozen over the winter.

Easter food recipes : how easy is this one to make?

It's 'Cath easy' - if Cath can make it (and she does), anyone can! It takes about thirty minutes to prepare, and twenty-five to cook.

Cold picnic food recipes : can 'Torta di Riso' be frozen?

It doesn't really freeze well, but it can certainly made in advance and kept in a fridge for three or four days.

Italian food customs have it served either hot or cold, and both are delicious though we actually prefer it cold, with a lovely Italian Caprese salad.

How many does it serve?

This is a very filling 'cake' and the amount below will make four substantial, or six smaller, pieces.

Ingredients :

200 grammes (1 cup) Arborio (risotto) rice

150 grammes frozen spinach

Cold picnic food recipes rice cake

3 medium sized eggs

1 medium sized onion

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Pinch nutmeg

1 ovenproof dish

To prepare :

✮ Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200ºC, 400ºF.

✮ Defrost the spinach and squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible.

✮ Boil the rice in salted water until 'al dente'.

✮ Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft and golden.<br>

✮ Break the eggs into a cup and beat lightly.

✮Put the rice in a large bowl and add the Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well.

✮ Add the spinach, onion and butter, followed by the eggs.

✮ Mix everything together thoroughly.

✮ Grease an ovenproof dish. Make sure it's not too big - the mixture should be three inches or so deep.

✮ Bake for about 25 minutes, until firm and golden brown.

✮ Enjoy!






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Cold picnic food recipes from Italy
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