Nicole here again with another one of my favourite Maltese dishes, baked rice or ross fil forn. This dish is a staple in the Maltese cuisine, requiring three ingredients: tomato sauce, ground meat and rice. There is much to be said on the preference and presentation of serving this tasty dish. Some prefer to cut into the dish and serve it as you would a slice of pie, others scoop out the tasty rice onto a dish and serve it with a side of vegetables. Whatever your preference, Ross fil-forn is undeniably Maltese soul food.
While it is perfect and ready to eat once it comes out of the oven, ross-fil -forn heated in a frying pan with olive oil the very next day is deliciously moist, tasty and flavourful.
Alcohol Pairing: Sangiovese
Yields: Approximately 4-6 servings
What you Need:
1½ cups of parboiled rice (pre-rinsed)
½ lbs ground beef
½ lbs ground pork
1 jar of tomato sauce (660 ml)
½ cup of tomato paste
2 eggs
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Please note: for a healthy and leaner option, replace the ground pork with lean ground turkey.
How to Make it Happen:
Prepare tomato sauce on the stove with salt, pepper, olive oil and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and let simmer anywhere from 30-90 minutes.Note: Oftentimes, if I am cooking this dish over the weekend, one of my go-to’s is to make the tomato sauce in the slow-cooker, cooking it over medium heat for 4-6 hours. The richness of this tomato sauce adds both depth and flavor to the rice.
Add the ground beef and pork to the tomato sauce and allow to cook, simmering for an additional 25-30 minutes.
Add the pre-rinsed rice into the tomato and meat sauce and stir until the rice is integrated. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes, then remove from heat.
In a separate dish, combine the eggs and Parmesan cheese and slowly add to the sauce, meat and rice mixture.
Carefully pour the sauce, meat and rice mixture into a lightly greased clay pot or Pyrex glass dish and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees Celsius.
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