Ingredients:

For the Rice:

1-pound Arborio rice

Boiling water

2 teaspoon salt

2 cups grated parmesan

3 large eggs, beaten

For the Sauce:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

10 oz sweet Italian sausage

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 (28ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

Salt to taste

4 fresh basil leaves

For the Meatballs:

1 thick slice day old Italian bread (crust removed)

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 large egg, beaten

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated parmesan

5 ounces ground beef

olive oil for frying

To Assemble (in addition to sliced sausage from sauce and mini-meatballs):

2-3 hardboiled eggs, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

2 oz diced pancetta

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated (optional)

½ lb fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

4 tablespoons grated parmesan

Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter (or lard), divided

4 tablespoons bread crumbs

Directions:

Start by preparing the ragù.

Place olive oil, chopped onion, garlic, and sausage in a saucepan.

Cook on medium heat stirring often, until sausage is light brown and onion is soft.

Add the crushed tomatoes, the water and salt to taste.

Stir and cover the pan. Simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring often.

Add basil at the end of cooking time.

While ragù is cooking, make the little meatballs.

Pour the milk over the day-old bread and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, place the ground beef, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, the beaten egg and grated cheese in a bowl.

Add the soaked bread, discarding any leftover milk that was not absorbed, and mix everything with a fork or by hand until combined.

With damp hands, shape mixture into little balls.

Place enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of a frying pan and heat over medium temperature.

Carefully add the mini-meatballs and fry them on all sides. If all the meatballs don’t fit, do this process in batches.

Drain meatballs on paper towels and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Add salt and rice.

Stir rice often to avoid clumps.

Cook rice aldente.

Drain and place into a large bowl.

Add two cups of sauce to the rice and stir well.

Allow to cool before adding the grated parmesan cheese and beaten eggs.

Now on to preparing the peas…

In a frying pan, place diced pancetta, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons chopped onion.

Cook on medium heat until pancetta is golden brown and onion is soft.

Add frozen peas and cook about 5 minutes stirring often.

If using porcini, rehydrate them in a cup of hot water, letting them sit for about 15 minutes. When soft, chop them and add to peas mixture.

Remove sausages from sauce and slice into ¼’ rounds.

Cut up boiled eggs into small chunks.

Generously grease a 12 cup Bundt pan with 1 tablespoon butter (or lard) making sure you cover entire surface.

Dust evenly with breadcrumbs, leaving no bald spots.

Place 2/3 of the rice mixture into the prepared pan.

Press rice firmly to coat the bottom and about three inches up the sides and middle of pan. Use the back of a damp spoon to help make a well in the rice.

Place all the ingredients for the filling (sliced sausage, meatballs, mozzarella, hardboiled eggs, and peas) in the well you created in the rice.

Pack filling down evenly.

Cover with a few tablespoons of sauce, half the grated parmesan and a little ground pepper to taste.

Top with all of the remaining rice, making sure it is packed down over all the ingredients.

Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan over entire surface and dot with remaining tablespoon of butter/lard.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Remove from oven and let rest for about 15 minutes.

Place a plate or platter (a little bigger than the top of the pan) face down over the pan.

With oven mitts to protect your hands, invert the pan so that sartù can rest onto the platter. Gently lift the pan off the sartù, shaking gently if needed.

Slice sartù into 2-inch slices and serve with leftover sauce.