History

Torta di riso has been on Bolognese tables since at least the 16th century, when the dish appears in court cookbooks of the Este duchy. It became the classic dessert of San Petronio (Bologna's patron saint) on 4 October and Easter Monday. The diamond cut is the canonical Bolognese serving format. Pasticceria Atti and Sfoglia Rina sell it across the year; every Bologna trattoria with a dessert tradition keeps a slice on the counter for the after-lunch espresso.

Common allergens: Dairy, Egg, Tree nuts

Make it at home

Yield 10Hands-on 30 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 200g arborio or carnaroli rice
  • 1L whole milk
  • 250g caster sugar
  • Zest of 2 lemons (organic, untreated)
  • 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
  • Pinch of salt
  • 150g whole blanched almonds, finely chopped (or 100g almond flour plus 50g chopped)
  • 100g candied citron (cedro candito) or candied lemon peel, finely diced
  • 5 large eggs
  • 60ml amaretto liqueur
  • Pinch of ground cinnamon
  • Unsalted butter for the tin
  • Fine breadcrumbs to dust the tin
  • Icing sugar to dust the finished cake

Method

  1. Combine the milk, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla pod, vanilla seeds and salt in a heavy pan. Bring slowly to a simmer.
  2. Tip in the rice and simmer over very low heat, stirring frequently, for 25 to 30 minutes until the rice is very soft and the milk almost fully absorbed. The mixture should be like a thick rice pudding.
  3. Remove the vanilla pod. Take off the heat and cool to room temperature.
  4. Stir in the chopped almonds, candied citron and amaretto.
  5. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork. Stir into the rice mixture along with the cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.
  6. Butter a 24cm by 30cm rectangular tin or a 26cm round tin and dust with fine breadcrumbs.
  7. Pour the rice mixture in, smooth the top.
  8. Bake at 170C for 50 to 60 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
  9. Cool completely in the tin, then refrigerate at least 3 hours.
  10. Turn out, dust generously with icing sugar, and cut into diamond shapes (3cm by 5cm rhombuses) using a sharp knife dipped in hot water.
  11. Serve at room temperature with a small glass of passito or vin santo.

Tip from the editors. The diamond cut is the canonical Bolognese serving format. Make a day ahead and refrigerate overnight; the flavours settle and the texture firms.

Where to eat torta di riso bolognese

Torta di riso bolognese in Bologna

Sfoglia Rina ★ 4.5

Italian€€

Sfoglia Rina is sfoglina counter with hand-rolled pasta sold by weight; the dine-in carte takes walk-ins for the same pasta the restaurant kitchens cook.

Why locals love it: Sfoglina counter with hand-rolled pasta sold by weight; the dine-in carte takes walk-ins for the same pasta the restaurant kitchens cook.

Tip: Walk-in for the dine-in until 14:00; take-away pasta runs from 5 euros per 250g and the queue thins after 11:30.

Via Castiglione 5/B, 40124 Bologna BO

Trattoria Anna Maria ★ 4.6

Italian€€universitaTue-Sun 12:30-15:00, 19:30-23:00; Mon closed

Trattoria Anna Maria in Bologna near Via Zamboni is the city's most-photographed sfoglia trattoria, run by Anna Maria Monari since 1985 with hand-rolled.

Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortellini in brodo, Lasagne verdi

Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi, gnocco fritto.

Tip: Book a week ahead for dinner. Lunch is calmer and the sfogline still hand-roll pasta in the window between services.

Via delle Belle Arti 17/A, 40126 Bologna BO Book →

Trattoria di Via Serra ★ 4.7

Italian€€

Trattoria di Via Serra (Italian) in Bologna: Book three weeks ahead online; lunch is the easier seating and the kitchen runs the same carte at both meals.

Why locals love it: Bolognina's quiet, neighbourhood-scaled trattoria; the tagliatelle al ragu is the city's most-cited by editors but tourists never wander north of the station.

Tip: Book three weeks ahead online; lunch is the easier seating and the kitchen runs the same carte at both meals.

Via Luigi Serra 9/B, 40129 Bologna BO

Ristorante Diana ★ 4.5

Italian€€€piazza-maggioreTue-Sat 12:15-14:30, 19:15-22:30; Sun 12:15-14:30; Mon closed

Ristorante Diana on Via dell'Indipendenza in Bologna is the 1909-founded room running the canonical Bolognese carte and the famous Sunday carrello dei.

Signature: Tortellini in brodo, Lasagne verdi, Carrello dei bolliti

Order: Tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi, the carrello dei bolliti on Sunday lunch.

Tip: Book a fortnight ahead for Sunday lunch; the carrello dei bolliti runs only on Sunday and Wednesday lunches.

Via dell'Indipendenza 24, 40121 Bologna BO Book →

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