Descrizione

The meat rice ball expresses the maximum of the civilization of our island : thinking to bring with you something home cooked when you are away from home, is one of the pure soul pleasures . Just think about those ” mischini ” (i.e. poor people) who have to be pleased with a cold sandwich which, although it contains a sausage or a meatball , it is always bound to the emergency.
It is said that it was the Emir Ibn At Timnah to invent the ” rice timbale ” or pasta timbale; it seems that he brought it with him when he went hunting . A brilliant idea : the fragrant rice with saffron and tender peas, with many meat little peaces, was manipulated so as to make a ball as big as an orange. It was then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried , so that it superbly resisted to the transport.
It seems that the risotto alla Milanese was nothing more than a meat rice ball which failed to have the right shape, due to the different quality of Lombardy’s rice and thus, it ended melted on a plate , becoming a simple risotto. Maybe this is just a naughtiness all made in Palermo !