spring green rice pie - torta verde di primavera

1. Wash the greens well, and shred them coarsely.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the minced pancetta; once the pancetta has browned (don't let it burn) add the shredded greens and the rice. Mix well and stir in the broth; let cook until the rice is about half cooked. At this point turn off the flame and let the mixture cool. Crumble the salami into it, mix in the eggs, and then the minced garlic and the herbs, finishing with the cheeses. Add the butter as well, and check seasoning.

3. Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).

4. Butter and dust an oven pan large enough to hold the ingredients (figure a pie a little more than an inch, 2.5 cm, high), then pour them out into it. Bake for about 10 minutes, then flip the pie onto a serving dish and remove the pan. Let it cool, and serve it slightly warm, cut into wedges or squares.

5. As a variation, you can cook the rice in lightly salted water until it reaches the al dente stage, then drain it and turn it out onto a clean dishtowel to dry it, and combine it with the other ingredients. This way you'll have more of a contrast between the rice flavors and the flavors of the rest of the filling.