Rice teddy bear in an egg blanket - kid friendly recipe

The rice teddy bear in an egg blanket is made with a simple parmesan risotto and frittata… a balanced meal that your kids will love! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the English version of the Giallozafferano App (or Android )
***
The teddy bear will be made of parmesan risotto, a favourite of kids: heat a little extra virgin olive oil, add the finely chopped shallot and cook over low heat for at least 10 minutes, until almost melted. Now add the rice: I’m using vialone nano rice, smaller and rounder than carnaroli, the typical risotto rice, longer and larger in size. Stir and toast the rice over low heat for a couple of minutes, then add one spoonful of broth at a time. Finish cooking the rice and, 2-3 minutes before it’s done, add the grated parmesan cheese. Stir and turn off the heat. The risotto should be quite thick; transfer to a shallow container and let it cool. While the rice is cooling, prepare the vegetables.
Let’s make some nice veggies for our kids: heat a little oil and add the zucchini, carrots and peas; cook just until they are crispy, add a pinch of salt, then turn off the heat. The rice has cooled, here’s how to make the teddy bear’s head and ears: take a piece of cling film, a spoonful of rice and shape into a large ball for the head – make it more oval in shape – wrap in cling film, a double layer, and twist tightly in this way to compact the rice and shape as desired. Do the same for the ears, the balls must be smaller than the head. Wrap in cling film and press to give it an oval shape. Finally, form a cylinder for the arm. Repeat for all the rice bears, then place in the fridge to rest.
We’ll use carrots, ham and olives for garnishing the teddy bear: cut a carrot into slices and use a star cookie cutter to cut out stars for the teddy bear’s blanket. Then cut small circles, about ¾-1 inch (2-2 ½ cm) in diameter, out of a slice of ham for the muzzle and ears; the whole circle is for the muzzle, 2 halves for the ears. Use ham for the pillowcase too, and cut it with a pastry wheel. Use black olives for the teddy bear’s eyes and nose. All that’s left is the blanket: we need 4 eggs, a pinch of salt, whisk and make a frittata with this simple egg mixture. The pan is 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter, heat the oil, then add the decorations: keep the heat low and arrange a few chive stems in a criss cross pattern, lay 3 stems horizontally and 3 vertically; then place the carrot stars in every other square or fill all the empty spaces, as desired. Transfer to a serving dish and repeat for the other blankets.
Finally it’s time to assemble, start with the head: brush with water, the eyes, the muzzle, the ham for the ears and here’s the teddy bear’s face! Lay the pillow on the plate, the arm, then add a spoonful of vegetables to form the body. Heat up in the microwave for one minute before serving. And while I’m making all the other teddy bears, let’s see together the ingredients needed for this recipe!
Ingredients
For 4 teddy bears
For the parmesan risotto
- 1 cup (200 g) of Vialone nano rice
- 1 shallot
- vegetable broth
- ½ cup (50 g) of grated parmesan cheese
- a little extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
For the frittata
- 4 eggs
- 2 carrots
- chives
- a little extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
For the vegetables
- ⅔ cup (100 g) of peas
- 3,5 oz (100 g) of carrots
- 3,5 oz (100 g) of zucchini
For garnishing
- 2 ham slices
- 3 black olives