Black Rice with Caramelised Onion and Speck Ham

The slight sweetness of the caramelised onions and the savouriness of the smoked Speck Ham work well as a seasoning for this black venere rice.

Serves 2, Preparation 15 mins, Cooking about 45 mins

Black Venus rice, 180g
Italian Speck Ham finely chopped, 80 g
2 small onions
a small glass of water
Brown sugar, about 2 tbsp
a pinch of salt
Fresh thyme, a sprig
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons

Method

We have made a short version of caramelised onions by starting to slice them about 1 cm thick.

Transfer them to a saucepan with the Evoo, water, sugar, salt and thyme sprig, mix well and cover with a lid and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
At this point you can keep cooking for another 40 minutes or keep them as they are – as we did.

In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and brown the Speck.
Remove it from the pan and add it to the caramelised onions, stirring.

Bring the water to the boil and plunge the black rice into it. We haven’t added salt, but you can adjust according to your taste.

Drain it, add it to the pan with the onions and bacon, stir, add some more fresh thyme and serve.