Rice with Anchovies
2 kg. anchovies – cleaned – 120 pieces
- ½ cup olive oil
2 cups of Baldo rice
Salt
1 heaping tablespoon of dried mint
- ½ cup currants – soaked in water
2 cups of water
- ½ bunch of dill
Butter
Remove the middle bones from the cleaned anchovies. Wash them thoroughly in plenty of water, then drain them in a colander to remove excess water.
For the rice: Place the currants in a bowl and add hot water, then let them soak. Put olive oil in a rice pot. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until softened. Add the rice and continue sautéing.
Add salt, pepper, dried mint, allspice, drained currants, granulated sugar, and bay leaf, and stir once or twice. Add water, cover the pot, and let it simmer over low heat. Finely chop the dill and add it to the cooked rice, stirring once. Let it rest. Remove the bay leaf from the rice.
Grease a 30 cm diameter round aluminum dish with butter. Arrange the anchovies side by side, skin side down, making sure they slightly overlap. Cover the bottom of the dish completely with anchovies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the prepared rice and close it tightly with the anchovies hanging over the edges. Cover the rice with more anchovies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and arrange lemon slices on top of the anchovies.
Place small pieces of butter on top and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.
