Bomba di Riso alla Ferrarese con Piccione

Prepare the mould. Butter the interior of a 1.5-litre pudding basin or charlotte mould generously with softened butter, reaching every surface. Coat the butter evenly with fine dry breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess. Refrigerate the mould until required. The interior must be evenly white with crumbs and show no bare patches.

Make the pigeon ragù. Warm the butter and olive oil together in a wide heavy sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until the fat is translucent. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sweat gently until soft and pale gold. Raise the heat, add the pigeon pieces and reserved pigeon livers and the chicken livers; cook, stirring, until the flesh loses its raw colour on all sides. Pour in the red wine and allow it to reduce completely. Add the soaked porcini, a ladleful of the strained porcini soaking water and the peas. Season with salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat, cover partially, and braise until the pigeon is tender and the liquid has reduced to a dense, cohesive ragù. The filling is ready when no free liquid remains and the mass holds together on a spoon.

Cook the saffron risotto. In a large heavy saucepan, melt 40 g of the butter over medium heat. Sweat the chopped onion without colour until completely soft. Add the rice and toast, stirring, for 2 minutes until each grain is coated and hot to the touch. Add the white wine and stir until fully absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock one ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Halfway through cooking, stir in the saffron dissolved in warm stock. Continue until the rice is cooked but slightly stickier than a table risotto — the starch must bind the mass so it holds against the mould walls. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cold 20 g butter in pieces (mantecare) and the Parmigiano Reggiano. The finished risotto must be noticeably denser than a restaurant risotto: when a spoon is drawn through it, the parting closes slowly.

Line the mould with rice. This is where the bomba lives or dies. Working quickly while the risotto is still hot and pliable, press a 1.5–2 cm layer of saffron risotto firmly and evenly against all interior surfaces of the chilled mould — base, sides, and up to the rim — leaving a central cavity for the filling. The layer must be uniform in thickness with no thin points; press firmly with the back of a wet spoon. If the layer is too thin, the dome will collapse when unmoulded.

Fill and seal the dome. Pack the pigeon ragù into the central cavity, pressing it in firmly and filling it slightly proud of the rice rim. Cover the top of the filling with a final layer of the remaining saffron risotto, pressing it firmly to seal the dome completely. Smooth the surface flat. No filling should be visible at the rim. The sealed surface should feel firm and spring back slightly under pressure.

Bake the bomba. Heat the oven to 180 °C. Place the mould on a baking tray and bake for 30–35 minutes. The bomba is ready when the exposed top surface is deep golden and the outer rice layer has set into a firm crust. A skewer inserted to the side of the mould and withdrawn should feel hot throughout.

Rest and unmould. Remove the mould from the oven and allow it to rest undisturbed for 5 minutes. During this time the rice contracts slightly from the mould walls. Run a thin palette knife around the interior edge of the mould. Invert a warm serving plate over the mould, then turn both together in one confident motion. Lift the mould away cleanly. The dome should stand free, golden and intact, with no cracking at the base. Bring the whole dome to the table and break through the golden crust at service.