Chive Risotto Cakes

Clearly the love affair with the Barefoot Contessa/ Ina Garten continues. Her cookbook is FANTASTIC!  I kind of want to make every recipe in this book.  At the rate that I’m going I will probably have completed the task by… Februrary.  I’m only kind of kidding.

I didn’t have an overwhelming desire to make the Chive Risotto Cakes.  The photo looked appealing enough and the ingredients sounded like a winning combination but I just wasn’t hooked.  Until I did some googling.  This was another recipe covered by the intrepid Barefoot Bloggers so there were a ton of perspectives on this one.  I was pretty much sold when I started reading about the creamy, cheesy goodness.  That’s all it took.

Now, with the recipe it’s a good idea to read it a few hours before bedtime on the day BEFORE you plan to make the dish.  Those are my words of wisdom to you.  You have to cook the rice for 20 minutes and then chill the rice mixture for TWO HOURS (or overnight).  TWO HOURS.  Let’s say you get home from work at 6pm, you aren’t eating until after 8:30pm.  No bueno!  Clearly this anecdote is from experience.  When I got home from work yesterday I kept on meaning to read the recipe because I had a feeling there were some steps I could do in advance.  I finally read the recipe at about midnight… while I was in bed.  I thought about just getting up and making the rice before I went the sleep but then I thought, oh I can do it in the morning.  Needless to say it didn’t happen.  BUT being clever I ended up chilling my rice mixture in the freezer for about 30-40 minutes and then put it in the fridge for another 15-20minutes.  Then while I was cooking each batch I left the mixture in the fridge or freezer depending on how firm it was all feeling.  It worked out just fine.

As for the results. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.  Remember all those things I was saying about creamy, cheesy goodness?  Add crunchy to the mix.  And I have to add that I loved the chive flavour.  The whole thing tasted like a cross between risotto and a baked potato.  I was stumped when it came to what to serve this with.  I couldn’t really serve it along another starch (nor did I want to) and I didn’t want to use this as a side for meat.  So I opted for roasted garlic broccoli (inspired by another Back to Basics) and roasted carrots.  I was going to do a salad but got lazy.

This one is a keeper!

Rating: ****1/2(out of 5)

See what others have to say about this recipe…
Smells Like Home
My Bit of Earth
Kahakai Kitchen

Chive Risotto Cakes

Serves 6

• Kosher salt
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 1 ½ cup cups grated Italian Fontina cheese (5 ounces)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
• Good olive oil

1. Bring a large (4 quart) pot of water to a boil and add ½ tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, Fontina, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.
3. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
4. Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard (2 1/4 –inch) ice cream scoop or a large spoon. Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Place 4-6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried. Serve hot.