"BETTER THAN THE RISOTTO" CAKES

After tasting the risotto that I made the other night, I just knew that it would make a perfect Risotto Cake.  The citrus flavor was so strong and I was hoping from the first bite that we would have leftovers so that I could give them a try.  I had never made them before but I didn't think they would be too hard.  We did have a little bit leftover so on Sunday, I took some time to experiment with them.  A search on the Internet yielded Busy Nothings blog and this simple recipe: 

Simplest Risotto Cakes

2 cups leftover risotto (cold)

2 T bread crumbs

1 T finely chopped parsley

1 egg yolk

eggs and bread crumbs for breading

olive oil for pan-frying

Combine the risotto, 2 T bread crumbs, parsley, and egg yolk. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Shape into four equal balls and flatten into cakes about 3/4 inch high. Dip into the egg (1 egg plus the leftover egg white from the egg you took the egg yolk from is plenty) and then lightly bread with the bread crumbs. Heat a saute pan with a thin layer of olive oil over medium heat. Cook, flipping once, until both sides are a deep golden brown.

Serve immediately.

I didn't quite have two cups of risotto but I didn't let that stop me.  To the risotto, I added 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary.

And if it didn't have enough cheese already, I added 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

And one egg yolk being careful to save the white.  The egg white will go with the additional egg and coat the risotto cake before it gets breaded.

Instead of regular bread crumbs, I added 2 tablespoons of Panko Bread Crumbs.  I just love how crispy these bread crumbs are.  I might never use the regular ones again. 

These are so yummy!

I stirred everything together to mix thoroughly.

I mixed the reserved egg yolk with one egg and placed it in one pie plate.  Bread crumbs went into another pie plate.  Yes, folks....in a kitchen the size of mine, you have to get creative.  That is the top of my washing machine (which happens to be in my kitchen!) that is doubling for counter space.  It is across from my hot plate and works beautifully. 

I am now ready to start making the risotto cakes.  I will be quiet now and let the photos speak for themselves. 

You're welcome!

My skillet doesn't fit on the hot plate very well so the risotto cakes were browning unevenly.  Oh, how I miss my gas cooktop! Because there was egg on the inside of these cakes, I decided to pop them onto a baking sheet and into the toaster oven for a little bit just to make sure that they were completely done on the inside.  It, also, helped them brown up nicely.  I love convection!

Making the lemony risotto into risotto cakes was the right decision.  These risotto cakes have so much flavor.  Not only will I make that particular risotto again but when I want risotto cakes, I will make it exactly like I  made it the other night including using the fruit.  They were absolutely delicious and I look forward to making them again.  Next time I will make risotto cakes out of the whole batch and not just the leftovers.  I'm a fan.

Have a great Tuesday!

This post is linked up to Delectable Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.