I was watching the Barefoot Contessa the other day and she was making Chive Risotto Cakes. I remembered flagging this recipe a while back. It was in Ina Garten’s Back to Basics cookbook. They sounded great and looked even better!
Chive Risotto Cakes
Compliments of It’s a Keeper
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
www.everydaytastes.com
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 1/2 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (5 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Good olive oil
Bring a large (4-quart) pot of water to a boil over medium-low heat and add 1/2 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.
Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, fontina, 1 1/4 teaspoons of 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.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tablespoons of 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 3/4-inch thick. Place 4 to 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. Arrange on a serving platter and serve hot.
Is it a Keeper?
Well….if I were to make these again, there are number of things I would do differently. Here’s a list of changes I would make:
- I would use 1 egg instead of two — the mixture was too wet and didn’t hold their shape well
- I would put the Fontina in the freezer for 30 minute prior to grating it — it was rather soft and hard to grate
- I would make the rice mixture the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight
- I would form the patties and coat them with Panko several hours before frying them
- I would add salt and pepper to the Panko crumbs — the cakes needed additional seasoning
With that being said, I’m not sure I would make these again. They were a lot of work and the “WOW” factor just wasn’t there. Don’t get me wrong, they were good, but I honestly don’t know if I’d make them again.
Have you tried this recipe by Ina Garten? Or, any of Ina Garten’s recipes? If so, what did you make and how did it turn out?
Christina
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Deanne G says
I’m reading this during my lunch break at work 🙂 so I’m not sure of the name of Ina’s first book, but I have all of her books but the Back to Basics one. The granola in her first book is DIVINE! My family requests it all the time so I try to keep it in stock. I’ve also made her Plum Tart (YUM!) and her Potatoes Au Gratin. I’ve not run into a recipe yet that I didn’t like. That being said, I don’t know that I would have made this recipe above. I’m not a big fan of rosotto and I would have avoided it. It does sound like you gave it your all in making them.
Also, I try and keep a few cheeses in my freezer in blocks just for grating. I try and grate cheese and not buy the bags in the store with the added ingredients. My PC (Pampered Chef) grater works great but only when the cheese is frozen. Good tip there!
One last question, would you form the patties above and then set them in the refrigerator to harden up a bit before frying??
Thanks!
Deanne G
itsakeeper says
Deanne — I love, love, love Ina! I’ll have to try the granola recipe – I think the book’s name is “Parties!”. I have them all except for Barefoot in Paris. If you get a chance, try the Outrageous Brownies! I can’t remember what book it’s in, but the recipe is posted on my blog.
This recipe was a lot of work. I would definitely enjoy these much more if someone made them for me 🙂 Thanks for the tip on keeping the cheese in the freezer — I need to start doing that!
I did try putting the cakes in the fridge (I even stuck them in the freezer for a bit when I saw they weren’t holding up) but didn’t have much luck.
Thanks for reading the blog! Be sure to share any successes that you have! I’d love to hear about them!
Happy cooking!