Chive Risotto Cakes

Meatless, Sides / Thursday, November 20th, 2008

This is what Ina Garten does with her leftover risotto, according to “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.” She mixes it with high-fat dairy products, shapes it into patties and fries up a big batch of Chive Risotto Cakes.

You’d think Ina was Southern, except for the way she always talks about how good her food looks, smells and tastes. I’ve never seen a Southern woman do that, except for Paula Deen, which makes me think she’s being prompted by a pimply Food Network intern with a taser.

“Hey, ya’ll! This might not be fit to eat, but …” BrrrrrrrrZAP! “Teethin’ babies just love Smithfield ham!”

Ina’s Chive Risotto Cakes remind me of potato pancakes cranked to 11. The crunchy panko crust gives way to a creamy, tangy interior of Fontina cheese, Greek yogurt, chives and softened rice. If the scent doesn’t lure you in, that first bite will. And, as Ina would say, how good is that? BrrrrrrrrZAP!

Chive Risotto Cakes

From Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics”

  • 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 F.
  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.
  5. Place 4-6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat.
  6. 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.

[ad name=”space”]

34 thoughts on “Chive Risotto Cakes”

  2. I just bought this book and this is one of the recipes I've tagged to try. Whenever I have tried to make risotto cakes they have totally fallen apart on me. Maybe it's the rest in the refrigerator that I've been missing.

  5. I didn't make these, because every once in a while I just get tired of high fat dairy products. Just every once in a while. But dear Lord, yours look so good, I am feeling regretful. I might have to go back and do them. I am almost positive that there is a taser involved somewhere with Paula Deen. Has to be.

  7. I was sorry I didn't have a chance to make these – especially seeing yours. But I will soon. Did you think the risotto was different from "regular" risotto? (Do I remember reading that she wrote this recipe to make risotto especially for cakes?)

  8. I'm making these for dinner tonight…after seeing your post, I am very excited. Now what will I do with the rest of my 32 oz. tub of full-fat Greek yogurt?

  10. I very nearly choked laughing – BrrrZAP! And now I need to make risotto, since I never have leftovers to make things like this. Risotto just doesn't stick around long with me.

  14. Cranked up to 11, every post is a treasure! My risotto never turns out fit to eat anyway so maybe this will help me salvage it, this post reminds me why I blogstalk you, funny and food is the best combo!

    Jada

  16. Risotto is such a time consuming process that this is such a great idea to stretch out any leftovers…which are a rarity at my house!

  18. found you on nablopomo and i’m sure glad i did. i’m so not the greatest cook in the world, and even though i don’t eat have of the stuff you have pictured (i’m extra picky!), you sure do know how to make it look purrty!! :)

  26. Yep, someplace for that arborio rice left over from the rice pudding extravaganza…somewhere to go with it that looks edible and very tasty judging from your photo!

  31. In case anyone else found themselves grimacing at the Fontina cheese ingredient, thinking "this sounds expensive and hard to find"…I used cheddar and a bit of goat cheese and they still tasted wonderful. Even just cheddar would still taste fine. Also, I used breadcrumbs instead of panko.

  32. I came across these and I am so glad I did. We made them on Valentine's Day because we were recreating favorite dishes from restaurants. My husband wants me to make this into a casserole!

  33. These were absolutely delicious! All the ingredients were easily found between the grocery store and BJ's Wholesale club. Since I had extra ingredients, I tripled the batch and froze them. I just take a few out when I want to serve them with dinner, microwave them for a little bit and fry them in a pan to heat them through and give a little more brown coating to the outside. Just as good as making them fresh!

Comments are closed.