Vegetable Risotto Cakes

Ingredients

• 1½ cups Arborio rice
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 medium shallot or ½ small onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 2 cups liquid eggs (such as Egg Beaters)
• 6 cups of Panko bread crumbs (Japanese Bread crumbs)

Preparation:

1. Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, and then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot.
2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil and 1 Tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot or onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until it is slightly translucent.
3. Add the rice to the pot and stir it briskly with a wooden spoon so that the grains are coated with the oil and melted butter. Sauté for another minute or so, until there is a slightly nutty aroma. But don’t let the rice turn brown.
4. Add a ladle of hot chicken stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process.
   Note: It’s important to stir constantly, especially while the hot stock gets absorbed, to prevent scorching, and add the next ladle as soon as the rice is almost dry
5. Continue adding ladles of hot stock and stirring the rice while the liquid is absorbed. As it cooks, you’ll see that the rice will take on a creamy consistency as it begins to release its natural starches.
6. Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, for 20-30 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy. If you run out of stock and the risotto still isn’t done, you can finish the cooking using hot water. Just add the water as you did with the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring while it’s absorbed.
7. Stir in the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter, the parmesan cheese, and the parsley, and season to taste with kosher salt.
8. A properly cooked risotto should form a soft, creamy mound on a dinner plate. It shouldn’t run across the plate, nor should it be stiff or gluey.
9. Take the Risotto Mixture and spread evenly across a sheet pan. Wrap with plastic wrap and poke holes in the plastic wrap to let the heat escape, refrigerate over night.
10. Remove risotto mixture from refrigerator and scoop and form into small cakes about 2-3 ounces each.
11. Take 3 sheet pans and line them up next to one another: the first sheet pan with flour, the second pan with uncooked scrambled eggs, and the last sheet pan with Panko bread crumbs.
12. Take the risotto cakes and dredge them though the flour, then the eggs, and then the bread crumbs.
13. Place the cakes on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until they are ready to be cooked.
14. To cook the risotto cakes, the best pan to use is an old iron skillet. I use a 10 inch one that has been very well seasoned. Pre-heat the skillet on medium heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of whole butter, and then add 5-6 risotto cakes, brown on both sides and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings

Chef Mark Tribuzio 2011