Description
Ina Garten’s risotto cakes blend creamy Italian rice with crispy golden exteriors, creating a delightful appetizer or side dish. Home cooks can elevate weeknight dinners with this elegant yet simple recipe that promises restaurant-quality results.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups leftover risotto
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup (60 ml) frying olive oil
Instructions
- Preparation: Set up a three-stage dredging station with flour, beaten egg, and seasoned bread crumbs on separate plates, ensuring smooth coating process.
- Shaping: Mold cold risotto into four uniform circular patties, maintaining compact and consistent size for even cooking.
- Flour Coating: Delicately roll each patty in flour, eliminating excess powder to create a light, even base layer.
- Egg Dipping: Submerge flour-coated patties in beaten egg, allowing complete surface coverage to help bread crumbs adhere effectively.
- Breading: Thoroughly coat egg-moistened patties in bread crumbs, pressing gently to ensure full and consistent coverage.
- Frying: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium temperature, carefully placing breaded risotto cakes into the sizzling surface.
- Cooking: Fry each side for 3-4 minutes until achieving a rich, golden-brown crust, maintaining consistent heat for optimal crispiness.
- Draining: Transfer crispy risotto cakes to a paper towel-lined plate, allowing excess oil to be absorbed while preserving their crunchy exterior.
- Serving: Present warm risotto cakes immediately, paired with marinara sauce, aioli, or a fresh green salad for an enhanced dining experience.
Notes
- Chill Risotto Completely: Cold risotto ensures compact patties that hold together during breading and frying, preventing crumbling.
- Perfect Dredging Technique: Create an organized three-stage station with flour, egg, and bread crumbs for uniform, crispy coating.
- Gentle Handling Matters: Use light touch when shaping and coating risotto cakes to maintain their delicate structure and prevent breaking.
- Oil Temperature Control: Maintain consistent medium heat to achieve golden-brown exterior without burning or undercooking internal texture.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg