Tasty Little Risotto Cakes

Normally I would pack any leftover orzo risotto into a container for a weekday lunch, especially leftover garlic and sweet pea risotto. However, after Saturday evening’s Scarf-Fest 2009, there was nary a pea or slice of garlic to be found. Okay, so I am exaggerating a tad, there was a scoop or two clinging to the sides of the Gladware container, but not enough to be a satisfactory mid-day, mid-week meal when I need more energy and fewer white carbohydrates.

And so, Saturday’s Scarf-Fest 2009 was followed by Sunday afternoon’s Lox-and-Bagel-Palooza, and with a combined effort both caused complete fullness for Shane and me until about 8:00 that same evening. Faced with going to bed without supper (how un-American) to the fear of awakening the next morning famished, I agreed to fix us a super-light supper of fried pasta. What is that you say? Light and fried are contradictory? Would it help if I promise the only part of the pasta that was fried was the outside of these extraordinary little cakes that I served atop a scattering of fresh lettuce leaves tossed in a lemon and garlic vinaigrette? No? I used olive oil. No? I used a maximum of two tablespoons of olive oil in the pan. Still not convinced? Well, I have many times before stuffed myself silly with a healthy chicken breast more so than I did Sunday evening with my tasty little risotto cake. Throw a little caution to the wind and treat oneself to a bit of fried pasta now-and-then. Shane and I agreed they were worth every bite, especially the bite I wrapped in a lettuce leaf -- now that’s what makes the fried virtuous!

P.S. If you still cannot bring yourself to try this recipe even as you are about to dump the remainder of your risotto (orzo or otherwise) into the trash because you are not a leftover person, or, much like my situation, there is not enough left for another meal, I urge you to give risotto cakes a try. We’ll not call it fried pasta anymore -- sautéed pasta, that’s it! Yes! Tonight we are having leftover orzo risotto cakes that are sautéed in olive oil! And you can sauté your leftover risotto made from Arborio rice or even barley. Sautéed cakes of whole grain -- crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and fibrous from crunch to creamy to crunch.

I am still working on making these little cakes stay together, but I used the following recipe as my jumping-off point. Use any leftover risotto hanging around from orzo to Arborio rice to barley. Even if they do not look perfect . . . yum!

Tasty Little Risotto Cakes

2 cups cold leftover risotto
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs, divided
1 egg, separated
1 whole egg
olive oil for pan-frying

Combine the risotto with two tablespoons of bread crumbs and the egg yolk. Mix thoroughly with a fork or with your hands. Shape mixture into four equal balls and flatten into cakes about 3/4 inch high. Mix together the egg white and the whole egg. Have ready the remaining ¼ cup of bread crumbs. Heat a pan with a 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat heat. Dredge each cake into the egg* before coating each side in bread crumbs. Cook the cakes, flipping once, until both sides are a deep golden brown. Serve at once.

*My cakes did not want to stay together when I plunked them into the egg mixture. I wound up somewhat squashing the outer egg mixture and breadcrumbs into the cake, but all the same they sautéed nicely and held together enough for Shane and me to enjoy every last morsel.