Brown Rice Risotto Cakes – foundation recipe

I have wanted to make a whole grain version of risotto cakes for a while. Since they also needed to be baked I wasn’t quite certain how to begin this recipe. Today I tried to make the cakes with only the brown rice risotto and they wouldn’t stick together at all. I considered adding flour, but didn’t want the flour taste in the final product. I decided to grind some of the cold risotto to use as the glue to hold the risotto cakes together. This method worked well. This is my foundation recipe for baked brown rice risotto cakes.

If you decide to add a filling to the cakes make a well in the center and stuff a small amount (no more than a half tablespoon) in the middle of the cake. This will make the cake taller and may require you to add 10 minutes to the total cooking time. I will be adding variations with fillings later this week.

Brown Rice Risotto Cakes – foundation recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown rice risotto, cooked and cooled (or cold)
¼ cup of whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon of canola oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a cast iron pan with canola oil place the pan in the oven to preheat while the oven is coming up to temperature.

Take ½ of the brown rice and place it in the food processor. Grind the risotto until it is mostly pulverized. In a bowl, add the ground risotto to the remaining half cup of whole risotto and combine with your hands. You want to make certain the ground and whole risotto is evenly dispersed. Shape the risotto into two patty shapes. Coat each risotto cake with half the whole wheat panko crumbs. Use your hands to press the panko into the surface of both sides of the risotto cakes.

Remove the cast iron pan from the oven and place ½ tablespoon of canola in the bottom of the pan and put the risotto cakes in the pan. Drizzle the top of the risotto cakes with the remaining ½ tablespoon of canola oil. Cook the risotto cakes for 15 minutes and then gently flip the cakes and bake for another 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 167.53
Calories From Fat (47%) - 78.12

Total Fat - 8.88g
Saturated Fat - 0.67g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 173.18mg
Potassium - 5.08mg
Total Carbohydrates - 20.46g
Fiber - 2g
Sugar - 0.3g
Protein - 2.51g

Comments:

These cakes are very crunchy on the outside and have a little brown rice chew on the inside. I was surprised by how well this method worked. Expect to see more risotto cakes this week with varied flavors as I add different flavors and fillings to this basic recipe.

If you choose to make this recipe as it is you will need to have a sauce or vegetable relish to add flavor to these cakes. This recipe was all about method and cooking times. These cakes are a little bland on their own. This recipe as written would be great drizzled with a little tomato sauce and fresh torn basil leaves on top.