Chive Risotto Cakes

Yesterday was Father's Day and traditionally in our family that means barbecue.  We usually get together with family have some burgers, hot dogs and brats on the grill with some great side dishes and sit on my parent's deck and just hang out.  I love it.  This year we decided to take the idea of a barbecue to new levels for my dad.  Grilling was still involved but this year it was filet mignon wrapped in bacon with goat cheese and balsamic syrup (which my mother cooked perfectly, thanks Mom!), a great corn salad with a balsamic and lime vinaigrette, nectarine and avocado salad/salsa and Chive Risotto Cakes from Ina Garten's "Back to Basics" Cookbook.  We adapted the recipe slightly as we were making it since we had to make more than the recipe called for and we adjusted the seasoning after cooking a test cake.  They were so good.  Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  I will definitely be making these again.  Just make sure you leave a good amount of time in your schedule to do them as the mixture does need to cool for about 2 hours.

Chive Risotto Cakes
Adapted from Ina Garten's Recipe in "Back to Basics"

Ingredients

Kosher Salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
2/3 cup greek yogurt
3 large eggs
4 tbsp. minced fresh chives (this is the amount we used but I may use even more next time)
2 cups grated fontina cheese
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
Good olive oil


Directions
Bring a large (4-quart) pot of water to a boil over medium-low heat and add 3/4 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.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, fontina, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, the pepper and garlic powder in a medium bowl.  Add the cooled rice and mix well.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Spread the panko in a shallow dish.  Heat 3 tablespoons of 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 3/4 inch thick.  Place 4 to 6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat.  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 lines 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.  Arrange on a serving platter and serve hot.

Note:  After coating the cakes in panko our cakes were still really soft so instead of cooking them right away we put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and threw them in the freezer for about 40 minutes.  They were nice and firm and and ready to fry when we took them out.