BRC: November

November presents us with not one fabulous BRC recipe but two fabulous BRC recipes!! The first of which comes to us from Deb of Kahakai Kitchen, November’s monthly BRC for referring the most people to the BB blog (say it with me now – YAY Deb!!!!). The second recipe comes to us from Lisa from Lime in the Coconut for winning the BRC Avatar contest. Because this is a busy month with the big Turkey Day coming up, please post both recipes on Thursday November 20th. Remember that these bonus recipes are both optional so don’t get overwhelmed trying to make 4 recipes this month if your time won’t permit it.

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Chive Risotto Cakes

This recipe comes from Ina’s new cookbook, Back to Basics, which I’m sure many all of you will be happy start testing out. Deb informed me that the recipe isn’t online yet so she generously typed out the recipe for those of you without the book.

Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, page 174-175; Serves 6

” I used to have to wait until I made risotto in order to make risotto cakes from the leftovers. So I decided to do a recipe for risotto cakes that I make from scratch. Most of this can be assembled early in the day and then sautéed just before dinner. The yogurt, chives, and Italian Fontina give these a delicious creamy interior, and the panko gives them a wonderful crunchy crust.”

Kosher salt
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
½ cup Greek yogurt
2 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 ½ cup cups grated Italian Fontina cheese (5 ounces)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Good olive oil

Bring a large (4 quart) pot of water to a boil and add ½ 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 ¼ teaspoons salt, and the pepper 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.

Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tablespoons 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 ¾ inch thick. Place 4-6 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 lined 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. Serve hot.

Note from Ina: “Panko, or Japanese bread flakes, have a crisper, lighter texture than regular bread crumbs.”

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Mini Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

from Barefoot Contessa Parties! page 206.

Note that the recipe in the book is a double recipe of the one on the FN site and it calls for a 10 inch Bundt pan rather than individual baking molds. There are a couple of small differences between the two recipes which I will post in the Musings post.

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