Some years ago when running our business from home, risotto cakes arancini became a very popular lunch choice, courtesy of my son Greg. Nicknamed ‘The Risotto King’, Greg was always experimenting with ingredients and flavours to develop new risotto recipes. We often had more than could be consumed, even with our fast growing Thermomix customer care team!
In order to use this risotto bounty, and to avoid reheating risotto (never as good as freshly made), we turned to the old Italian method of using cold leftover risotto to make arancini. Traditional aranicini are breaded and deep-fried balls of risotto, however I prefer them as patties or risotto ‘cakes’. The breadcrumbs add a light and crunchy texture and because of the shape, the inside heats through beautifully, showcasing the great flavour combinations you chose for your risotto the day before.
I like to serve risotto cakes arancini with a green salad dressed with lemon sesame dressing for a perfect lunch or light dinner. You can also make smaller risotto cakes and use them as a starter or canapé – see last tip.
Feel free to adapt the ingredient quantities to suit the amount of leftover risotto you have, and give yourself a pat on the back for reducing your food waste!
This recipe is suitable for Thermomix TM6, TM5 and TM31.
Method
- Place a bowl on TM lid and weigh in cold risotto then set bowl aside.
- Grate parmesan 10 sec/speed 8, add to cold risotto and stir in with spatula, then form burger-shaped round patties approx. 1.5 cm thick, place on a plate or board and chill in fridge 5-10 minutes or longer until firm – see 3rd tip; meanwhile prepare breadcrumbs and egg in next steps.
- Crumb bread 5 sec/speed 10 or longer until fine, then transfer to a shallow bowl.
- Mix egg 10 sec/speed 4 and transfer to a second shallow bowl. Dip each patty in beaten egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. Fry risotto cakes gently in olive oil over a medium heat until golden brown, approx. 5-8 minutes each side, then serve hot.