What to do with leftover risotto?

[Barrie]

I made Butternut Squash Risotto for dinner on Sunday and we have a lot left. I'd like to make risotto cakes tonight but, never having done it, I'm not sure how. Do I just form them into cakes and pan fry them? Do I need to add egg and/or anything else as a binder? I did a search but couldn't come up with anything. Any suggestions would be appreciated; TIA.

[Elbow542]

when i make risotto cakes, i just mold them and pan fry. i would test a small portion, though to make sure your recipe will hold together. If it doesn't, adding an egg would be my next step. You might also add a touch of flour just to help hold everything together.

[sneezles]

When I have left over risotto I spread it out in a pan and then cover and refrigerate. Next night I use a 2" cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out the cakes. I like to dredge in a bit of flour to give them a nice crust and sauté in some olive or canola oil.

[lisas3575]

I just made the risotto cakes from Year in a Veg Kitchen, and they were quite good. The jist is to take 1/4 c of cold risotto, form it into a 3" pattie, dredge in egg, coat in a mixture of breadcrumbs, chopped nuts and seasoning, place on a sheet pan and bake at 425¡ for 25 minutes or so, flipping once partway through.

[kimmer99]

Yep - like everyone else said, a little bit of egg, maybe some pargmegiano reggiano, you can also coat w/ some wondra flour and then bread crumbs...yumm...okay, I need lunch.

[VegasDramaQueen]

The little rice balls are called L'Aranci in Italian and they're usually made with rice, meat and seasonings, but there is no reason you can't make great rice balls with leftover risotto. You can roll them in a little watered down beaten egg then in panko crumbs for some great crispy rice balls. Fry them til golden brown. Start with room temperature rissotto.

[Barrie]

Thanks everyone! I was just going to pop in and ask about using panko, because I have that at home but am out of dry breadcrumbs. I can't wait to try this tonight!

[SusanMac]

In addition to the flour & panko options, you could also try wheat germ. I dredged chix in wheat germ last week, and loved it. I'm now dredging anything & everything in wheat germ. It gives anything kind of a nutty flavor. That would probably be really good with butternut risotto.

[Barrie]

Thanks, SusanMac. That does sound great but I don't have wheat germ in the house and I'm too lazy to stop at the store on my way home. I'll have to try that another time. :)

[kimmer99]

Originally posted by VegasDramaQueen
The little rice balls are called L'Aranci in Italian and they're usually made with rice, meat and seasonings, but there is no reason you can't make great rice balls with leftover risotto.That's what I usually do - I'll make a double batch of risotto so I have enough left over for L'aranci (or suppli as DH calls them).

[Barrie]

I wanted to report back on how my risotto cakes turned out last night. I formed the chilled risotto into patties, dipped them in a beaten egg, then in a mixture of panko and parmesan cheese (I'll admit I used the stuff in the green can :o ; I didn't want to waste the good stuff if they didn't turn out good), and browned them in a nonstick skillet in a little vegetable oil. delish! They were creamy inside and crisp on the outside, and a really beautiful golden color from the squash. Thanks again for all the suggestions. I will definitely make extra risotto from now on so I can make risotto cakes with the leftovers. :)

[VegasDramaQueen]

So glad you enjoyed them. If you want to make these the Italian way, google "L'Aranci" and take a look at some of the recipes. I think this is a great way to use up leftover risotto instead of just reheating it.