4 way to use leftover risotto

In the unlikely scenario that leftover risotto would ever be a problem  Italian culinary traditions came to the rescue.

In fact, wherever risotto (or rice in general) is a characteristic ingredient of a specific region, you can bet that in the same region you will find ingenious recipes to re-use left over rice in the most delicious way, sometimes creating a whole different dish out of it!

I hope these 4 prove to be useful and inspire you to find new creative ways to minimize food waste in your kitchen too.

Serve: About 4 // Prep time: n.a.

Ingredients:

For the crispy smashed patties:

• Leftover cold risotto

• Olive oil and butter to grease the pan

• Salt to taste

For the Bolognese stuffed arancini:

• 400 gr leftover cold risotto

• 200 gr of cooked Bolognese

• 150 gr of fiordilatte mozzarella (or mozzarella for pizza)

• 2 eggs for the eggwash

• 2 tbsp of Flour to dust

• 250 gr of breadcrumbs for coating

• 500 ml of veg oil to fry

• Grated cheese to sprinkle (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the rustic risotto pie

• 400 gr leftover cold risotto

• 200 gr of diced fiordilatte mozzarella (or mozzarella for pizza)

• 2 eggs

• 60 gr of grated cheese

• 2 courgettes

• 1 tsp of oregano

• 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the risotto espuma

• 250 gr of leftover cold risotto

• 100 ml of double cream

• 100 ml of water

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2 charges for the canister

Method

For the crispy patties the process couldn’t be easier. Create meatballs lookalike with your cold risotto of the size that pleases you but make sure they aren’t huge or it will be difficult to manage them (about 50 gr), heat up a non-stick pan or a plancha and grease with a drizzle of oil and a little knob of butter. Now place the patties on the pan and smash them gently with a spatula as it they were in fact smashed burgers. A little piece of parchment here between the spatula and the rice will help you  to be tidy (as shown in the video). Flip them once after 3/4 minutes and remove them once golden on both sides. Serve immediately with a little sprinkle of salt.

For the arancini. This process works even with mozzarella only, without the Bolognese if you want to skip it. Spoon a dollop of leftover risotto on your palm and place a spoon of Bolognese in the middle. Now press in a cube of mozzarella and cover with more risotto. Seal and shape gently and patiently into a ball. Gently roll into the flour to coat, dip into the seasoned egg wash and coat gently with breadcrumbs or even panko.

If the arancini are too soft my advice is to place them at floured stage in the freezer for 1 hour to firm up, then proceed with the following steps. Now deep fat fry at 150/160 C until well golden all around. The mozzarella should melt in about 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and grated cheese before serving.

For the pie. Mix the risotto with the mozzarella, the eggs and the grated cheese and season with a little pinch of salt and pepper. You can use courgettes or asparagus or peppers or whatever you like really.

Slice the courgettes thinly and place them orderly on the bottom of a pie case or tin layered with parchment. Season with salt, pepper a drizzle of oil and a pinch of oregano and spread the risotto mixture on top. Pat down well and bake at 170 C for about  15 to 20 minutes until well golden on top and firmer to the touch. Let it cool for 10 minutes than flip it and slice it while still warm.

For the Risotto espuma, mix the rice with water and cream and bring to the boil. Now season lightly blitz straight away until smooth and pass it thought a sieve. Let it cool slightly and place the mixture into a kitchen siphon and charge it with 2 cream charger. Shake well and let it set for 1 hour. Heat the siphon slightly in a pot of hot water and plate the espuma in a bowl.