Crispy Rice Pilaf Cakes

With the leftover yogurt-herb mixture from fish tacos night, I decided to make some crispy rice pilaf cakes to go with the salmon fillets. I like making these because the individual cakes get very crispy and everyone gets just the right amount of crust. I also like the tanginess of the Greek yogurt (but then again, I'm a sucker for anything smothered in Greek yogurt).

2 cups long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or whole-milk plain yogurt)

1 tablespoon oil for frying

For Rice:

Cook rice, following instructions on package OR use a rice cooker (which is what I did. It makes life so much easier). Allow cooked rice to cool for at least 20 minutes.

For Cakes:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Whisk eggs with yogurt until smooth. Stir in rice and season with salt to taste.

Heat oil in nonstick, oven-proof pan. When hot, add 1/2 cup scoops of rice and cook over medium heat until the bottoms brown, about 6 minutes. Repeat process until all rice cakes cooked.

Place pan into oven and bake for 10 minutes. The bottoms of the rice cakes should be golden brown. Serve immediately with salmon, other fish or or seared scallops.

Risotto with Mushrooms and Pancetta

As per Leslie's request, here is Risotto with mushrooms and pancetta.

5 cups mushroom broth, if not use vegetable, chicken or beef

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup white wine

2 cups arborio rice

4 shallots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced

3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped finely

3 tablespoons italian parsley, chopped finely

pancetta, chopped into bits

500 g mushrooms, like crimini, shitake, chanterelle, brown, white, morels etc. sliced thinnish

1/2 cups or more Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Fry pancetta until crispy, then remove from pan.

Saute half the garlic, 1 green onion and 2 shallots for 2 minutes, then add mushrooms and sear on both sides. For it to sear, do not touch it once you've spread it out on the pan for about 5 minutes, before flipping/mixing. Mixing it immediately releases its juices, rendering it soggy. Add thyme and saute till brown, then remove the mushrooms.

Add oil, saute remaining garlic, shallots and green onions 2 minutes, then add rice. After 30 seconds -1 minute, the grains will brown and have white dots.

Add wine to deglaze and reduce, then add 1 ladle of simmering broth.

Mix for a 3-5 minutes, letting the rice absorb the liquid before adding another ladle. Stir frequently.

After about 45 minutes of stirring and adding broth, the risotto will be cooked. It should be creamy and soft, and have just a slight bite to it.

Take off heat, add pancetta and mushrooms, taste, garnish with parsley and serve immediately, with grated parmigiano passed around.

Serves 4-6