Herby Spinach Rice Cakes
Do you kids love a rice cake? Mine do, I sometimes buy them as an addition for packed lunches, Dot (12 yrs) especially keen on the Spinach and Pesto ones, which got me thinking, these are going to go down very well for dinner this evening. I am in a panic if my fridge is without some frozen spinach, such a versatile ingredient to have to hand, and it works brilliantly in these rice cakes. I might serve these with cooked creamy tomato sauce and more veg on the side. Always more veg!
INGREDIENTS
250g arborio risotto rice, boiled in water with a big pinch of salt (or use stock) until tender, drained and cooled or use leftover cooked risotto
250g frozen leaf spinach, defrosted (or use similar amount fresh cooked and squeezed dry)
2 large onions, finely diced
3 garlic, finely chopped
1 heaped tbsp of chopped rosemary, thyme and sage
1 lemon, zest and juice
60g grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
2 large eggs
Plain flour, to coat the rice cakes
Lots of soft breadcrumbs, you will need plenty!
Olive oil, to fry
METHOD
Fry the onions in a splash of olive oil over a moderate heat until softened, around 8 - 10 mins, add the garlic and chopped herbs and cook for 2 mins more. Season well with salt and black pepper.
In a mixing bowl, add the cold cooked rice, defrosted spinach, cooked onion mix, parmesan cheese, handful of soft breadcrumbs and the lemon zest. Mix thoroughly.
In 3 wide shallow bowls, add plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper to one, beaten eggs to another and the breadcrumbs to another.
Shape the rice cakes, about the size of a tangerine, compacted and flattened to a disk shape.
First coat the rice cakes in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Coating well. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
In a frying pan that will go in your oven, or use a separate baking tray, add a splash of olive oil and over a moderate heat fry the rice cakes (in batches if you need to) for around 3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Place the rice cakes in a hot oven (mine is at 180C and not fan) and cook for around 15 minutes, until piping hot through, or use a digital thermometer to ensure internally the rice cakes are above 75 degrees C.
Remove from the oven and squeeze over with the lemon and dust with plenty of parmesan to serve.