Crispy Barley Risotto Cakes

Who knew that that cold barley risotto from the fridge could be transformed into these crispy, creamy, cheesy Barley Risotto Cakes? Seriously, leftovers never tasted so good. If you've got leftover risotto in the fridge, barley or otherwise, you are minutes away from a deliciously quick lunch or dinner.

These Barley Risotto Cakes are so delightful, I might consider making a double batch of risotto to ensure that I have enough left over for this easy meal later in the week. I would even consider making a batch of barley risotto on a lazy Sunday afternoon and tossing it in the fridge for the sole purpose of making these cakes on a busy weeknight. Yes, they are that simple and delicious.

Why This Recipe Works

• If you've ever ordered arancini at an Italian restuarant, these Barley Risotto Cakes are a very similar concept. Arancini hail from Sicily and are basically deep fried rice balls stuffed with cheese, ragu, or some other kind of savory filling. They are, quite obviously, DELICIOUS. I've used the same basic idea here but instead of balls we have cakes, and instead of rice, leftover barley risotto.
• And did I mention these cakes are stuffed with creamy, melty Danish havarti cheese?
• No messy deep frying here. Just a quick pan fry in a small skillet and these cakes are as crispy as can be.

The Ingredients

• The recipe assumes you have leftover barley risotto on hand, possibly from this recipe here. But this technique works with any type of risotto, whether it's made of barley, rice or another grain.
• Panko bread crumbs create the ultra-crispy exterior of these cakes, and a beaten egg helps the bread crumbs adhere.
• The filling is simply a little shredded Danish havarti cheese. No Havarti? No problem! Any melty cheese works well here, especially fontina or even mozzarella.
• These tasty cakes are fried in a shallow layer of vegetable or canola oil until crispy and heated through.
• Finally, a little lemon wedge squeezed on top of these cakes right before diving in is the perfect finishing touch.

How to Make This Recipe

• Retrieve your cold leftover risotto from the fridge (cold works best). If you have a cup leftover, you can make about two cakes. Divide the leftover risotto into two half cup portions.
• Make a divot in the center of each cake and fill with a scant tablespoon of shredded cheese. Carefully mold the risotto up and around the cheesy center.

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• Pat the cakes firmly together in your palms. If you are having any trouble getting them to stick together, use DAMP hands during this step.
• Coat each cake in egg and then in panko, pressing down on the crumbs so that they adhere to the cakes.

• Pour enough vegetable oil in to a small skillet so that it has a depth of around ¼ of an inch. Heat oil over medium heat.
• Add cakes to the pan and cook until golden brown and warmed through, about 4 minutes per side. Adjust the heat down to medium low if the cakes are browning too quickly.
• Transfer the cakes to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve with lemon wedges.

Expert Tips

• If your risotto has mushrooms or some other type of vegetable added to it, you may need to remove some of them in order to get the cakes to stick together. The barley risotto is sticky, but not not mushrooms so if there are too many, they will prevent the cakes from wanting to stay together.

• Pat the formed cakes together FIRMLY and with damp hands if necessary before coating in the beaten egg and panko bread crumbs. You don't want to have these fall apart on you while you are trying to coat them!

• Monitor your heat carefully while the cakes are cooking. You want to make sure that the outside doesn't brown before the inside has a chance to become creamy and cheesy. Start them over medium heat, and then turn to medium low if they seem to be browning too quickly.

FAQs

Related Recipes

Looking for other tasty barley recipes to try? I've got several here on the blog:

Please give these easy Barley Risotto Cakes a try and let me know how they turn out! They are leftovers on a whole new level.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your Crispy Barley Risotto Cakes and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #truenorthkitchen and tagging me @true_north_kitchen.