Sun-dried Tomato Pine Nut Risotto Cakes

For the next few weeks I’m going to participate in Paula Deen and Philadelphia Cream Cheese’s recipe contest.  Every original recipe submission requires a video, so you, (un)fortunate readers, get to share in my embarrassment by watching my cheeztastic videos.  I plan to have quite a bit of fun with this, so if you’re up for coming into my kitchen warts and all, stay tuned.  There may or may not be blooper reels to provide extra amusement, and I promise to look the other way if you laugh at me, though I’ll probably be laughing too, so you’ll really be laughing with me.

The first recipe challenge calls for the making of a side dish and it must incorporate cream cheese.  I’ve been known to make risotto cakes wrapped around mozzarella, so I decided to modify them by wrapping them around cool discs of Philly instead.  I am not shamelessly plugging when I confess that I will not be making these with mozzarella again.  I love the tang and surprise inside my mouth when I bite into one and get to the creamy cheesy pocket in the middle.  You just might love them too, so here you go, watch, laugh, learn and love.  If you liked this, come back next week when I’ll wrestle with an appetizer to end all appetizers.

Risotto Cakes

Serves 4 as a side dish

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 c washed Arborio rice
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp chopped pine nuts
• 4+ cups chicken stock simmering on a side burner
• ¼ c chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• ½ c parmigiano reggiano
• 1/3 c heavy whipping cream
• Salt to taste
• ½ pkg Philly cream cheese rolled into individual 1” discs
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Melt butter and oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add washed Arborio rice and stir constantly to coat grains.  After a grains are coated, add garlic and pine nuts and continue to stir so that rice grains and additions become lightly toasted.
2. Add chicken stock two ladle-fulls at a time and stir constantly until rice has absorbed all stock. Continue adding stock in this fashion until your rice nears the al dente state.  Add sun-dried tomatoes when you are about five minutes from rice being done so that they can hydrate.  Once the tomatoes are stirred in, add basil, parmigiano and cream. Salt to taste and chill the rice.
3. While the rice is chilling you can form the cream cheese into discs.  Remove the chilled rice from the refrigerator and wrap rice around each cheese disc to form flattened balls.  Melt remaining olive oil in a large skillet and add risotto cakes once it’s hot.  Cover and cook about 1.5 minutes per side. Remove to a platter and serve warm.