Risotto and chestnut cakes

The cakes are not difficult to make but take time. My partner was happy with them, I think there is something missing. Perhaps spices. 'Requires improvement', that's how I would classify it.

From 'CookSmart Vegetarian', a Octopus Publishing Group publication.

Serves: 4 persons.

Ingredients:

• 15g porcini mushrooms
• 175g risotto rice
• 600ml vegetable stock
• 30g butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 200g chestnuts, cooked, peeled and chopped
• 75g parmesan/pecorino cheese, grated
• 1 egg, whisked
• 50g fine polenta
• salt & pepper to taste
• vegetable oil to fry

Method:

1. Cover the mushrooms with boiling water and let them sit for at least 30min.
   
   
   
2. Heat vegetable oil in a pan, add the rice and stir until all the grains are nicely coated.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add the vegetable stock and let it cook on a low heat for about 15 min or until the rice is cooked and the stock is gone, stirring frequently. Let it cool down.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Melt the butter and fry the onion and garlic for 5 min.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Drain the mushrooms and chop them.
   
   
   
6. Add the mushrooms to the rice. Then the onions, garlic, chestnuts, cheese and the egg. Mix well and season with salt & pepper to taste. It is not easy to find chestnuts outside the chestnut season. I found this pot of cooked whole chestnuts in the supermarket and it had exactly the quantity needed.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Divide the mixture and form 12 cakes. The kitchen counter was the easiest place to form 12 little 'mounts of mixture' and I used my eyesight to gage the amount to put in each.
   
   
   
8. Coat the cakes with the polenta. The polenta is needed to form the cakes. The mixture is wet and sticks to the hands. I put some polenta on top of each 'mount of mixture' and then lifted it with one hand, put polenta on the other side before using both hands to form the cakes. The cakes come apart easily so handle them carefully.
   
   
   
9. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the cakes for 2 min each side or until they are golden.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Serve immediately with lemon slices and a salad.