BON APPETISER

Silvena Rowe’s simple starters

Sweetcorn risotto cakes

Prep time 5 mins Cooking time 30 mins Cooling time 4 hours Makes 20 1 litre vegetable stock 2 tsp olive oil, plus extra for frying 2 spring onion bulbs, finely chopped 330g Arborio rice 100g sweetcorn 1 small bunch parsley, chopped 35g breadcrumbs 1 egg, lightly whisked 1 In a medium-size pan, heat the stock until it just starts to boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer. 2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the spring onions and sauté for 1 minute or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the rice and stir until the grains appear slightly glassy, about a minute. 3 Add a couple of ladles (about 125ml) of simmering stock to the rice mixture and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid is completely absorbed. Continue to add the stock, one ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. Allow the liquid to be absorbed before adding more. Cook for a total of 20 minutes or until rice is tender yet firm to the bite and risotto is creamy. 4 Add sweetcorn and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until heated through. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. 5 Set the pan of risotto aside to cool for 1 hour and then cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 hours. 6 Add breadcrumbs and egg to the risotto mixture and stir until well combined. 7 Divide into 20 equal portions and shape each into a patty. 8 Heat about 2 tsp of oil in a large non-stick frying pan on a mediumhigh setting. Add a batch of patties and shallow-fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer to a large plate lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining patties.