What do you do with all of your leftover risotto? Turn it into croquettes, of course! You could make these with any risotto, I think, but I had beet lime risotto left, so that’s what I used. They’re very very simple to make, and they make a nice meal with a big salad. I couldn’t decide if I should fry them or bake them, they’d be crispier fried, but they’d fall apart and smoke up the kitchen, so I decided to bake them. If I had a deep fryer, I probably would have used that. But I don’t! (As we discussed this conundrum, my husband and I came up with the idea of slow cooker deep frying. For maximum oil absorption! Yum!) Baking them also gives the special surprise cheese in the center a chance to melt. What’s better than melted surprise cheese? We had these with a sauce made of pesto, balsamic, and a little of the broth that I used to make the risotto itself, but you could vary the sauce to suit your mood or the risotto that you used. My son dipped them in barbeque sauce!

Here’s A Tribe Called Quest’s wonderful Ham and Eggs. That’s right, they say “nice red beets”!

Asparagus tips look yummy, yummy, yummy
Candied yams inside my tummy
A collage of good eats, some snacks or nice treats
Apple sauce and some nice red beets
This is what we snack on when we’re Questin’
(both: No second guessin)

4 cups risotto of your choice. I used this Beet and lime risotto. I chopped up some pistachios and stirred them right in.
1/4 cup grated cheese. I used smoked gouda, because it went nicely with the beets and limes, but you could adjust this to suit your risotto.
1 egg

To coat…
1 egg – beaten, mixed with about 1 T of milk
1/4 cup flour
2 or 3 slices whole wheat bread, ground into crumbs
black pepper
1 t. basil

To fill…
Cubes of mozzarella. About 12 1/2-inch cubes

Mix the risotto with the egg and the cheese.

Have three small bowls or plates ready…one with flour, one with beaten egg, and one with bread crumbs mixed with pepper and basil.

Take out a big spoonful of risotto – a heaping tablespoonful should do it – you’re going to make a ball about the size of a golf ball.

Poke a little hole in the ball and push in a cube of cheese. Seal the ball back up.

Dip it in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.

I made 11 balls, in all.

Put the balls on a plate and put them in the fridge for a little while to set.

Preheat the oven to 425. Generously coat a baking sheet with olive oil.

Put the balls on the sheet and roll them around a little, so they’re all coated with oil.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, till they’re brown and crispy. Turn them every once in a while so they can brown on all sides.