What has gotten into me?  Of all the seasonal cooking I’ve been doing lately, I plow ahead and post a dish that is completely the opposite: Prosciutto & Pecorino Risotto Croquettes.  I couldn’t help myself.  I was seeking comfort.  In accepting the fact that my seasonal cooking is a little askew, I have to assure my readers that what I present to you today, though a winter favorite, is perfectly suited for a breezy summer afternoon.  The photo above shows a small bowl of risotto, completely stripped away of the endless variety of vegetables, cheeses or meats you can add to it.  In other words, it’s a simple risotto made with the basic essentials.  For me that is arborio rice, garlic, onions, butter, wine, vegetable stock, and parmesan.  Anyone that cooks risotto understands the laborious amount of stirring it takes–in between pouring ladles of stock–to get the rice nice and soft but with a slight bite.  In this post, I won’t verbally demonstrate that work…instead, I will speak of the end result, that being the basic risotto, and what you can make with the leftovers.

Croquettes are great for many reasons.  For me, the small portion and the ease of eating it are two of the main reasons why I like croquettes.  You’re not sacrificing flavor and you’re not committing yourself to a large dish.  You get all you need–creamy risotto filled with pecorino and prosciutto–in one small ball or disc.  Subtract the tedious undertaking of making the base, and the rest is easy with just an assembly line of flour, eggs and breadcrumbs.  With moist hands, scoop a spoonful of creamy risotto and roll into a ball.  Poke your finger to create a small indentation where the prosciutto and pecorino can easily fit into and then roll the creamy risotto over that hole.  Dust the risotto ball evenly with flour and dip into the beaten eggs.  Then cover the ball evenly with breadcrumbs.  You can keep the shape of a ball.  I, however, thought it was easier to flatten it with a soft touch to create a small disc.  The photo below will show you what that looks like.

 

The beauty of this dish is you can store them in the fridge or freezer for later use.  Can you imagine the dilemma this solves if you’re prepping these for a party?  Hello??  Simple!  Easy!  When you’re ready to eat these all you have to do is lightly fry them in olive oil for about 2 minutes on each side.  You will end up with the following:

Just like the way I dress myself in clothes, I like to add a little pizazz to an otherwise plain black t-shirt by wearing a nice necklace or a scarf or red lipstick.  You get the idea.  With these risotto croquettes, that pizazz is synonymous to a store-bought marinara sauce.  I simply added minced garlic and dried oregano and simmered the sauce for about 10 minutes.  Brooklyn, EAT your heart out!