Mini Roasted Poblano Risotto Cakes with Grilled Corn Salsa

By á-10254

Ingredients

• Cook Time: 1.5 hours
• 4 cups leftover cooked, chilled risotto
• 2 poblano peppers
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• grilled corn salsa
• 4 ears sweet corn
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/3 cup freshly torn cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• chipotle lime crema
• 2/3 cup sour cream or full-fat greek yogurt
• 1 chipotle pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
• 1 lime, freshly zested and juiced
• a pinch of salt

Preparation

Step 1

Yield: serves 4



Begin by either roasting or grilling the poblano peppers. I either place them on the grill until charred, under the broiler in my oven until charred or on my gas stovetop until charred. Once the skin is black and charred, place the peppers in a ziplock bag and seal for 20 minutes. Set aside. After 20 minutes, rub the skin off of the peppers. Sometimes I do this with a paper towel or under water. Remove the seeds and dice the peppers.

Add the cooked risotto to a large bowl and break it apart with a fork. Add in the ricotta and flour and stir, then toss in the peppers. Bring the mixture together with your hands and form mini cakes about 1 1/2-2 inches in diameter and 1 inch in thickness. Pack the cakes together so they stick.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil - I usually start with about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Add the panko to a bowl. Place each risotto cake in the bread crumbs and press gently so the crumbs adhere. Add them to the skillet and cook until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Serve the risotto cakes immediately with the crema, grilled corn salsa and a wedge of lime.

As a note, I make my risotto the night before and let it sit in the fridge. I toasted the rice in 2 tablespoons olive oil, add 2 garlic cloves, use 2 cups of chardonnay and about 3 to 4 cups of low-sodium chicken stock. Once the liquid is absorbed, I add in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. This way the risotto is super flavorful to make the cakes.

grilled corn salsa
To grill the corn, rub the ears with the olive oil. Lately, I've been grilling my corn without the husks on and without foil, so it takes only a few minutes. Place the ears on the grill and cook until the corn is golden or charred - whichever you prefer - turning the ears as you go. Remove them from the grill and let cool slightly. Then slice the kernels from the cob.

Combine the corn, tomatoes, peppers, onion and cilantro together in a bowl. Add the juice of one lime, the salt and pepper and toss well. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

chipotle lime crema
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. If the crema is still thick, add additional lime juice