leak

One of these Italian dishes that I have made a few times, which is especially suitable for summer. Delicious, light, and easy to prepare. I decided to post my version of green risotto along with what I could do with leftover risotto from lunch. There are many options, you can make deep-fried risotto balls (Arancini), or you can fill the leftover risotto with mushrooms and vegetables, which is always delicious. As an option here, I made breaded risotto cakes, which are delicious and eaten with a spicy, garlicky tomato sauce.
Risotto is a food that is very easy to prepare, but you have to dedicate yourself to making it, otherwise, the dish can easily fail.

Preparation time: 30-40 minutes
Level: Medium
Quantity: For two to four

Ingredients:
Risotto:
200-250 g of risotto rice, arborio rice is usually available in the store, which is my preference for making risotto
About 400 ml of dry white wine
200 g of grated parmesan
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
3-4 medium cloves of garlic finely chopped
About 100 g of 82% butter
200 g frozen green peas or fresh green peas
200 g of asparagus, the ends cut off at a length of about 3 cm and halved, the soft parts of the rest of the asparagus stalks chopped into small pieces
150 g of leek, finely chopped
150 g of broccoli chopped into small pieces
A handful of fresh dill chopped
A handful of fresh parsley chopped
Black pepper and sea salt to taste

Risotto cakes:
Leftover risotto the day before
A couple of tablespoons of flour for breading
For breading an egg
Breadcrumbs for breading
Olive oil for frying

For the tomato sauce:
400 g can of chopped tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 chili, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
A small handful of basil leaves for seasoning
A handful of grated parmesan for sprinkling on top of the food

Preparation:
Risotto:

1. Chop the onion and garlic, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat, and lightly fry the onion and garlic. Under no circumstances should the onion be allowed to brown.
2. After a few minutes, add the risotto rice, stir, and fry for about a minute with the onion and garlic.
3. Add half the amount of white wine to the rice and reduce the heat to low, stir the food often, the rice must not burn on the bottom under any circumstances.
4. When the liquid evaporates, add water or broth. Some say that you should use stock, but in my opinion, the risotto is even lighter and better than just using water. The flavors come from rice, wine, parmesan, and spices.
5. Add water until the rice tastes semi-soft. Then add the other half of the white wine and mix as before. The more you stir the risotto, the better it will be, the starch will get out of the rice grains nicely and the risotto will be sticky and silky as it should be. Season the risotto with black pepper and sea salt.
6. At the same time, chop the greens. Cut the ends of the asparagus about 3 cm long and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut the remaining asparagus stalks into thin slices. Finely chop the leek, finely chop the dill and parsley. Chop the broccoli tops into small pieces.
7. When the wine has almost evaporated and soaked into the rice grains, add all the chopped greens – asparagus, peas, leeks, dill, parsley, and broccoli.
8. Stir and let it simmer for a few minutes with the rice. Green risotto tastes best when all the green vegetables are semi-soft and slightly crunchy.
9. Add grated parmesan, mix, and add butter. Remove the risotto from the stove and let the butter melt. Stir the risotto and transfer immediately to plates.
10. To serve, add olive oil to the risotto, sprinkle with grated parmesan, and sprinkle with black pepper.
    When serving risotto, there could also be a plate with grated parmesan, to shake additionally, a black pepper grinder, and a pitcher of olive oil.
    Done!!

Risotto cakes:
If you cannot eat all the risotto, it is a very good option to make breaded risotto cakes the next day

1. Prepare the sauce. Chop the garlic, pour a little olive oil into the pan, and lightly fry the garlic, add a 400 g can of chopped tomatoes, let it boil, and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
2. Chop a small handful of basil, add to the sauce, and season with ground black pepper and sea salt.
3. Prepare the risotto cakes. To do this, shake some flour and breadcrumbs on the plates. Beat 1-2 eggs.
4. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
5. Shape the remaining risotto into balls of the desired size, press them flat, and bread them first in flour, then in egg and breadcrumbs.
6. Fry the risotto cakes until golden brown on both sides.
7. Put the sauce on a plate, arrange the risotto cakes neatly on top of the sauce, and garnish with a sprig of basil.
   If desired, sprinkle with grated parmesan and black pepper.
   Ready!!