Almond crumbed risotto balls
If risotto is your comfort meal then these risotto balls crumbed with almond meal as a change to bread crumbs will be your comfort snack for sure! The beauty of this recipe is you can use it as a base and experiment with different fillings if you wish – a piece of roast pumpkin or sweet potato, sun dried tomatoes, or a dollop of pesto.
In our family Jet loves the pesto centre or a bit of cheese and if I make Elke risotto I’m sure to use a low sodium broth / stock. You can keep as dairy free using nutritional yeast whilst also adding in a valuable source of Vitamin B12.
Vitamin B 12 is essential for neurological function, red blood cell formation and DNA synthesis, whilst also playing a vital role as a cofactor in a number of enzyme pathways.
Alternatively, if you don’t have nut yeast on hand (buy at supermarket if you don’t sometime soon!) then use some parmesan or pecorino to your taste.
ALMOND CRUMBED RISOTTO BALLS
Makes 12-14 balls
Gluten free : Dairy Free : Vegan
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium (175g) brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup (250g) arborio rice
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/3 cup almond meal
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
To serve: fresh passata
Heat a saucepan on medium heat, add olive oil, onion and garlic and cook stirring for 5-6 minutes. Add arborio rice and cook, stirring to prevent sticking, for 2 minutes. Add thyme and stock and cook stirring throughout for approximately 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir through nutritional yeast and season with sea salt and black pepper. Allow rice to cool then measure 2 tablespoons and roll into balls. Heat oven to 180c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Combine almond meal and parsley on a plate and roll each risotto ball into the crumb. Place ball on tray and repeat. Once all are on tray spray generously with extra virgin olive oil then place in oven to bake for 18-20 minutes. Serve with warm passata to dip.
