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Rice Croquettes with Mozzarella

These rice croquettes are moulded around nuggets of mozzarella and rolled in breadcrumbs before cooking. Traditionally croquettes are deep-fried, but these are oven-baked for a modern streamlined version that is much healthier.

Cook Smart for a Healthy Heart, Reader's Digest Canada

Directions

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir. Stir in the vermouth and boil until it has almost evaporated. Add a ladleful of stock and simmer, stirring, until it is almost all absorbed. Continue adding stock, a ladleful at a time, allowing it to be almost absorbed before adding the next, stirring frequently, about 15–20 minutes. The risotto is ready when the rice is tender but the grains are still firm, and the overall texture is creamy.
Remove from heat and season with pepper. Stir in the egg and Parmesan cheese, then leave to cool. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Heat a lightly oiled ovenproof dish in the oven. Mix the breadcrumbs with some pepper on a large plate. Spoon the risotto into 8 mounds on a board. Press a cube of mozzarella into the centre of each mound, then press the risotto over the cheese to enclose it. With your hands, mould each mound into a neat egg-shaped croquette. Roll the rice croquettes in the seasoned breadcrumbs until completely coated. Place in the hot ovenproof dish and bake for 30–40 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden-brown.
Make a heap of spinach on 4 plates and top each one with 2 croquettes. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

preparation time 15 mins, plus cooling
cooking time 11⁄4 hours
serves 4 (makes 8)

Ingredients 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio (risotto) rice
4 tablespoons dry vermouth
2 1⁄3 cups hot reduced-salt vegetable stock
pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
1⁄3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2⁄3 cup fine white breadcrumbs, made from bread 1–2 days old
50 g mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 cubes
100 g baby spinach to serve
lemon wedges to serve

Nutritional Information

PER SERVING

391 calories
13 g protein
12 g total fat
4 g saturated fat
68 mg cholesterol
52 g total carbohydrate
4 g sugars
2 g fibre
867 mg sodium

Raw spinach is a good source of beta carotene and provides vitamins C and E, all of which are antioxidants that help to protect against heart disease, strokes and cancer.

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