Millet Risotto Cakes with Parmesan and Peas

In this fortnight's Green Mondays recipe, millet is the hero of these crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside arancini.

Each fortnight, Kelly Gibney presents Green Mondays - a wholefoods column that showcases the tastiest vegetarian recipes. 

Millet is probably my favourite grain. It is delicious, inexpensive and incredibly versatile. Perfect for a no-stir cheat's approach to risotto. This recipe is very simple to make and the result is is a tasty crowd pleaser. You’ll find hulled millet at your local health food store or in the healthy food section of a good supermarket. 

I like to serve these with a lemon and mustard dressed salad with avocado and toasted seeds. They're great eaten the next day in a packed lunch too!

Ingredients 

1 cup hulled millet

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/2 cup peas

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 egg and approximately 1 cup ground almonds or breadcrumbs for coating risotto cakes

Makes 8 medium sized risotto cakes. 

Cook the millet, stock, garlic and bay leaf in a pot over a medium-high heat. After bringing to the boil, leave the millet to simmer gently until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the bay leaf after 15 minutes.

Stir through peas and parmesan. Season well with salt and pepper. Put a lid on the pot and set aside for 15 minutes to let the millet get sticky and absorb the last of the stock.

Use wet hands to form medium sized cakes. Place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to firm up.

Dip in egg and then coat in ground almonds. Sauté over a medium heat until crispy and golden. Alternatively bake in the oven at 220 degrees (fan assisted) for 15 minutes.

For more recipes like this, head over to Kelly's wholefoods blog, Bonnie Delicious.