What We’re Cooking This Week: Leftover Rice Fritters

Wellspent Market founder Jim Dixon has been writing about food and restaurants for Willamette Week for a long time. He wants our readers to eat well, and he shows them how with the recipes he creates just for us by using simple cooking techniques and easy-to-find ingredients.

Leftovers are my favorite ingredient, and I usually make them into fritters. Most often it’s a mix of a leftover cooked vegetables that get chopped up, mixed with garlic, grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, eggs and breadcrumbs. I form the mixture into a patty and fry them until crisp. Sometimes I like to throw in some leftover grain, like with these rice fritters.

Take-out rice is fine, but it gets dry and sticky, so break it up completely and know it might need another egg. Rice cooked at home is better, and if you’re cooking it, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be brown rice. We all should be eating more whole grains. Brown rice has more flavor, too.

Beets are plentiful at farmers markets and in good produce sections; look for a bunch with lots of greens. They’re similar to chard but lack the thick stem. Spinach or even arugula would be acceptable substitutes. So-called spring onions are around most of the summer, and they’re regular onions that haven’t been cured.

I like to serve these fritters with hot honey, or a mix of Steen’s can syrup and Crystal hot sauce. But something creamy like tahini yogurt sauce would also be good. Fritters make good sandwiches, too.

Recipe

• 1 bunch beet greens
• 1 small red spring onion, about ½ cup finely chopped
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup sparkling water or beer
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 teaspoon kosher-style sea salt
• Extra virgin olive oil for frying

Cook the beet greens in plenty of boiling water for about 3 minutes, then drain and let cool. Chop enough of the greens to give you about 2 cups.

Mix the cooked beet greens with the rest of the ingredients, then use a pair of spoons to form fritters about the size of an egg. Gently slide them into hot olive oil, flatten a bit, and cook for about 4 minutes or until nicely browned. Flip and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a warm plate or skillet. Eat hot or at room temperature.