Fontina Risotto Cakes with Chives

Yay! I'm posting the first of my recipe collection. I served these for Easter dinner yesterday along with lamb and mixed veggies and soup and these were a big hit. I'll definitely make these again. I got this recipe out of Bon Appétit magazine. I've slightly changed it so I don't think I can be accused of copyright infringement for reprinting it here. You'll notice I say FRESHLY grated cheese and FRESH chives. The first is there is a world of difference between freshly grated Parmesan cheese and that grated powdery stuff that you get in the pasta aisle....eww, that stuff just doesn't smell right. And as far as fresh herbs, well, if that isn't pointed out, one COULD make the mistake and use dried herbs and that would be a mistake. The rule of thumb is to use 3 times as much fresh herbs as you would dried herbs.

Ingredients
4-5 cups (about) chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 tablespoons FRESHLY grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated FRESH Fontina cheese
1/4 cup chopped FRESH parsley
3 tablespoons chopped FRESH chives
1 large egg yolk
2 large eggs
Canola oil (for frying)

Instructions
Bring 4 cups broth to simmer in small saucepan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and keep warm.

Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 30 seconds.
Add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and simmer until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more, and stirring often, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in 6 tablespoons Parmesan and butter. Season with salt (if you want, I didn't use salt though) and pepper. Spread risotto in a thin layer in a pan and cool completely in the refrigerator. Can be chilled overnight.

Beat 2 eggs in shallow bowl to blend. Place 1 cup panko in another shallow bowl.

Mix 1/2 cup panko, Fontina cheese, parsley, chopped chives, and 1 egg yolk into risotto. The risotto will be a bit more solid than when it was first made, but it will make the cakes stick together much better. Shape mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls; flatten to 2-inch rounds. Dip risotto cakes into beaten egg, then into panko to coat.

Pour enough canola oil into large skillet to coat bottom; heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté risotto cakes until crisp and brown, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Either serve immediately or these can be made ahead of time and heated on a baking sheet in the oven on a low heat for 20 minutes.