Mushroom-Quinoa Risotto Cakes

Included In Cookbook:

*As included in For Goodness Sake Cookbook

Ingredients

1⁄4 cup

Dried Porcini Mushrooms

Shallots (chopped)

1 1⁄2 cup

Fresh Shitake Mushrooms ( caps, stems removed and added to vegetable stock to simmer)

2 tablespoons

Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 cup

Quinoa (rinsed well three times)

1 cup

Butternut Squash (puréed)

1⁄2 cup

Dry White Wine (or water)

2 cups

Mushroom Water (combined with vegetable stock)

1⁄2 cup

Nutty Parm

1⁄2 cup

Flat Leaf Parsley

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Description

The rich, buttery flavor of shiitake mushrooms and nutritional power of the quinoa make this entrée as substantial as it is elegant. Even though these cakes will disappear faster than the amount of time it took them to arrive on the table, they are well worth the effort. We serve two on each plate as an entrée, but a single cake makes a beautiful appetizer as well.

Prepare in advance:

Nutty Parm, (See Sauces & Misc.)
Roasted Pepper and Tomato Confit (See Sauces & Misc.)
1 small butternut squash, cooked and puréed
Roasted Vegetable Stock (see Soup section if using homemade, or see notes)

Summary

Yield	Cakes

Instructions

Cover the dried porcini mushrooms with hot water. Let soften, 5 to 10 minutes, then drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove the stems and chop the mushrooms.
In a large pot, sauté the shallots, porcini, and shiitakes in Earth Balance until the mushrooms begin to brown, approximately 5 minutes.
Add the quinoa and cook until glossy and coated with the Earth Balance.
Add the wine and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the liquid evaporates.
Combine all the reserved mushroom water with enough vegetable stock to equal 2 cups of liquid.
Continue cooking until the liquid is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. The quinoa should be creamy and starchy, which helps the cakes hold together. Turn off the heat.
Fold the squash into the quinoa. Add the Nutty Parm and parsley and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Remove pot from heat.
Lightly oil a griddle and preheat it to medium-high. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon about ¼ cup of the quinoa mixture onto the pan, and flatten to make a patty about 1-inch thick. Without crowding, repeat with the additional quinoa patties. Cook until lightly brown and crispy, turning once, about 8 minutes per side.
Serve the quinoa cakes with Roasted Pepper and Tomato Confit.

Notes

If you don’t have any homemade vegetable stock, add the mushroom stems to a cup or 2 of store-bought stock and simmer while you prepare the quinoa. In step 5, you can add this stock to your mushroom soaking water to make a total of 2 cups liquid.
Freezes well, cooked or uncooked.