When salad meets risotto

Dear SOS: Could you please get the recipe for a starter of shaved baby artichokes piled on a cake of risotto at Napa Valley Grille? It is the flavors of the artichoke that are delicious.

TAMI WILSON

Westwood Hills

Dear Tami: Fresh baby artichokes are just coming into stores and farmers markets. They’re key to the success of this recipe. Anne Conness, executive chef, slices raw artichokes with a mandolin, creating paper-thin slices of crisp, pale-green artichoke.

Dressed in a lemon vinaigrette with basil, chives and cheese, they’re piled onto buttery risotto cakes and garnished with nutty Parmesan. It’s a great combination.

Make the components ahead of time and assemble at the last minute for a delightfully unusual dinner-party starter.

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Shaved baby artichoke salad with risotto cakes

Total time: 1 hour plus chilling time

Servings: 8

Risotto cakes

2 tablespoons extra virgin

olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1/2 cup Arborio rice

1/4 cup white wine

3 1/2 cups warmed chicken stock

1/4 cup mascarpone

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups panko crumbs

2 tablespoons butter

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion and cook until translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with oil. Add the wine and stir until it evaporates.

2. Slowly add the stock a little at a time, waiting for the liquid to incorporate before adding more. Stir frequently. Cook about 20 minutes. The rice should be fairly well cooked, not al dente, but not mush either. Remove from heat and stir in the mascarpone, butter and Parmesan until melted. Allow to cool.

3. Spread the risotto into a 9-by-13-inch dish and refrigerate 1 hour until chilled.

4. Shape the chilled risotto into 8 patties by hand. Put the flour, egg and panko into 3 separate shallow dishes. Dip each risotto cake into flour, shake off the excess, then dip into the egg, then the panko. Chill 30 minutes.

5. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the risotto cakes and cook on both sides until light golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes each side. Keep warm until serving time.

Lemon vinaigrette

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt, pepper

In a small mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until blended.

Assembly

12 baby artichokes

Lemon juice

6 basil leaves, julienned

1 tablespoon chopped chives

2 tablespoons grated

Parmesan

Lemon vinaigrette

Risotto cakes

2 ounces shaved Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Remove part of the stem and clean the artichokes, peeling away the tough outer leaves. Cut off the prickly tip. Slice the whole artichokes thinly on a mandolin, and place in water with lemon juice to keep the slices from turning brown.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the drained artichoke slices with the basil, chives, grated Parmesan and half of the lemon vinaigrette.

3. To serve, place a portion of salad on top of each risotto cake. Garnish with shaved Parmesan. Drizzle the remaining lemon vinaigrette around the risotto cakes.

Each of 8 servings: 517 calories; 12 grams protein; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 39 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 94 mg. cholesterol; 307 mg. sodium.