FoodBanter.com - How to avoid crusty risssoles

David > wrote in
:

> Suggestions and ideas very welcome

Fry them up over moderate heat with just a few in the pan...this will
keep the oil warmer and allow cooking faster without getting too hard.

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David & Dawn's Ridgy-Didge Rissoles

Chef: David Anderson
ABC Capricornia Breakfast Presenter and Rissole Maker Extraodinaire

The Knack is a regular feature every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on
Drive with Ingrid Just...usually just before 6 o'clock, when you're
probably about to head into the kitchen.

This great recipe makes 10 rissoles.

Degree of difficulty: Medium

You need:

750g Lean mince
1 Onion finely chopped (better still, processor mushed)
1 Tablespoon very finely chopped red capsicum
1 Medium carrot finely chopped (better still, processor mushed)
Garlic - 3 cloves or to taste, peeled, crushed
1 Teaspoon mixed herbs, or finely chopped fresh
1 Teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 Egg whole
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Heaped tablespoons left-over mashed potato or rice
2 Tablespoons grated low fat cheese (a lite cheddar is good)
1 Tablespoon quality soy sauce
1 Cup stale bread loosely packed
Freshly ground black pepper, if available
1/4 cup of good quality vegetable oil (peanut is good, olive is better)
Breadcrumbs for coating
Flour for coating

Method:

Plan ahead, don’t be in a hurry, get passionate, LOVE your rissoles, and
they’ll love you back...perhaps not the next morning.

Rissoles falling apart is probably the major cause for dissatisfaction,
after "not tasty enough", "too hard or firm", "too big/small", and other
faults we’re sure you’ve heard. The answer, in the first instance, is
that the veges must be as fine as possible.

Put all ingredients into a bowl, except the last two coating ingredients,
remove your rings, and get stuck in mixing and squishing. If a bit of
moisture is lacking, add a tiny drop of water at a time or, if you can
bring yourself to, a splish of red wine (just under a splash and not as
profound as a splosh!), but only if absolutely necessary.

Mix some flour into the coating breadcrumbs, this helps them to stick.

Form up a small handful of mixture so you end up with a ball about 30-
35mm in diameter. Ensure you firmly compact the mixture, roll in the
flour/crumbs and set aside. Do this until all your mixture’s gone.

If your preparation is early enough, refrigerate the little blighters for
a while, this helps them to firm up and the flavours get going inside
too.

In a heavy pan, heat the oil on moderate heat. Drop a little bit of bread
into the oil...if it sizzles gently, you have the temperature just right.
You just need to seal each side of the rissole and allow the middle to
cook gently, driving the mix of flavours throughout.

Now, place a few of your rissoles into the pan, watching the temperature
of the oil doesn’t get too cool. Pat down very gently (cruelty to
rissoles is a crime, ya know?), otherwise you’ll introduce cracking. Turn
a few times.

Judge for yourself when they’re cooked, generally around 20 minutes.
Remember, partially cooked meat is dangerous.

Don’t walk away when cooking them, they’re playful creatures and can get
mischievous when abandoned.

Remove with a spatula, egglift or other flat instrument. Leave the tongs
in the draw.

A tip:
If you prefer a little extra piquancy or bite, add a couple of drops of
Worcestershire or Tabasco sauce, a little grated ginger, or a drop or two
of sweet chili sauce. Experiment, enjoy the cooking as much as the
eating, and adulation, of course!

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore