Rice & Cheese Croquettes — a quite unusual finger food

If you're trying to find a name for a dish, it's probably best to opt for something related to the ingredients used or the food's characteristics. Therefore, it's no surprise that croquette derives from the French word "croquer," which means crunchy. While the croquettes we're making today will have a nice crunch to them, you may be surprised by what we've used as the filling...

You'll need (for 8 croquettes):

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 diced onion
• 10.5 oz short-grain rice
• salt and pepper
• 27 fl oz water
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 3.5 oz grated parmesan
• 3.5 oz cheese cubes
• 3.5 oz flour
• 2 whisked eggs
• 7 oz breadcrumbs
• vegetable oil

Here's how:

1. Melt the butter in a pan and fry the onions until they're translucent. Add the rice, let it sweat, and then season with salt and pepper. Now pour in the water and leave everything to simmer until the rice is cooked. Stir in the parsley and parmesan until the cheese has melted. Leave everything to cool.
2. Take some of the rice mix and flatten it in your hand. Place a cube of cheese in the middle and form a ball around it with the rice.
3. Roll the ball in flour, egg, and then breadcrumbs in that order. Now press it slightly flatter and place it on a baking tray. Pour a little oil on all of the croquettes and bake them at 360°F for 15 minutes. You can also fry the croquettes.

These tasty little croquettes are ideal for party buffets or as an entree to your evening meal. It'll also be fun to see the surprise on your guests faces when they bite into these fried morsels — what a great alternative to using potatoes!