Pinehaven Rice Patties

 

 Mom used to make a rice patty that we both loved. I remember she got the recipe from Kettering Memorial Hospital. They were Seventh Day Adventist and served meatless meals. This one immediately got our attention. Trouble is, I have no idea what happened to the recipe. In fact  Mom only made it a few times. I remember it was a lot of work.

 What to do? I figured I could recreate the recipe if I had some basic guidelines to  follow. So I looked at several recipes on the internet for rice patties. I modified quantities and added (and deleted) ingredients and think it's fair that I call this recipe mine.

Pinehaven Rice Patties

1 cup long grain rice - upon cooking you'll end up with a few cups to work with
    [Note:  Use a nice long grain rice. Do not use a quick rice!]
1/2 small onion
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese [or whatever]
1/2  cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes [optional]
1 cup chopped pecans

 Just follow the directions to cook the rice and then allow it to cool somewhat before continuing (so you don't scramble the eggs).
 I mixed the onions, cheeses, salt, pepper and and red pepper flakes in a large bowl.
 I whisked the eggs.
 Add the rice to the bowl with the onions, etc. and mix thoroughly.
 Add the egg mixture and mix again.
 Finally add the chopped pecans and stir everything together.

 Refrigerate this mixture for half  an hour or so until it's easier to handle.

 Heat s skillet with some vegetable oil. I started on high and backed off to just above halfway to finish them off. It's best to cover them while frying to heat them thoroughly through the middle.
 Use a tablespoon  to gather fistfuls of the mixture and press into a  ball. Mine were an inch to 1.5" thick. Then can be pressed down a bit while frying.
 Add them to a skillet and fry about 7 minutes per side (I like them fairly crispy on the top and bottom)

 This recipe makes an even dozen rice patties.

 Too dark for you? Back off the heat or fry them less time.

Before frying - this is an 8" non-stick skillet

After about 14 minutes

 Tom has to limit his salt intake but I added more salt to mine on  the plate. If this isn't a concern, more salt could be added to the mixture before frying.

 When Tom first saw them he said, "These look just like crab cakes".

 Tom ate three; I ate four (I'm a pig). I have the rest in a container in the refrigerator for later this week. They're an absolute hit as a meat substitute.