Caramelised Onion and Mozzarella Rice Cakes

A recipe from my friend Chris. Make sure your stock is well flavoured and you really cook the onions to a sticky caramelised state-this simple recipe relies on those two things for it's yummy flavour. Serve these cold or warm with chutney or tomato sauce. No time given in the prep for refridgerating the mix.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Yields: 24 cakes

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  oil (divided)
• 2  onions, slice fine
• 1  tablespoon brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon  balsamic vinegar
• 1  cup arborio rice
• 2 1⁄2 cups  chicken stock, boiling (divided)
• 25  g butter
• 1  cup  grated parmesan cheese
• 100  g mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
•  extra parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat half the oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook over low heat stirring frequently. Add the sugar and vinegar and cook until well caramelised (this took around 30 minutes for me to be happy with it and I stirred often). Remove from heat.
2. Heat the remaining oil, add the rice and stir to coat all the grains with oil.Add 2 1/4 cups stock (RESERVE 1/4 cup). Stir, then simmer covered on low for 12 minutes or until rice is tender.
3. Remove from the heat and add the remaining stock, butter, 1 cup of parmesan, and the caramelised onion. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180c.
5. Grease a 24 hole mini muffin pan.
6. Roll about 3 teaspoons rice into a ball, make a hole and insert a cube of mozzarella cheese inside moulding rice to close the hole. (use your own judgement here, your mini muffin pan might be a slightly different size to mine which was different to Chriss').
7. Sprinkle over extra parmesan then bake 20 minutes or until firm and golden.
8. Cool in the pan, then remove and serve at room temp or re-heat a little when you serve them.