Eggplant Risotto

Eggplant risotto is a delicious and fragrant dish that evokes the tradition of Mediterranean cuisine. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 320 g Carnaroli or Arborio rice
• 2 medium eggplants
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 800 ml vegetable broth
• 100 ml white wine
• 40 g grated Parmesan
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Wash the eggplants, cut them into cubes and let them drain with a bit of salt for about 20 minutes to remove the bitterness.
2. In the meantime, prepare a soffritto with extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped onion and a clove of garlic. When the onion becomes transparent, remove the garlic.
3. Add the eggplant cubes to the soffritto and sauté for a few minutes. Then, remove the eggplants and set them aside.
4. In the same pan, toast the rice until it becomes transparent, then deglaze with white wine.
5. Once the wine has evaporated, start adding the vegetable broth one ladle at a time, waiting for the liquid to be absorbed before adding more, stirring frequently.
6. Halfway through cooking, reincorporate the eggplants into the risotto. Continue cooking by adding broth until the rice is al dente.
7. When the risotto is ready, turn off the heat, add the grated Parmesan, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and stir well to combine.
8. Adjust salt and pepper and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Serve the eggplant risotto hot and, if you like, you can add a sprinkle of Parmesan and an additional drizzle of raw oil.

Trivia

The eggplant risotto can be enriched with diced tomato or passata to give a note of acidity, or you can add mozzarella cut into cubes in the last minutes of cooking for a stringy and richer version. Some variations also involve the use of salted ricotta instead of Parmesan for a more intense flavor.