This eggplant risotto recipe fuses the flavors of eggplant parmigiana, the cherished southern Italian recipe, with risotto, a northern Italian preparation.
Summer's on the way, and this recipe provides an appropriate means of getting storked for the forthcoming season. This eggplant risotto enhances the vegetable's flavor without comprising on the freshness of the tomato. There are plenty of ways to make it – we like to use blanched tomatoes and baked eggplant. Keep reading for more ideas.
With fried eggplant
If you want to take the eggplant risotto up a few notches, begin by frying the eggplant slices in plenty of hot oil before you prepare the risotto. Remove the slices from the heat once they turn golden-brown and lay them on paper towels to dry, which will absorb the excess oil. Add the fried eggplant pieces at the end of the risotto prep to prevent it from getting soggy and losing its crispiness. You can even fry half the eggplant, cooking the rest of the eggplant along with the risotto.
With salad
If you're into rice salads, you can make a parmigiana version. Prepare the rice by boiling it as usual and enrich it with baked or fried eggplant, sliced tomato, and mozzarella. Serve the salad topped with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and fresh basil leaves that have been washed and dried.
The “red” version
The eggplant risotto recipe calls for freshly blanched tomatoes with the excess liquid having been extracted. If you want to give it a different twist (and you want a more intense flavor), fuse it with a previously prepared tomato sauce. Add the sauce to the risotto a few minutes before you remove the pan from the heat. For a gooey cheesiness, cut some mozzarella into cubes and throw them into the mix towards the end of cooking as well.