Winter is made for heartwarming dishes and what’s more heartwarming than a risotto.
I’ve topped the classic tomato risotto with a couple of my favourite ingredients, and the result is a flavour bomb in each spoonful.
INGREDIENTS (serve 2 ppl)
160 gr Carnaroli rice
1 eggplant, diced
1 garlic clove
1 shallot, finely diced
500 ml Vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
300 gr tomato passata
2 tbsp butter
Ricotta
Basil leaves
Extra-Virgin olive oil
Salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven at 180ºC and line a baking tray.
Place the eggplants into the tray and dress them with olive oil and salt.
Bake them for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Set aside.
In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to boil and let it simmer away.
In another saucepan, over low heat, add a glug of olive oil and the diced shallot.
Stir occasionally and let it cook until translucent (about 5-6 minutes).
When the shallot is done, add the garlic clove and cook until lightly golden.
Now add the rice, stir and make sure it’s well coated by the oil.
Once the rice is toasted (about 2-3 minutes), add the wine, stir, and cook until it has evaporated.
Now add the passata, a pinch of salt and a ladle of stock to cover the rice.
Stir occasionally and make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the stock is absorbed by the rice, add another ladle or two of the stock.
Repeat until you have used the majority of the stock and your rice is al dente (approximately 18 minutes).
Now stir in the butter, half of the baked eggplant, some basil leaves finely chopped and check for seasoning.
Once the butter is melted through the rice, cover it a let it rest for 1 minute.
Serve it in individual plates and top the rice with the rest of the eggplant, few dollops of ricotta, basil leaves and a final drizzle of Extra-Virgin olive oil.
Davide
