The eggplant and smoked cheese risotto is a simple and delicious main course, ideal for those times when you want a tasty and different dish. Gooey and creamy – even though it’s without butter – the eggplant and smoked cheese risotto combines the slightly bitter taste of eggplant with the sweeter and more savory flavor of smoked cheese; a touch of tomato puree not only adds color but balances the dish with a slight acidity. The preparation is really simple and quite quick: I chose to sauté the eggplants in a pan, but if you prefer, you can opt for fried eggplants, which must be well-drained of oil. The rest of the process involves preparing a classic risotto with vegetable broth and tomato, to which are added, towards the end, cubes of smoked cheese and a sprinkle of Parmesan for impeccable creaminess!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Eggplant and Smoked Cheese Risotto
- 1 black oval eggplant (about 1.1 lbs)
- 1/4 onion
- 1 1/2 cups Carnaroli rice
- 1/3 cup tomato puree
- 4.6 oz smoked cheese
- 2 tbsps Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 2 leaves mint
- 1 leaf basil
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste vegetable broth
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan non-stick
- 1 Ladle slotted
How to Prepare Eggplant and Smoked Cheese Risotto
To prepare the eggplant and smoked cheese risotto, start by washing the eggplant. Dry it, remove the stem, and cut it into cubes (1). In a large non-stick pan – you can also use the same one you’ll use to cook the risotto – pour the oil (2) and heat it well. Then add the eggplants (3).
Lightly salt them, season with a bit of mint, and cook for 7-8 minutes over high heat, stirring often, until tender (4). Drain them with a slotted spoon and set them aside. In the same cooking base, add the finely chopped onion and let it gently cook for about a minute (5). Then add the rice (6).
Toast it over high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, then deglaze with a ladle of boiling vegetable broth (7). Also add the tomato puree, a basil leaf, and a pinch of salt (8). Cook the rice for about ten minutes, stirring often and adding a little boiling broth each time the previous one is absorbed. Meanwhile, cut the smoked cheese into not too large cubes (9).
After 10 minutes, add the previously sautéed eggplants (10). Continue cooking the eggplant risotto for about 5-6 minutes, always adding more hot broth when needed. When the rice is cooked, make sure the broth is well absorbed (adjust according to taste if you prefer a drier or creamier risotto), add the smoked cheese (11), and stir briefly to melt it.
Then turn off the heat and add the grated Parmesan (12). Stir carefully for about a minute to perfectly cream the risotto (13).
Serve the eggplant and smoked cheese risotto immediately.
Storage
If there are leftovers, you can store the risotto in the refrigerator in a glass container for a couple of days. You can then use it to prepare delicious supplì or riso al salto.
Tips and Variations
If you prefer a white risotto, you can omit the tomato. For a more distinctive flavor, you can use smoked cheese instead of white cheese.
