COOKBOOK: THE NEW BASICS COOKBOOK - Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins
Risotto is not an easy dish to perfect. The rice has to be just right, not dry and not floating in liquid. I think everyone has stuffed up a risotto in their lives!
I think the easiest was to perfect this dish is knowing that you will need to possibly add a little extra stock if its looking too dry and it still has cooking time left. Two mins before the rice is cooked, it would have had to absorb most of the liquid. Also dont forget, rice will keep absorbing liquid after it has come off the heat!
The eggplant, tomato, basil combo was delicious! Give it a go, you have to start making risottos to learn to cook this dish just right!
Hope you enjoy
RECIPE
Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large eggplant (+ salt), cut into thick slices
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 handful of long beans, sliced into bite size
1 large red onion, diced
1 handful basil, chopped
1 cup rice, aborio
3-4 cups of chicken stock
Salt and pepper
I like to salt (generously) my eggplant slices, stand for 10-15mins, and allow the bitter liquid to rise to the top. You can either remove it by rinsing them under water very quickly and drying with a kitchen paper towel or wiping directly off the eggplant slice with a paper towel (which is my preference). Yes, this method could leave some salt on the eggplant but that’s ok, I just adjust it as I taste it when cooking.
Heat the olive oil in a deep pot and add the red onion, fry for a minute and add the eggplant and beans. Combine will. Add the rice and mix well. Once all the rice is coated in the olive oil, start adding 3 cups of stock (keep one as a spare , just incase it starts looking a little dry by 6-7mins into the cooking)
I do like to stir my risotto frequently to ensure its absorbing all the liquid nicely and there is no sticking at all at the bottom of the pan.
At the 8th minute of cooking, add tomatoes , basil , pepper and salt if needed.
Keep stirring and test-taste . Once happy with the texture of the cooked rice (it must not be over cooked), remove it from the heat and directly onto serving plates. Sprinkle with parmesan .
