Monday, July 23, 2007

Risotto con melanzane, spinaci e noci

One of my favorite things to make and eat is risotto. It's one of the few Italian dishes that can be both vegetarian and gluten-free in (a version of) its original form, and it's incredibly satisfying to eat. Plus, as I've discovered as I've gotten used to making it, it can be made with a wide variety of fresh vegetables, as long as the basis ingredients are on-hand.

What I know of making risotto, I owe to The Joy of Cooking and to Risotto, by Ursula Ferrigno. The proportions in the recipe below come mostly from the Joy of Cooking recipe.

To make this recipe, I started with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup steamed fresh spinach and about 3/4 to 1 cup cubed eggplant that had been sautéed in olive oil and garlic. I also toasted about 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw walnut pieces in a dry, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, until just fragrant, then set them aside on a saucer.

1. Bring 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover.
2. Finely chop 1/2 medium white onion. Heat about 1 Tbs olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat and add the onion, sautéing until soft and translucent. Mince and add three cloves of garlic.
3. Stir in 1/2 cup arborio rice, until rice is coated and turning translucent. Add 1/8 cup white wine (I had some Pinot Grigio open in the fridge) and cook, stirring, until liquid is mostly absorbed.



4. Add a ladle-full of the broth to the rice, and cook, stirring, until mostly absorbed. Repeat this step until most of the broth has been used and the rice is creamy-looking and al dente. This will take about 1/2 hour. When risotto is getting close to the right consistency, add the broth in 1/2-ladle increments.



5. Add eggplant and spinach, stirring to combine thoroughly, along with another 1/2-ladle of broth.



6. If eating alone, remove all but one serving-worth (there are about three to four servings there) to a storage container. Then sprinkle walnuts over portion that remains in skillet, and grate in 2 Tbs pecorino cheese. Drizzle remaining broth (should be less than a ladle-worth) into skillet, then stir gently to combine.

As served, with a green salad and one of the spinach-pecorino Chebe twists:



Mangia!

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