Sicilian Style Eggplant Risotto

Sicilian Style Eggplant Risotto
(From Shar - original posted w/ my notes on changes)

Prep Work on Eggplant
• 2 large eggplants
• Salt

Slice the eggplants lengthwise and sprinkle liberally on both sides of the slices with salt. Let them sit for at least an hour to draw out the bitter juices. Rinse them, and pat them dry with paper towels.

While the eggplant sits, make the Sauce:

Sauce:
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tbsp minced parsley
• 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
• 16 oz whole canned San Marzano tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or use crushed tomatoes)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

While the eggplant sits, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion until soft, then add the parsley, 2 tbsp fresh basil, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for 25 minutes.

[Shar’s note: I skipped this whole step and used bottled spaghetti sauce instead of canned. I didn’t have to add any salt, but I did add onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, onion powder, parmesan, pepper, basil, and parsley to the simmering sauce]

Risotto:
• From the original recipe:
¼ c extra virgin olive oil [I used less than this and it was fine]
2 tbsp minced onion
2 cups Arborio rice
4-6 cups chicken [option: vegetable] stock, warm
¼ c grated caciocavello or aged provolone cheese
• Extras that I added:
1 tbsp garlic
1 grated carrot or minced bell pepper
Bullion cube
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425oF

Heat the stock in a saucepan. Once the stock heats, turn down the heat to a low to allow the stock stay warm. [Note: Add a bullion cube to the stock if available to increase the flavor. Also, use vegetable stock instead of chicken for a vegetarian dish].

For the risotto, heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a heavy sauté pan and sauté the minced onion for 2 minutes or until onion is slightly translucent.
[Note: If using carrot or bell pepper, add that to the pan around 1 min after the onions are added. If using garlic, add it around 1 minute before the rice is added].
Add the rice to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes until the rice starts to turn brown and smell nutty. Add the stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently. Allow each addition of stock to be fully absorbed before adding the next one. When the rice is al dente (still has a little bit of a bite), remove it from the heat, stir in the provolone cheese [and optional parmesan], and season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the rice cooks, cook the eggplant….

Eggplant:
• Eggplant (Dried w/ paper towels from above)
• Flour for dredging [also can substitute cornstarch or rice flour if trying to stay gluten free; purpose of flour is to add color and crunch, and to help dry the eggplant further]
• Olive Oil for frying (Note: Grape seed oil has a higher smoke factor and can be used here)

Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, shaking off excess. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add ¼ cup of olive oil. Fry the eggplant slices in batches, until they are golden brown on both sides. Add more oil to the pan as needed. Drain the cooked eggplant on paper towels.

Putting it all together:
• Gather the cooked eggplant, risotto, and sauce
• ¾ - 1 cup caciocavallo or aged provolone cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Brush a large, shallow baking dish with oil (or spray w/ pam), and lay 1/3 of the eggplant slices over the bottom. Spread half of the risotto over the eggplant, then add half the sauce, half the cheeses, and some of the chiffonade (you can also just tear 4-5 leaves by hand if you don’t want to cut it). Add on top of that another layer of eggplant, remaining sauce and remaining basil. Top with rest of eggplant slices and cheeses.
[Shar’s notes: I used a huge lasagna pan, so I only had two full layers. My layers were: first eggplant, then risotto, then sauce, then basil, then cheeses, then eggplant again, etc]

[Note: If you want to make this ahead, cover the pan with aluminum foil and store up to two days at this point]

Bake for 15 – 30 minutes until heated through and top is browned.

[If stored in the fridge, let it warm for 30 minutes before putting it in the over to help heat it more gently]