Grilled Eggplant Risotto

Grilled Eggplant Risotto

Ok, so I have decided.....I adore eggplant. Seriously folks. I could have a love affair with the deep dark purpley (yes, another Jillism) creamy vegetable. Ok, I admit, that was a bit much....but in all seriousness I love eggplant. Comfort food extraordinaire. I love how it absorbs any sort of flavor it's cooked in and I adore it's rich creaminess.

So today I made eggplant risotto. After a very very busy day doing my sign business and missing out on eating lunch I needed something to stick to my ribs tonight. As time consuming as making risotto is, it really isn't a difficult dish to prepare. Just lots of stirring. Which was fine. I just sat on my keester, played on my netbook, and stirred.

Here is the recipe breakdown. I thoroughly recommend making this guys. It's full of earthy, starchy, creamy goodness.

Grilled Eggplant Risotto

1 large eggplant cut into 1" thick slices

olive oil (for brushing on the eggplant)

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup finely minced onion

2 tablespoons finely minced shallot

2-3 crushed garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/4 cup white wine

3 cups hot chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup milk (or heavy cream if you happen to have some. Otherwise, milk works fine)

salt and pepper

Warm up your grill and brush the olive oil on each side of the eggplant then lightly salt. Place on the grill on medium/low heat. While your eggplant is cooking prepare the onion, shallot, and garlic. Melt the butter and add the remaining olive oil on a large skillet on medium heat. Once melted, add the rice, onion, shallot, and garlic stirring frequently. Add the wine and allow to fully cook/absorb into the rice. Next, add the broth at 1/4 cup increments stirring frequently allowing the broth to cook into the rice before adding more. After about 10 minutes, turn the eggplants on the grill, then cook an additional 10 minutes on the other side. When eggplant is completely cooked remove peel and place in a blender along with the milk. Blend until smooth and set aside. When the rice is cooked stir in the eggplant then season with salt and pepper.