Name: Risotto con le Melanzane (Rice with Eggplant)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 pound firm eggplants, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice; Salt; 6 cups vegetable broth; ¼ cup olive oil, or as needed; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; Grated Parmesan cheese for serving; 2 cups Arborio rice; 4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cucina Ebraica

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 1998

About

Rice, eggplant, and artichokes were brought to Sicily by the Arabs in the tenth century, and first adopted by Jewish cooks. Without them, we would not have this delicious dish or many others. Some cooks prepare this as a pilaf, adding all the broth at once and letting the rice absorb it, covered, over very low heat with no stirring.

Ingredients

1 pound firm eggplants, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
Salt
6 cups vegetable broth

Method

Place the diced eggplant in a colander, sprinkle generously with salt, and let drain for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant and wipe dry. Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring to a simmer; adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

Warm the olive oil in a large, wide nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and parsl