Aubergine (Eggplant) and Pumpkin Risotto

vegetarian risotto in a shallow blue bowl with a whole aubergine and half a pumpkin nearby.

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Aubergine (Eggplant) and Pumpkin Risotto

Use any sized aubergine and a chunk of pumpkin to make this delicious risotto

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free

Diet: Gluten Free, Nut Free

Servings: or 3 servings

Calories: 580kcal

Author: Thrifty Lesley

Cost: £1.01 per serving (for 3)

Equipment

Ingredients

80 g rice
15 g butter
2 tblsp olive oil
30 ml white wine vinegar I used a 5 litre container
OR
100 ml white wine
½ litre hot water

Vegetables

1 aubergine size doesn't matter
150 g pumpkin a wedge of pumpkin or winter squash, peeled and cubed, any type
150 g onion chopped

Topping

50 g parmesan

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Melt the butter in a pan and add the chopped onion. Sauté until transparent.
15 g butter, 150 g onion, 2 tblsp olive oil
Add the rice and stir around until that too is translucent. This gives the rice a nice toasty flavour.
80 g rice
Add the white wine vinegar or wine and allow to evaporate.
30 ml white wine vinegar, 100 ml white wine
Add the chopped aubergine and pumpkin
1 aubergine, 150 g pumpkin
Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Now add a ladleful of hot water. Stir every minute or so until the water is more or less absorbed. The stirring helps to release the starch from the rice and give it that lovely creamy texture, and keeping it hot helps to stop the rice cooling down too much each time you add a ladleful
½ litre hot water
Keep adding the hot water and stirring until the rice is almost cooked.
Risotto needs to be very moist, not dry like a rice accompaniment. So
leave enough moisture in there.
Stir in half the cheese. Serve immediately with the remaining cheese sprinkled over the top
50 g parmesan

Notes

What changes can I make to risotti?

Use any vegetables you like, substituting roughly the same quantity in total, it doesn't have to be exact. Choose a selection of whatever you have, examples are below

diced carrot, parsnip, swede or turnip
a lump of frozen spinach, finely shredded red, white or green cabbage, or I've tried half a radicchio that I received in a vegetable box recently, that was delicious and the cooking reduced the bitterness right down
a fresh tomato or so, or half a tin of chopped tomatoes
finely sliced fennel, kohl rabi or celeriac
peas are great for fibre and we all need more of that!
a bag of frozen mixed vegetables would work very well and would be super easy

There are three types of risotto rice - arborio, the cheapest and most easily available, carnoroli and vialone are considered the best, and are the most expensive, but they aren't commonly found in many shops. You could use any of the risotto rices on a small budget as you only need about 40g a portion. Please do use a risotto rice, other rices just don't make a good risotto

Nutrition