Perfect Risotto alla Norma | Easy Italian Recipe

ricotta salata

🥗Healthier: feta cheese

💰Cheaper: cottage cheese

Feta provides a similar salty flavor at a lower cost.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast is a dairy-free option that adds umami flavor.

Preheat the oven to 180°C for a fan-assisted oven or 200°C for a conventional oven.

Place the aubergine and sweet tomatoes on a tray lined with baking paper.

Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, and season with salt and pepper.

Add a handful of fresh basil on top.

Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, check the tomatoes; if cooked, remove them and leave the aubergine for another 10 minutes.

Once done, add the roasted vegetables to a bowl, including the garlic (skin removed).

Blend the mixture until smooth.

Remove the skin from the roasted aubergine and place it back in the oven for 10 minutes at 150°C to crisp it up for garnishing.

Chop the aubergine into rough pieces and add to the bowl for blending.

Add salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil to the aubergine and blend until uniform.

In a saucepan, dissolve vegetable stock in a tiny amount of hot water.

Add 200 grams of risotto rice and enough cold water to achieve a 2:1 water-to-rice ratio.

Once boiling, stir and cover with a lid, reducing heat to a simmer.

In a separate bowl, mix approximately 60 grams of halloumi with some milk until smooth.

Check the aubergine skin in the oven; it should be crispy for garnishing.

Once the risotto is nearly ready, add the blended aubergine, a little butter, and Parmesan cheese.

Let it cook for another couple of minutes to infuse flavors.

Serve the risotto topped with the cream of tomato, halloumi mixture, crispy aubergine skin, and fresh basil.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

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