Eggplant Risotto

When I smell risotto it brings me back to Italy. When I eat risotto I feel luxurious. When I make risotto I feel like I can master anything. Well, that may not be true, but I do feel rather accomplished. It is a tedious, loving journey to take a pot of rice to a creamy, delicious dinner, but it is well worth it.

This is one of my favorite risottos. Yotam Ottolenghi masterfully pairs both burnt and fried eggplant to create a perfect dish. And as I have said before in my Chicken Stock post, Mr. Ottolenghi believes stock “will make it or break it.” It holds especially true when it comes to risotto. You don’t want to spend all of this time on your risotto only to have it ruined by store-bought vegetable stock. So, please, trust me, make a stock this one time. You will by super stoked.

Roasted Eggplant Spread

Ryan loves hummus. Any hummus. All hummus. We don’t even buy hummus anymore because Ryan will eat the entire container without even noticing it.

The basis of any hummus is the chickpea and tahini. Now this spread doesn’t have any chickpeas in it, but it does have tahini, which is a middle eastern paste made from ground sesame seeds. 

Colorful veggies.

Chop up and roast.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Pasta salad is my go-to potluck dish. I make it light, fresh, and colorful, so it is always a crowd pleaser.  I was getting a little tired of my old recipe and found this one.

Chop up the veggies, toss with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.