Miso Eggplant Risotto // S1E5 The Jersey Devil
The first time we ever attempted a risotto, the rice was crunchy and unpleasant. The problem, it turns out was impatience– risotto needs a lot of time to cook slowly to make the rice tender and creamy. How much time? About 40 minutes; the equivalent of an episode of The X-Files. And while The X-Files is a triumph of ’90s television, not every episode deserves our full, or even partial, attention. Reegan and I are in agreement that The Jersey Devil has the distinction of being the first really tough X-Files episode to get through. So, what better way to spend your time than half-watching it in the background while you make a really delicious vegan miso eggplant risotto?
Episode recap & risotto method
Preheat the oven to 400°F and then start the episode. During the cold opening, cut up your eggplant into half inch pieces and put it on a baking sheet. As the opening theme plays in the background, cover your eggplant with olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and put it into the oven. Glance over at the TV to catch a glimpse of Mulder studiously researching alien abduction via the august publication, Hanky Panky.
Chop up the the garlic and scallions. As you chop, overhear the police chief tell Mulder that the case is a local matter and he’s been exceedingly polite, as the music swells. It’s time to sauté the aromatics. Sauté the garlic and scallions for about 1 minute as Mulder and Scully walk and talk to their car. Admire how Mulder’s hair is especially fluffy and well lit, but quickly return to the risotto to add some rice.
For the next five minutes you are trapped at the stove, stirring rice and preparing the broth. Don’t worry, you’re not missing much on The X-Files. After the rice begins to look a little translucent and glistening, add about ¼ of the broth (about 1/2 C). You can use any type of vegetable broth; we like to use Edward & Sons Garden Veggie or Not-Chick’n. Give it a stir, and then you need to let it simmer on low, undisturbed for about 5 minutes. One of the key strategies for making a good risotto is to occasionally completely ignore that risotto. During the ignoring phase you can clean up the kitchen, if you’re so inclined, or you can get back to watching The X-Files.
Returning to the TV, you’ll find Mulder is in the woods and Scully is at a birthday party. You’re just in time to catch Scully saying that Mulder is a jerk. We also meet Rob, Scott’s dad and wet blanket, apparently. It’s interesting how this show occasionally remembers that Scully might have a personal life.
Meanwhile, Mulder has left the woods to wander along the rough, trash-strewn streets of Atlantic City. He finds a man who clearly knows something. He shows Mulder a folded up drawing that he found. Mulder automatically interprets it as a drawing of a cryptid, but honestly, it just looks like a bad drawing of an adult woman.
Take a minute or two to add broth and stir the risotto.
Come back to see Mulder sleeping rough. Things have really gone downhill quickly. He’s startled awake by basic city sounds to see a mysterious figure, and he takes off after it. From our perspective, the only info Mulder has is that he’s chasing after a naked woman who may need help. But then the cops show up and Mulder keeps yelling about there being a man on the roof of the building. He’s taken in to the station, where he produces the badly drawn picture as evidence. Scully gets to work in time for Mulder to call her from the drunk tank, so she rescues him so they can have another walk and talk.
Take a minute to stir your risotto, add more broth, and peek at your eggplant. Give the eggplant a quick stir.
Get back to The X-Files just in time for Scully to announce that she has a date. On the way back to D.C. they stop at UMD to meet an anthropology prof from Scully’s undergrad days who tells them some stuff that confirms Mulder’s theories.
They get back to D.C., and like the audience, Mulder and Scully are also having a dull evening. Mulder is moodily looking at Jersey Devil “evidence” and Scully is listening to Rob the Wet Blanket offer to let her take his kids to the beach. Scully’s outfit is fantastic, though. She looks too put together for this guy. Mulder gets called back to the woods because a park ranger found a body, and gives Scully a call, but you don’t get to hear what he’s calling about because it’s time to check on your food.
Remove the eggplant from the oven. It will have dried out a little while roasting, but this is OK because we’re going to rehydrate it with soy sauce to make it salty and tender. Transfer to a skillet and add the soy sauce. Sauté for about two minutes. Note: we used soy sauce, but if you use tamari, this meal will be gluten free as well as vegan.
Taste the risotto– it should be getting tender and fluffy. Yours might be done at this time, but ours was still a little crunchy, so we added a bit of water and then went back to The X-Files to ignore the risotto for about five more minutes. Note: we prepared 2 C of broth, but sometimes that’s not quite enough. It’s perfectly OK to just add water toward the end until the rice is tender.
Your rice is going to absorb the broth over time and start to get creamy and fluffy.
We returned just in time to see Mulder getting stitched up in an ambulance and yelling that he’s not a threat. Scully is having some sort of heated phone conversation. They’ve got her cornered. Cut to Mulder and Scully in the park ranger’s truck. The anthropology professor is also there, for some reason, all four of them crammed into the truck. Mulder makes the unlikeliest of friends in Jersey, who we will never see or hear from again.
And now it’s probably time to finish off your risotto! Taste, and make sure that the rice isn’t crunchy. Add more salt, if needed. Remove the risotto from heat and stir in the vegan butter and as much sambal oelek as you’d like. Stir in the sake, if using, or add a splash of mirin. Divide into serving dishes and top with the roasted eggplant. For a heartier meal, we also like to add some crispy baked tofu.
Miso Eggplant Risotto Recipe
Miso Eggplant Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 – 4 tbsp olive oil separated
- 8 scallions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup Arborio Rice
- 1/4 cup white misto paste
- 2 C vegetable broth we used Edward & Sons Garden Veggie bouillon.
- 1 – 3 tbsp sambal oelek sriracha can also be used
- 2 tbsp soy sauce sub in tamari for gluten free
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 C sake (optional)
Instructions
Roast the Eggplant
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut the eggplant into half inch pieces.
- Coat eggplant with 2-3 tbsp olive oil.
- Roast for 25 – 30 minutes.
Prepare the Risotto
- While the eggplant roasts, mince the garlic. Dice scallions and reserve 2 tbsp of the green part for a garnish.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and scallions for about 1 minute.
- Add Arborio rice, and stir to coat. Cook the rice, stirring often, until it begins to look translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, dissolve white miso paste into 1 1/2 C hot water, and combine with 2 C vegetable broth.
- Once the rice is shiny and translucent, add the broth 1/2 C at a time.
- Stir the risotto frequently, adding more broth as the liquid is absorbed.
- Once all the broth has been absorbed, and the rice is tender and fluffy, remove from heat. (You may run out of broth before the rice reaches this point. This is OK, just use water until the rice is done. OR, if the rice is fluffy before you've used all the broth, that is fine too. Discard what is left).
- Stir in the butter. Add sambal oelek to taste; use more if you want a spicier dish. Stir in the sake, if using.
Finish the Eggplant
- Once the eggplant has become brown and crispy, remove it from the oven.
- Transfer to a skillet on low heat.
- Add the soy sauce and cook until just absorbed.
Assemble the risotto
- Divide the risotto into four dishes.
- Top with roasted eggplant and reserved scallion greens.
- Top with crispy tofu bites, if desired.
