The lost risotto

Why

This is really tasty. It's a recipe originally from Luna Trapani's website, but at the time of writing it's down and there doesn't seem to be a copy of it that I can find on the wayback machine or similar, so I have done my best to recreate it from memory here.

Ingredients

• 2 aubergines
• 2 shallots
• Vegan Philadelphia cream cheese (original recipe called for vegan ricotta but idk where to find such a thing)
• Nutritional yeast (original recipe called for vegan parmesan but, again, I could not find this in the shops)
• 300g arborio rice
• 400ml tomato passata
• About a litre of vegetable stock (make more if necessary)
• 100ml white wine (realistically, an entire bottle which you make progress through while cooking). I read that pino grigiot or sauvignon blanc are good for risotto but I don't know wine lol. Definitely do not skip the wine, it makes a big difference
• Plenty of olive oil and salt
• Some quantity of garlic (who am I, your mother?)
• Fresh basil, chopped (a handful or something, plus some extra for garnsih if you like)

Instructions

1. Fry aubergine in olive oil until golden and soft, then put it aside. I salt it about halfway through
2. Fry shallots until translucent, then add garlic and fry for another minute
3. Add the rice and fry for about a minute until the edges of the grain go translucent
4. Add the wine and stir frequently until absorbed
5. Add the passata and do the same. Now is a good time to add the basil
6. Add the stock one ladleful at a time and stir frequently until it loses its liquidiness, then repeat. This is your life now. Stop once the rice is soft to your liking
7. Add nutritional yeast and salt to taste. Serve with the aubergine, cream cheese and basil garnish on top