Zucchini Tomato Risotto

I have published risotto recipes on this site before but never one quite like this, my mother first introduced to me this concept and I rather like it, this dish uses slow roasted tomatoes and tomato passata, added to the rice just before it has finished cooking to add sweetness, and it's truly a revelation, my only stipulation with this recipe is that you must make it in summer, tomatoes grown in a greenhouse in December simply won't provide enough delicate sweetness.

Around an hour or so before you wish to eat drizzle some olive oil into the bottom of a glass ovenproof dish and add the cherry tomatoes, add another drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt flakes to the tomatoes and place them in a medium oven for an hour or until they have shriveled.

Dice a white onion and heat some vegetable oil with a knob of butter in a large heavy-based frying pan. Fry the onion until translucent and soft and add a teaspoon of ground coriander. Make up your stock in a jug. Add the arborio rice and turn in the oil until it is shiny and coated. Brown lightly and add a splash of vermouth. Cook off the alcohol until the pan is relatively dry and no longer smells alcoholic. Add the stock a splash at a time until it has all been absorbed and the rice is still firm, but tender.

Meanwhile, dice the courgette and fry it lightly in butter until it has browned. When the rice is cooked add the passata and stir, allow to reduce slightly then add the grated parmesan and stir until it has melted. Add the courgette and the roasted tomatoes and combine. Serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

ingredients

1 medium white onion

300g arborio rice

vegetable oil

small knob unsalted butter

small splash vermouth

500ml vegetable stock

50g grated parmesan

150ml tomato passata

100g cherry tomatoes

2 courgettes

small pinch sea salt flakes