Risotto with fresh tomatoes

Juicy tomatoes

2. Roughly chop tomatoes into chunks and add them to a small bowl.
3. Add fresh thyme leaves, a sprinkle of sea salt, a capful of white (or red) wine vinegar, and a generous drizzle of evoo.
4. Stir, then set aside so it will get nice and juicy while you make the risotto.

Risotto

2. The risotto is loosely based on a risotto bianco, so you will start by sautéing finely diced onion in olive oil with a dollop of butter over a low heat until it is beautifully soft.
3. Then add in your risotto rice (I usually do two handfuls per person, plus one handful extra as this risotto is so good.)
4. Stir the rice through the buttery onions and allow to toast for a minute or two, before adding a ladleful of good quality vegetable or chicken stock. Keep stirring until you reach a point that when you draw a line across the base of the pan, the rice mixture does not fill the gap. Then add another ladleful of stock.
5. Repeat until the rice is cooked to your liking.
6. I prefer a looser risotto, so I usually add a half-ladle of stock at the end, along with a generous spoon of butter, and stir it through.
7. I don’t use wine or cheese in this version, as I like the lighter more summery feel of the rice brightened by the sweet, perfectly seasoned tomatoes. But if you prefer a cheesy finish, or to add a glug of wine to the rice at the start, go for it.
8. Spoon the risotto into bowls and top with the juicy tomato mixture.