My favourite recipe out of all the ones we've tried so far is the three cheese risotto, so I thought it was about time we tried another risotto. This time it's a tomato one, and a very tangy and tasty one this is too! We used organic baby plum tomatoes when making the recipe, but you could use big ones instead if you want to cut down on the preparation time. Babies (as in tomatoes) are a bit fiddly to skin and halve, but they do taste wonderful... I think they're worth the effort. This scrummy dish will feed two. And by the way, it smells amazing. 

Ingredients for the roasted tomatoes:

1½ lb (700 g) tomatoes

1 dessertspoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large clove garlic, finely chopped

15 g pack (or ½ oz) basil leaves

a little extra chopped basil for garnishing

salt and freshly milled black pepper

Ingredients for the risotto:

2 level teaspoons sun-dried tomato purée

4 oz (110 g) sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped (the dehydrated ones, not the ones in oil)

1 oz (25 g) butter

1 red onion, finely chopped

8 oz (225 g) Italian carnaroli rice

¼ level teaspoon saffron stamens

10 fl oz (275 ml) dry white wine

2 oz (50 g) Parmesan, freshly grated, plus 1 oz (25 g) extra shaved into flakes

salt and freshly milled black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).

First of all, place the tomatoes into a bowl, pour on enough boiling water to cover them, leave them to stand for 1-2 minutes, then remove the skins. Next, slice each one in half, place the halves on the baking tray (cut side up), then season with salt and pepper, sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on each one, then add the chopped garlic. Top each tomato with half a basil leaf that has been dipped in oil first to get a good coating (see photo below).

Put the tray of tomatoes into the oven and roast them for 30 minutes, until the edges of the tomatoes are slightly blackened (see photo below), then remove them from the oven. Inhale... don't they smell just gorgeous?

Reduce the oven temperature to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C), then pop in a 9 inch oven-proof dish to pre-heat it. Put the roasted tomatoes and all of their juices into a blender and give them a whoosh (incredibly technical term... you know what I mean). 

Put the saffron into a mortar and crush it to a powder with a pestle. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes, until slightly browned at the edges. Next, add the rice and stir it around to coat all the grains with the butter. Cook for about a minute, until the grains are translucent, then add the saffron and wine and bring everything to the boil. 

Next, add the tomato purée, the sundried tomatoes and 12 fl oz (330 ml) of boiling water. Give everything a good stir, then add the tomato mixture that you whooshed in the blender earlier. Everything should now be a fairly bright orange (see photo below). Bring everything up to a simmer, then transfer to the warmed oven-proof dish. Pop the dish into the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

When the 35 minutes are up, stir in the grated Parmesan, then give it another 5 minutes in the oven. When the rice is ready, it should be tender but still maintain a certain firmness. Serve immediately with shavings of Parmesan and a little chopped basil (see photo below).

Bon appétit!