1 lb whole baby plum tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
about 1 qt hot vegetable broth
2 cups passata (italian pureed, strained tomatoes)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
8 pieces sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones in oil), chopped
2 cups risotto rice
2/3 cup light red wine
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
put the plum tomatoes in a roasting pan and pour the olive oil over them. mix well to coat and season with salt and pepper. roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until slightly collapsed and the skins are beginning to brown. remove from the oven and set aside.
pour the broth and passata into a saucepan, stir well,then heat to a gentle simmer. melt half the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden, and translucent but not browned. add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and heated through. pour in the wine and boil hard until it has reduced and almost disappeared. this will remove the taste of raw alcohol. remove from the heat.
return the risotto to the heat, warm through, then begin adding the broth, a large ladle at a time, stirring gently until each ladle has almost been absorbed by the rice. the risotto shoudl be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out – add more broth as necessary. continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains still firm (15-20 minutes depending on the type of rice used – check package instructions).
season to taste with salt and pepper and beat in the remaining butter, the parmesan, and chopped basil. you may like to add a little more hot brroth to the risotto at this stage to loosen it – it should be quite wet. cover and let rest for a couple of minutes so the risotto can relax and the cheese melt. carefully ladle into warm bowls and cover the surface with the roasted tomatoes and any juices. add the basil leaves and serve immediately with extra freshly grated parmesan cheese.
serves 4
