Heirloom Tomato Risotto

The risotto is almost cooked.

With this excessive heat, the leaves on our tomato plants are turning brown and crumbling, the eggplants are wilting and the zucchini have stopped flowering. I head out in the evening to spray water on their leaves, but it evaporates almost as soon as it lands.

Last night I picked all our remaining tomatoes — ripe and almost ripe — and made this risotto. It's one of our favorites, and I only make it in late summer when the tomatoes are rich and lush. I add some less ripe ones to get a little acid in the mix. It's truly scrumptious.

Usually I peel the tomatoes, which is easy — see how I do it here. But I'd just gone outside in 100° temperatures to pick the tomatoes. I had no desire to stand over a pot of boiling water. So we had barely noticeable little rolled up pieces of tomato peel in our risotto.

Of course, as with all risottos, an excellent stock is necessary. My favorite is one I make in the slow cooker — first roasting the vegetables to create a wonderful deep flavor. You can find my recipe for it here. I always have a few cups stashed in the freezer. It's so deeply concentrated that I use half stock and half water in risotto, and an even smaller proportion of stock in soup.

Heirloom Tomato Risotto
1 lb 8 oz heirloom tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3 - 4 cups stock (or combination of water and stock)
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp chopped basil
1/4 cup parmesan

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and cook until the onion starts to turn golden, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a separate saucepan, bring the stock to a gentle simmer.

Add the rice to the onion, stirring until each grain is coated with oil. Pour in the wine, stir, and let simmer until the wine is absorbed. Then start adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, letting it absorb before adding more. Stir a little, but not constantly.

Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes if desired. Then core and chop them into 1 1/2 inch chunks, saving the juice. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small skillet. Cook the garlic a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and their juice along with some salt. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring only a couple of times. Set aside until you're ready to use it.

About 15 minutes after adding the rice to the skillet, pour in the cooked tomatoes and their juices. Stir and let cook until the rice is tender and the risotto is moist and loose.

Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and parmesan.

Serve with extra parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 2-3