Risotto

This is a nice recipe for a basic risotto, the sort of meal that is made in a big pot and everyone can just tuck in.

Ingredients
25ml olive oil
50g butter
50g chopped shallots/ onions
1 garlic clove
100g Arborio rice
50ml white wine
200ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper (optional)
20g fresh thyme
40g grated parmesan cheese
1 tomatoe

Method
1. Crush the garlic and chop the shallots, make the stock and grate the cheese.

2. Melt the oil and butter in a small pan, add the chopped shallots and crushed garlic. Cook gently without colour for 2-3 minutes, add the rice.

3. De glaze the pan with white wine and continue to cook without colour for a further 3 minutes.

4. Gradually add the stock and leave to simmer at the side of the stove stirring frequently. Keep adding more stock until the rice is cooked.

5. Once all the stock has been absorbed the rice should be al dente. Finally add the thyme and cheese then correct the seasoning. Top with *tomato concasse and a *parmesan cheese crisp.

*tomatoe concasse: blanch the tomatoe to remove the skin, cut in half and slice out the insides then cut into quarters and finely dice.

*parmesan cheese crisp: grate some of the cheese, arrange into a circle shape and bake in the oven for 10 minutes then take out and leave to cool.