A warming supper for a chilly fall night.

Caramelized Onion Risotto With Roasted Tomatoes

Oven Roasted Tomatoes:
6 plum tomatoes    
1 ½ tsp fine salt    
1 Tbsp sugar    

Risotto:
4 Tbsp vegetable oil        
4 onions, small dice    
1 ½ cups Arborio rice        
½ cup white wine    
5 cups chicken stock        
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp unsalted butter        
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Coarse salt & ground black pepper

1)    To roast the tomatoes: preheat oven to 250 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  
2)    Core tomatoes and cut into 6 wedges. Toss in the salt and sugar and lay them skin-side down, on the prepared pan.
3)    Roast the tomatoes for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until they are shrivelled and about half the original size. The tomatoes will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for 2 months.
4)    For the risotto: heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepot and cook down the onions over medium heat, stirring often, until they have caramelized and taken on a rich brown color. This will take around 25 minutes.
5)    Add the rice and stir to coat it with oil, cooking for 3 minutes.
6)    Add white wine and stir until the rice has absorbed all liquid.
7)    Add stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring regularly until each portion of stock has been absorbed.  Test the rice for doneness by tasting – the grains should be tender but still have a little resilience.
8)    To finish, warm the roasted tomatoes in a separate pan for 5 minutes over medium heat and reserve.
9)    Add the parsley, butter and cheese to the risotto and season to taste. There should be enough liquid to be a built-in sauce, but the dish should not appear “soupy.”  
10)    Serve in shallow bowls and top with the warmed roasted tomatoes.

Serves 6

Recipe courtesy Anna Olson