Claire Thomson's Tomato Risotto and Arancini

For the Tomato Risotto:

• 5 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of saffron (optional), steeped in 2 tbsp of boiling water
• Sprig of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 900g ripe Isle of Wight Heritage tomatoes, peeled if you like, any tough core removed, flesh and seeds roughly diced
• 750g risotto rice
• 1.4lt hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 175ml dry white wine
• 100g freshly grated Parmesan or vegetarian alternative
• 50g unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Arancini:

• 10 small cherry sized mozzarella balls, such as bocconcini or use mozzarella cut into 10 pieces
• 4 eggs, beaten
• Plain flour to dust, about 5 tbsp
• 300g dry breadcrumbs or use panko
• Neutral oil, to fry
• Parmesan or vegetarian alternative, freshly grated, about 30g, to serve
• Lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

See video for details