A Delicious Tomato Risotto

In my teens I became hooked on cheese toasties. For months I'd eat nothing else. Then one night, without warning, the rush was gone, vanished without trace. I wouldn't give up without a fight though and started experimenting with the addition of 'exotics'.

Sometimes it worked... black pepper, sometimes it really didn't... cloves. One night, from the back of my parents spice cupboard, where every spice is still out of date, I pulled a jar of dried basil. Wow, what a revelation.

This combination so impressed my juvenile palette, I risked introducing it to my first proper-ish girlfriend. She was smitten. Not on me though. Months later I found myself opposite her new boyfriend in a bar, above the general hullabaloo all I could hear was, "Cheese toasties... bla bla...basil... bla bla... amazing". A silent rage began to swell, luckily I was just sober enough to hold back shouting across, "That's my recipe you bastard!".

Nowadays I know it's not really a surprise these ingredients mix so well. Pesto after all is mostly cheese and basil. Of course what basil's really famous for going with is tomato, so here's a dish other than pizza that sees them work so well together.

Tomato Risotto

Aside from butter, olive oil and hot stock, this is all you'll need.

The two cheeses are Parmesan and Tomme de Savoie. The tomato sauce is made by liquidising a tin of tomatoes then pushing them through a sieve with the back of a spoon. It's an adaptation of a recipe from the book 'Dear Franscesca' by Mary Contini. Follow the usual risotto recipe: like this one here , but omit the pancetta: and add the tomato sauce just after the white wine but before you start adding the hot stock. I used a low salt vegetable stock cube and it worked a treat.

Both cheeses go in at the end, let them melt then pop in the shredded basil. The original recipe used Fontina cheese but when I asked for some in Mellis's great cheese shop they told me they hadn't stocked it since 2000 !! The guy behind the counter explained it was because while it tastes great eaten in situ in the Valle d'Aosta they hadn't found one that travelled well. Strewth, a cheese that makes you come to it. How demanding. Instead he recommended Tomme de Savoie which worked perfectly, lots of melted, stringy cheesy goodness.

Tomatoes are a notoriously difficult wine match. But in this dish the tomato flavour is tempered by the cheese and basil and this wine worked well. It's on offer just now and an absolute steal for the rather odd price of £5.24. Full of delicious pink grapefruit flavours.

Forte Alto Pinot Grigio, Dolomiti, 2010. Down from £7.99 to £5.24 in Waitrose. What a bargain.

Red Wine Bargain of the Year

This Marzemino is spectacularly good. Best drunk after 30 minutes in the fridge when pure luscious berry fruits come bursting from the glass. As the label says, plenty of cherry and violet flavours too. I bought it because I was skint, hoping for something wine like and not too nasty. What a shocker! Of course when I went back the next day there was none left.

Managing to overcome the initial suspicion of two Sainsbury's chaps in the wine aisle I put in a request for 6 bottles and left my phone number. The call came within 24 hours, just in time for the Bank Holiday.

The first bottle was consumed with a spaghetti carbonara. Another near an open window grabbing bursts of sunshine between torrential downpours. Both matches worked a treat.

This wine is normally sold for the bargainous price of £5.99. At the moment, incredibly, it's just £4.49. Fill your boots! And, if there isn't any left at your local store, risk a "Code 99" on the wine aisle and order some. Wine this good at this price is unique.

Marzemino della Venezie 2010: down from £5.99 to £4.49: Sainsbury's

I know this great little place in... Shettleston!

Amid the discount booze outlets and fast food emporiums that litter Shettleston's edgy streets nestles a foodophile's gem. A while back I'd read about Eusebi Deli... grilled fish with lemon and garlic, beef in Barolo and all good things Italian... and thought 'I've really got to go there'. Then I saw the address and, somewhat unfairly, Eusebi slipped down my list of things to do.

Then about a week ago a friend posted on Facebook that he'd just had the 'cannoli moment' in Eusebi. Anyone whose had it will know what that means. The profound, life changing experience that comes from your first taste of great cannoli. After years of trying mediocre ones and wondering what all the fuss was about, my moment came some years ago in Valvona & Crolla. Sweetened ricotta dotted with candied fruits and wrapped in pastry transcended its earthly components becoming manna from heaven. I've been chasing that high ever since.

Despite almost knocking the door off it's hinges I tried to play it cool by looking about and pretending I was browsing. It lasted all of fifteen seconds. "Hello, do you have any cannoli?"..."Oh, I'm not sure there's any left. Giovanna, do we have any cannoli left?" she shouted through a door to the back. "No, it's all gone" came the reply. Crushing. Now I really would have to browse. I'm glad I did.

The lady behind the counter was called Gina. She told me the family used to have an ice cream factory in Partick and a cafe where Billy Connolly came to play the juke box. Photographic evidence adorned the walls.

A man stood around eating and chatting told me he comes in every day for his lunch... and he lives in Troon. They just heat it up for him and he eats it there. As he spoke I found my eyes fixing on some individual 'fondues'...

Gina's daughter Giovanna came out from the kitchen. It was her voice that had delivered the cannoli coup de grace minutes before. She was clutching a piece of freshly made pasta and explained that if I telephoned ahead they'd be happy to prepare not just cannoli but anything else that might take my fancy. Now that's what I call a service.

I was treated to a very nice espresso and while I stood around more dishes kept appearing. Gina explained that they keep cooking new dishes throughout the day so it's all super fresh. As she spoke Giovanna appeared with a cod dish that looked so good I almost dribbled...

This is a wonderful place, it even smells great, well worth the effort getting there. Aside from the great food and warm welcome, there's the sheer oddity of finding yourself in one of the best deli's in Scotland in an area that's always being reported as having one of the worst diets in the western world.

Infuriatingly I'd already bought my dinner, this after all had been a cannoli mission, so I picked up some deserts and a couple of bottles of wine. I'll definitely be back, not just for the cannoli, the Valentines Menu's worth the trip alone... even if you are alone... just pretend you're not and that way you get to eat 'their' share too.

The Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake and Torta della Nonna, just £2 each, were first rate. The wines too were excellent at £15 for 2.

The Gavi's really good. Taught and surprisingly minerally.

I'm a big fan of Dolcetto and this was a good example with that lovely sour prickle which makes it very moreish.

So that's Eusebi Deli. Go go go. But call ahead if there's something you really fancy, they're only too happy to make it. Oh, and if you get the last cannoli let me know, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse.

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