Sweet Corn Risotto

From the garden

• 4 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off, cobs saved
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

From the pantry

• 1½ cups arborio or other short-grain rice
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3 tbsp olive oil · a good fruity one; half goes in at the finish for gloss
• 1 lemon · zest and a squeeze of juice
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Strip the kernels from the cobs, snap the bare cobs in half, and simmer them in the stock for 20 minutes. That cob broth is what makes this taste like the garden.
2. Fish out the cobs and hold the stock at a bare simmer. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan and soften the onion with a pinch of salt, 6–8 minutes.
3. Stir in the rice and toast it 2 minutes, until the grains turn translucent at the edges, then pour in the wine and let it cook away almost completely.
4. Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed, 18–20 minutes, until the rice is creamy but still has some bite.
5. Fold in the corn for the last 3 minutes so the kernels stay crisp, then finish off the heat with lemon zest, a squeeze of juice, the basil, salt, and pepper.