Preheat the oven to 275°F. 

In a 9”x 13” baking dish, toss together the tomatoes, 4 garlic cloves (cut in half) & thyme sprigs. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper to the tomatoes. Mix to combine. 

Sprinkle it with sugar. Cook for 1 ½ hours until tomatoes have burst. Allow tomatoes to cool at room temperature. 

Place stock into a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, bringing the liquid to a simmer, to remain hot. 

Next, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add diced onion. Cook 5-7 minutes or until translucent and tender.

Mince 2 cloves of garlic and mix into the onions, cooking another 2-3 minutes.

Mix in the dry rice, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and smoked paprika, stirring and cooking until any moisture is cooked out. Mix in the wine and bring to a simmer, cooking until it mostly evaporates, about 1 minutes.

Add ¼ cup of the hot stock to the rice pot and stir until combined. Allow stock to cook out and add another ¼ cup, then mix and allow to simmer until it has thickened. Repeat this process, adding a bit more stock each time, until the rice has puffed up and is cooked through and creamy. You will use 6-8 cups of stock total. This process will take 20-30 minutes. Then, turn off the heat.

Mix in the vegan parmesan cheese (optional).

Mix half of the confit tomatoes and garlic into the cooked risotto. 

Then, transfer the risotto to a serving bowl or dish and garnish with remaining confit tomatoes, garlic and thyme sprigs. Add grated parmesan as garnish. Enjoy!