Risotto with Strawberries: the Queen of Berries on Your Plate as You Never Ate It!

Today, I decided to present my charming and delicate dish called Risotto with Strawberries With this recipe, I received an enthusiastic applause from my children and from my friends. It's very easy to prepare so, everybody can make it with a super result!

In these days of hardships and seclusion, I am trying to keep busy in a constructive and artistic way. Besides my usual writing, I went back to the cooker that, in normal time, I use only sporadically because, normally, my family have lunch at school or around the world, in my husband's case. During weekends, my daughter organizes her time with her boyfriend and her friends and, therefore, most of the times, I find myself at home alone or only with my youngest son. That's why I haven't cooked much in the past few years, even though it is a very satisfying activity for me.

But now, for better or for worse, these days, we are all four together at home and I'm in charge of the kitchen … but, don't worry, they clean and tidy up! I've chosen the best duty for myself, I have to say. Since I love to cook, finally, I can devote myself to experimenting with new dishes.

Normally, when I want to try something new, I begin brainstorming asking my family what they would like to have for lunch or dinner. Then, I begin to think how to modify tastes and ingredients from the usual stuff we eat. My son Luca was already asking me to try something different because he was getting bored of the usual things ... even though, in these last 3 weeks, I always tried to rotate my menus that we never ate more than twice the same dish. Except for pasta alla carbonara, which my children adore so much and they want me to do it at least once a week. They say that, how I make it, it's so special that I should teach their friends' moms!

After all, don't we all know that how mamma cooks no one else can?

But let's continue, now, with my Risotto with Strawberries, as for the Pasta alla Carbonara, maybe, I will write about another day!

Why Risotto with Strawberries, you may ask! Well, after this sad, worrying, if not sometimes anguishing period, due to this infamous Covid19, I wished to absorb some Spring flavor, color, and perfume. Since strawberries are the favorite fruit of my family and opens up the sweet season, I decided to use them in an unusual way, to add some light cheering to our lunch! Plus, two days ago, it was such a beautiful day with brilliant sunshine, blue sky, and chirping birds, that a risotto with strawberries had to be absolutely made!

Therefore, let's stop dreaming about it and open the kitchen!

First things first: it is essential to go shopping for the ingredients on the same day you are going to make it. You have to look for the most fresh and the sweetest strawberries you can find because they have to be:

• firm, not too soft;
• red, not brown-grayish;
• smelling intensively;
• sweet, the sweetest they can be.

So, here we go!

These are the ingredients quantities for 4-5 people:

• 300 gr. vialone nano rice or arborio rice;
• 300 gr. fresh strawberries;
• 80 gr. any soft and creamy cheese with a delicate taste--not Philadelphia, not Mozzarella; in Italy, I used Morlacco cheese, but Certosa cheese is also a good choice;
• 1 cup of white dry wine. I used Prosecco Valdobbiadene;
• 1 chopped shallot or 2, if small pieces;
• 1 lt. vegetable broth;
• 4-5 spoons of extra virgin olive oil;
• coarse salt according to taste.

Have ready:

• a large non-stick or ceramic-covered pot or a wok with a wide base can also be fine.
• a lid fitting the pot.

Preparation time, cooking included: approx. 30 minutes

You'll see ... When you will be cooking it, your kitchen will smell so good! First, white wine in the air and, then, when you will stir in the strawberries, their sweet gentle perfume will fill all your room! A waft of Spring all for you!

To start, you need to prepare the ingredients, so that you don't have to take care of them when you will have to follow closely the rice cooking.

• Prepare the veggie broth and keep it warm. You need to have it ready and you will add it, a little at a time, as it is absorbed by the rice;
• Wash the rice;
• Wash the strawberries with stalks and leaves and take them away after that. Cut or chop the strawberries in tiny pieces of approx 1 cm. and set aside. Keep some whole strawberries aside for dish decoration;
• Prepare the right quantity of cheese, clean it from the crust and cut it in 3-4 pieces;
• Pour the wine in a glass and place it nearby the pan on the cooker;
• Chop the shallot;

Ok, now, let's start!

Sauté the shallot in the extra virgin olive oil. When it's almost done, soft and translucent, add the rice and continue to mix it, so that all the grains are toasted, but not brown, and covered with the shallot oil.

When everything is toasted, but translucent, add the wine and while stirring it, let it fade. Alcohol must evaporate.

Now, lower the heat, add the broth a little at a time and be careful to never let it dry too much. Add the coarse salt already at the first addition of broth. Stir and continue cooking with the lid on low heat.

Halfway through the cooking, add and stir the cut strawberries and keep the whole ones aside.

Remember to turn off the heat when the rice is just a bit more than 'al dente' and it's not too dry. Then, add the cheese and stir everything well. The cheese will melt making it all creamy.

You can see it from my picture:

In the end, the grains will have to be solid, but not 'al dente' and the rice will be creamy, but not liquid, as in the first picture.

Plate it, arrange the strawberries for decoration and bring to the table. Prepare to watch the marvelous reactions of surprise that this dish is able to inspire! And it's also really tasty! Slurp!

Last tip: at the table, you can couple perfectly your Risotto with Strawberries with the same Prosecco left in the bottle!

Enjoy your meal!