Risotto with Strawberries

An amazing recipe which is becoming more and more popular among gourmet restaurants: a risotto made with strawberries and champagne… for a classy dinner!

Ingredients (for 2)

1 cup white rice
1 ½ cups strawberries
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups vegetable stock
1 shallot
1/4 cup Champagne (or Prosecco wine)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
a pinch of salt

Directions

Gently clean the strawberries with some moist kitchen paper (do not wash under running water or you will remove part of their flavor)
Coarsely chop the strawberries and set aside for later
Take a large saucepan or skillet and heat olive oil over medium heat
In a different deep saucepan bring vegetable stock to a simmer
Thinly dice shallots, or onions, and add them to the pan with the oil; cook for 3 minutes or until translucent
Stir in the rice and toast it at high heat until warm (2-3 minutes)
Add the sparkling wine, and stir continuously over medium heat until fully evaporated (about 1 minute)
Add hot broth in small quantities (half a cup at a time), stirring continuously, until absorbed
In a small sauce pan add almost all of the strawberries (reserve some for decoration) and half of the butter
Cook at low-medium heat, stirring from time to time, until smooth and creamy (about 10 minutes)
When the rice is cooked through, but remains slightly firm to the bite, remove from the heat
Add the butter and strawberry cream, salt and Parmesan cheese, and stir rapidly to make it creamy
Let it rest for a couple of minutes and then serve!