Remember that time I fell off the face of the planet for a few months? How about I make it up to you with some delicious risotto? Great!

This week we found ourselves with a bunch of strawberries that were about one day away from becoming compost. (Okay, that would be gross. I guess they were a day away from being put into the compost bucket.) Naturally, we decided to throw the berries in a smoothie batch of risotto. Yeah, you heard that right. Fruit in risotto.

This dish was inspired by a meal we shared with our friends, Kate & Mike. They are regular risotto makers and made a similar dish for us a few years ago. We used our go-to basic risotto recipe from Martha Rose Shulman and tweaked it to our taste.

Strawberry Leek Risotto

Ingredients:

• 6 cups well seasoned vegetable stock, as needed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (leave out or substitute for a vegan recipe)
• 1 cup chopped strawberries

Method:

1. Heat the stock in a large pot and bring to a simmer.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy saucepan or skillet. If using cast iron (as I like to), the temperature should be medium-low.
3. Add the leek and a pinch of salt, and cook gently until just tender. This should take about 3 minutes.
4. Add the rice and and stir to coat. The grains should separate and begin to crackle.
5. Then add the wine and stir until it is absorbed by the rice.
6. Begin adding the simmering stock, about 1/2 cup at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and bubble a bit. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Then add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook, adding more stock and stirring when the rice is almost dry. As Martha says, “You do not have to stir constantly (as I was told to do when I started making risotto), but stir often to enable the rice to release its starch.” When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy, it is done. Taste now and adjust seasoning. If you stock isn’t well seasoned, you can add some salt and pepper.
7. If the risotto isn’t creamy, add another ladleful or two of stock to the rice. Then stir in the Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, and strawberries and remove from the heat. Serve immediately.

This risotto is really delightful! The leeks add richness and the strawberries and lemon add a sweet-tartness. The perfect way to bring you back into the kitchen and me back into the blogosphere.

Enjoy!