Risotto con fragole

So here is the recipe of 'Risotto con fragole', i.e. 'Strawberry risotto', that I showed at the roundup for the last FPOM.. sorry for having it up only now. :) Actually, I already posted about this recipe here, but I think it's better to rewrite it - and I now have a decent picture. :)

Risotto con fragole / Strawberry risotto

This is not the typical 'risotto': usually risotto is made with cheese, vegetables and/or meat - typically, for example, mushrooms, or asparagus, or some type of fish. Yet, risotto alle fragole is a quite famous dish, although not many people have tried it. It's considered somewhat 'fancy'. And in fact, it is, and if you make it, you'll taste a very different flavor than the usual risotto dishes you have had. This is a little tart, and yet creamy and savory at the same time. Hard to describe.

Ok, no more introduction. To make this, soak about 1 pound of strawberries cut into pieces in ~ 4 cups of white wine, overnight. When you're ready to make the risotto, take a pot (~10 inches diameter, 8 inches high, just to give you an idea). Add ~1 tbsp butter and sautee one onion (finely cut) in it, then add ~8 handfuls of rice, and sautee the rice with the onion. Then, add the wine where the strawberries had been soaked. The liquid should be enough to cover the rice, and about two fingers higher than the level of the rice in the pot (the fingers are measured horizontally :) ). If the strawberry-infused wine is not enough for this, add some more white wine. Add a vegetable bouillon, too. Add salt (~2 tsp) and cover the pot with a lid. Let the rice cook for about 20 minutes. Open, make sure there's still a little bit of liquid, and add the pieces of strawberries. Taste and check for the salt in the meanwhile. At this point, I also like to add some cheese that melts easily, like a very mild cheddar or some sort of fake mozzarella square cheese that they sell in the US. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until rice is done. The rice can be served with some coarsely ground black pepper and a little bit of grated parmigiano on top. It's very good, and it's nicely colored. Guaranteed success. :)

FPOM - Strawberry roundup and announcement

Hello my dear readers! I'm sorry for this long delay.. it looks like 2008 is a year of big changes in my life, high ups and low downs alternating way too frequently, and a job search to do, so my blog unfortunately suffers for this too. But at least I really want to post the roundup of the last Fresh Produce of the Month, the deadline of which has expired a long time ago! The theme was 'Strawberry' and I received some really wonderful entries that deserve to be shown! So let's not waste any more time and start the roundup.


Kalva from Curry in Kadai starts off the roundup with a wonderful 'Healthy Strawberry, Kiwi and Honey Yogurt Smoothie'. Just looking at it makes you feel like drinking it! And please go look at her post, there are more wonderful pictures.












My dear friends Bee and Jai from Jugalbandi introduce us to an 'Arugula, Fennel and Orange Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette'. Such a fresh combination with everything that was in season at the time, and served in a creative and artistic way on a gorgeous dinnerware set. Again, check out their pics!






Happy Cook at 'My kitchen treasures' sends out a delicious 'Panna Cotta with balsamic berries' . Panna cotta is really one of my favorite Italian desserts, and the pairing with balsamic vinegar-infused berries is just amazingly appealing!







Ferdzy from 'Seasonal Ontario Food' gives us a recipe for another treat: 'Strawberry Cream Cheese Parfaits'. Easy to make and just simply delicious! And she suggests using different fruits when strawberry season is over..






JZ at 'Tasty treats' just goes straight to the point: 'Strawberry ice cream'! It is indeed my favorite type of ice cream, and when it's home made.. what can beat it? And - she serves it in a chocolate cup!!!






Simona at 'Briciole' sends another intriguing salad: 'Insalata di fragole, fave e finocchi' (Strawberry, fava bean and fennel salad). It's an improvized salad that has the colors of the Italian flag! It sounds delicious to me. :)







Haalo from 'Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once' gives us a recipe for a 'Strawberry Fool'. I had no idea of what a 'fool' was (at least as for what concerns food, I've got plenty of experience otherwise........). But Haalo explains: it's a mixture of fruit and whipped cream, which she modified by substituting part of the cream with thick Greek yogurt. I'm totally with her, and I'm going to try this lighter version soon. :)










Srimathi at 'Few Minutes Wonders' at has another interesting dairy-strawberry recipe: a 'Strawberry Almond Kheer' . Given that both strawberries and almonds are some of the best food ever invented, this must be a winner :)







I realized that I forgot to post my own recipe. Well, about a month ago, I made a 'Strawberry risotto' and took pictures on purpose for this event. I'll post the recipe for it in the next post.. for the moment, just trust me - it was very good :)







Well, this is it for the strawberry event! I hope you have been as inspired as I have, and will try some of these delicious treats if you still happen to have some strawberries around :)
The next 'Fresh Produce of the Month' event will be hosted on another blog for the first time! I have decided that it was better for the event, given my recent inconsistencies in writing on the blog. So, dear readers, please help my friend Simona at 'Briciole' to make this next event a success! I asked her to choose the theme, and she in turn asked me to choose among a few veggies and fruits of her choice. Since I've been trying to alternate fruits and vegetables, I've chosen a vegetable from her list. And this is actually one of my favorite vegetables ever: Eggplant!

(the picture for the logo was taken by Simona)

If you'd like to participate, follow these simple rules:
1) Put a post on your blog with a recipe involving eggplants. Add a link to this post and mention that it's an entry for the 'Fresh produce of the month' event. If you like it, feel free to place the logo of the eggplant-centered event on your post.
2) Send Simona at Briciole an email with a link to your post, your blog homepage and your name. Her email address is simositeATmacDOTcom. Specify 'Fresh produce of the month: Eggplants' as subject.
3) If you don't have a blog just send an email with your recipe and if you have a picture of the food you made, that's even better. Simona will add it to the round-up as well.

The deadline for entry submission will be September 21st.. I hope to see a lot of wonderful eggplant-centered recipes to try out :)