A Pinch of curiosity

Last week I read of a contest of food and photography to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and to showcase strawberries.  I couldn’t decide whether to participate or not:  I am not a photographer and here, in Italy, it isn’t the right season for strawberries… But it seemed to be funny, so I tried! I wondered for a while  about the recipes, at the end I decided to present a very Italian dish with an uncommon sauce: flan of risotto with strawberries and wine. It was the first time that I prepared it and I wasn’t so sure about the result. At the end the photo didn’t win but the risotto was great!

People: 4

Difficulty: ***

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

½ Kg/ 2.204 lb of rice

400 g/ 13.4 oz strawberry

4 tablespoons of white wine

1 scallion

Table salt

Butter

1 l / 0.264 U.S. Gal. of water

1 bouillon cube (or stock-cube)

Kitchenware:

A big pot

A knife

A bowl

A small mould

Method:

1. Wash and dice the strawberries.
2. Chop the scallion.
3. Melt 50 of butter (1.76 oz) with the scallion in a pot over low heat. Simmer it in the butter for about 5 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 °C ( 356 °F).
5. Add the rice in the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it absorb all the liquid. Stir constantly so the rice will not stick and burn.
6. Add three tablespoons of white wine. Let it evaporate.
7. Pour the hot water with the bouillon cube and keep stirring until it is mostly absorbed. Add the strawberries and cook until the rice is almost “al dente”. It mustn’t be too soft because the rice will cook also in the oven.
8. Add two pinches of pepper and, if it needs, also some salt.
9. Pour the remaining butter.
10. Place the rice into the moulds and  press it.
11. Put it into the oven for 20 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
12. Take out of the mould.
13. Serve warm.

Something to know: If at point 8 the rice appears too dry, add some tablespoons of hot water.