Maria Elia's griddled radicchio and strawberry risotto recipe

I first tasted a risotto like this one during an Italian festa della fragole (strawberry festival). It's now my all-time favourite risotto, so much so that I had to have it on the summer menu at my new restaurant, Joe's. Be adventurous and give it a go – you won't be disappointed. Serves four. For the radicchio 1 head radicchio (around 350g) Olive oil, for drizzling Sea salt 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar For the risotto 2 tbsp olive oil 50g butter 4 shallots, peeled, finely diced 375g risotto rice 300ml white wine 900ml hot vegetable stock Juice of ½ lemon 4 tbsp mascarpone Sea salt and pepper 50g hard Italian-style cheese, grated (I'd use Lyburn's Old Winchester ; if you're not vegetarian, use parmesan by all means) 8 strawberries, quartered 1 tbsp finely chopped chives Put a griddle pan over a medium heat. Cut the radicchio into quarters lengthways, keeping some of the stem attached to each quarter (trim off any dark parts of stem). Open the leaves a little, drizzle with oil and season with salt. Place the oiled radicchio on the hot griddle and cook for two to three minutes on each side. When it begins to brown, transfer to a plate and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar. Leave to cool, then shred into thin strips. To make the risotto, heat the oil and butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the rice and fry for a minute, stirring to stop it sticking. Reduce the heat a little, add the wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed. Add a ladle of hot stock (around 200ml), stir and let the rice absorb the stock, then add another ladle-ful. Continue adding stock in this way, stirring frequently, until it has all been absorbed and the rice is al dente (that is, with just a bite to it) – about 20 minutes. Stir the lemon juice, radicchio and mascarpone through the rice, season to taste and turn off the heat. Stir in the cheese and half the strawberries. Serve garnished with the rest of the strawberries, the chives, a drizzle of olive oil and, ideally, a little reduced balsamic vinegar. (Simply pour a small bottle of balsamic vinegar – not an expensive, aged one – into a saucepan, warm over a low heat and leave to cook down until it's reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour into a container and leave to cool before covering. There's no need to refrigerate it. If it thickens too much, gently warm in a microwave or bowl of boiling water for five or so seconds. It's great on risotto, as here, or salads, or fresh figs with honey.) • Maria Elia is head chef at Joe's, London SW3 Fiona Beckett's drink match If you're serving a dish as adventurous as this, you may as well be intrepid with your wine choice, too. Try an off-dry sparkling wine such as Marks & Spencer's Vintage Cava Pinot Noir Rosado (£12.99; 12% abv), which has a pretty intense strawberry flavour of its own.