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This is the most straightforward, most delicious non-recipe recipe. My favorite kind. I can sum it up in three ingredients, but first a note about one of them.
Strawberries are the best and most exciting when you grow them yourself in a pot or in the ground (I prefer a pot like the one pictured).
Strawberries are also a vulnerable fruit with permeable skin that is easily penetrated by pesticides. Go organic, but even better DIY. One other word about strawberries is that they are often picked green and shipped, ripening in a box instead of on the vine. That impacts the flavor. DIY ;) And a last, last word about how workers who harvest strawberries struggle terribly. I interviewed Swanton Berry Farm in California -- the first organic berry farm in the country and one with a labor union that protects its workers -- in an informal live info session and encourage you to have a listen.
On to the point of this post... the recipe. Get your berries, some sugar, and that deliciously sweet, tangy, and syrupy balsamic vinegar you have in your cupboard. That's it. Trim your berries. Sprinkle sugar. Drizzle vinegar. Then let it sit. The sugar and the balsamic draw out the juices and you can eat it from a spoon or drizzle it over ice cream or yogurt. OMG. So good. I learned this suspicious-sounding recipe from the Spanish girls I lived with for a year during my junior college year abroad in Spain. iGracias a ellas!
Here's a little warning: don't throw out the stems! Plop them right in a jar and cover them with a white balsamic vinegar. Put it in the fridge and add to it whenever you have more stems. You'll have a delicious strawberry vinegar for summer salads ready for when more lettuces emerge from your garden!
xo, Farm Girl