Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the shallots and place them on a piece of foil. Lift the foil sides and crimp to make a bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for about 15 minutes, until cooked through and caramelized.

Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a small pot with the stock concentrate. Once boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep warm.

In the meantime, cut the ends off of the zucchini and with a peeler shave the zucchini into ribbons, rotating the zucchini when you get to the seedy core, then finely chop the core. Mince the garlic. Halve the lemon.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a tall-sided pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and zucchini core and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stir for a minute or two, until translucent.

Start adding the stock to the rice 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until rice has absorbed the liquid. Continue doing so until the rice is tender, creamy, and slightly firm in the center, about 20 minutes. Tip: What’s with all the stirring? Stirring helps to release the starches in the rice, which give risotto its creamy texture. Make sure to taste the risotto for doneness; the last thing you want is a mushy risotto!

While the risotto cooks, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini ribbons to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, for about 5 minutes, until zucchini is cooked through. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

When the shallots are cooked through, stir them into the risotto with the parmesan cheese. Serve the shallot risotto with the zucchini ribbons on top!