How To Make Perfect 15-Minute Risotto in a Pressure Cooker — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Risotto is one of those delicious dishes that not enough people make at home because it has a reputation for being fussy and time-consuming. If you make it the traditional way, you have to spend about 20 to 30 minutes at the stove, all of it hands-on time as you stir and add stock, stir and add stock, stir and add stock. What about a delicious, creamy risotto in about 12 to 15 minutes that includes some precious hands-off time? If that interests you, then you'll want to try making risotto in a pressure cooker! Read on for the recipe. The pressure cooker method begins just like the traditional method with sautéing the onions and toasting the rice. After spending about 5 to 6 minutes on this, things will take a very different turn. First, all of the liquid is added at once, then the lid of the pressure cooker is snapped on and the pot is brought to high pressure. (Hint: If you heat the stock while you sauté the rice, it should come to pressure in about 2 minutes, if not less.) Pressure cook for 6 minutes and quick release by either running the pot under cold water or pressing the quick release valve. In the final minute or two, we are back in traditional mode when we stir in butter, parmesan or any herbs as a final seasoning. Timing a Pressure Cooker Risotto One of the challenges with pressure cooking is that you are not able to keep an eye on things and adjust the timing while your food is cooking. Everything is locked in tight behind the heavy duty lid and there's no peeking allowed! Because there are so many variables in risotto (such as the quality of the rice, how dry it is, the way your PC functions, and so on), I only pressure cook it for 6 minutes — a minute less than most recipes. That way, I can do some final tinkering if needed and I don't have to worry about over-cooking the rice. Troubleshooting & Tinkering If the rice is a little undercooked or too soupy, it only takes a minute or two of further cooking and stirring with the lid off to bring it to the right consistency. Keep the flame at medium and stir until it is just a tad too soupy (the rice will continue to absorb liquid as you add the final touches and plate it). If the rice has absorbed all the liquid and has separated into dry, individual grains, add some more stock or water. Stir over medium heat until it is just a little soupy, but has started to bind together in a creamy emulsion. Then add the final touches and plate. The Final Touches Classically, risotto is finished with a knob of butter and parmesan cheese just before serving (mantecato). This is an important step to add a final note of creaminess and flavor. This is also a good time to add in fresh herbs, if using. Adding Vegetables (Or Not) The recipe below is basically a Risotto alla Milanese, which is simply flavored with onions (or shallots), saffron, and parmesan. This simplicity is a big part of its charm and specialness. However, if you are interested in adding vegetables to your pressure cooker risotto, I have to warn you that it can get a little tricky. If they are already cooked, then stirring them in the end during the final touches stage is easy. But if you want to cook the vegetables along with the rice and stock, then you have consider the vegetables as liquid since they are often 95% water. Laura Pazzaglia over at Hip Pressure Cooking has a great method for figuring this out. I recommend doing a simple, non-vegetable risotto like this one first so you have the basic method under your belt before adding the complexity of vegetables (or even proteins such as shrimp or chicken). That said, stirring in defrosted frozen peas at the mantecato stage of this recipe is a delicious variation! A Little More Help If you aren't already familiar with risotto, it's good to have an understanding of how it works first. Emma's post on the traditional way to make risotto is an excellent primer. I used arborio rice in this recipe as it's the easiest risotto rice to purchase in the US. This article from Fine Cooking will give you more information on other kinds of rice that will work. How To Make 15-Minute Risotto in a Pressure Cooker Makes 4 main course servings What You Need Ingredients 4 cups of chicken stock (or more if needed) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, diced Salt 2 cups of arborio rice 1/2 cup of wine Large pinch of saffron (about 1 teaspoon) 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter 1 cup grated parmesan, divided Fresh thyme or parsley (optional) Equipment Measuring cups and spoons Sauce pan Pressure cooker ( 6-quart or larger) Wooden spoon Instructions Prep your ingredients. Be sure that all your ingredients are prepped, measured, and ready to go. Place your stock in a sauce pan under low flame to gently heat. Sauté the onions and toast the rice. Add the olive oil and onion, along with a good pinch of salt, to the pressure cooker. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and continue to stir another 2 or 3 minutes, or until the rice is just slightly toasted. Add the wine and saffron. Add the wine to the pot (careful, it may splatter!), followed by the saffron, and stir until it has been absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to pressure. Add all of the stock, secure the lid on your pressure cooker, and bring up to high pressure using high heat. Cook the risotto. Start your timer for 6 minutes. Lower the heat to maintain the pressure and cook for 6 minutes. Quick release. After 6 minutes, release the pressure using a quick method: either by running cold running water over the cooker or pressing the quick-release valve on your cooker. Carefully remove the lid to avoid the steam and return the cooker to the stove. Final touches. If needed, cook the risotto further to absorb the stock or add more stock (or water) if too dry. While the risotto is still a little wet, add the butter and 1/2 of parmesan. Stir. Taste to see if it needs more salt. Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs, if using, reserving a few for garnish. Plate the risotto. Serve the risotto in a low-sided platter or bowl, or spoon into individual bowls. Garnish with remaining parmesan and any fresh herbs. Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home? See more How To posts We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too! Submit your own tutorials or ideas here! (Images: Dana Velden) via Recipe | The Kitchn http://feeds.thekitchn.com/~r/thekitchn/recipes/~3/MAZJ2xfsnUY/story01.htm

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