Pressure Cooker Risotto

Pressure cooker risotto is a practical and quick variant of the traditional risotto cooked in a risotto pan or a normal pot. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• 320 g of risotto rice (Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, etc.)
• 1 small finely chopped onion
• 1 liter of vegetable or chicken broth (hot)
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• 30-40 g of butter
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 80-100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: saffron, mushrooms, peas, asparagus, or other ingredients to vary the flavor

Preparation

1. Prepare the broth and keep it hot.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and half of the butter. Add the chopped onion and sauté over medium heat until it is transparent and soft.
3. Add the rice and allow it to toast in the sauté for about a minute, stirring constantly.
4. Pour in the glass of white wine and wait until it has almost completely evaporated.
5. Add the hot broth to cover the rice by about a finger’s width. If you wish, at this point you can add optional ingredients such as saffron or mushrooms.
6. Close the pressure cooker and bring it up to pressure over high heat.
7. Once the cooker has reached pressure, lower the flame and cook for about 7-8 minutes (half the time it would take in a normal pot).
8. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. If you are in a hurry, you can cool the cooker under running cold water to release the pressure more quickly.
9. Once all the pressure has been released, open the lid. If necessary, adjust for salt and pepper.
10. Cream the risotto with the remaining butter and grated Parmesan, stirring vigorously to incorporate air and make the risotto creamy.
11. Serve the risotto immediately, piping hot.

Curiosity

In the Italian culinary tradition, risotto is usually cooked by keeping the sauté and the toasting on specific fires and adding the broth little by little, while stirring continuously. This technique allows for a particular creaminess given by the starch that is slowly released. However, the pressure cooker version is an alternative solution that comes very close to the result of the traditional method but in much less time.