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Risotto, a simple side dish, you bet! Getting and using an InstaPot seemed a little overwhelming at first. Okay, really it was a lot overwhelming. I was so nervous about learning how to use yet another kitchen gadget.
Risotto is one of my favorite side dishes. Somehow, I hadn’t ever had this delicious, creamy side dish until I was in my late forties…. can you imagine? Learning how to cook it was a little daunting, heating up the broth in one pan, sautéing the onion and browning the Arborio rice in another; stirring every so often and adding the broth a little at a time. This didn’t really free up my time to cook the rest of the dinner; it was like I was babysitting the stove!
Be Ready to be Amazed
Having an InstaPot has totally rocked my world. My brother was in town recently, and we needed a side dish to go with our Chilean Sea Bass and Broccoli. We also wanted something the Littles would eat. Although they are 7 and 9, they do have pretty good palettes. One did try the sea bass and loved it; she has expensive taste! But the other was happy with her chicken, broccoli and the delicious risotto. I digress…. back on topic.
I found a couple of recipes on Pinterest, and combined some aspects and left out some others. The end result was amazing.
Gather up all of the ingredients get ready to get started cooking!
First, I get out the InstaPot and plug it in. (I know it always helps to get it plugged in first!) When you plug it in, it chimes and lights up with the word “Off”. Then, I press the Sauté button and get busy dicing my onion. I have mine set to sauté for ten minutes. It seems to work well for me. Once that time is up, the InstaPot shuts off, so be aware of that. It only takes a few seconds and the InstaPot is ready to go, so add your oil, and let it heat up.
As soon as the oil is ready, add diced onion and a little salt and some pepper. Adding the salt at the beginning helps to draw out the moisture and flavor of the onions, which helps to brown them more evenly. It’s just magical.
Mince the garlic while the onions are browning. I have this really handy gadget I use for my garlic; you can use it to peel and mince the garlic, and the steel gets the garlicky smell out of your hands.
Add the garlic and watch it carefully as you don’t want it to burn. The garlic is done when you start to smell the aroma – typically after 1 minute.
Let the Fun Begin!
At this point, the risotto is added to the onion and garlic. The rice needs to be toasted as it allows the rice to slowly absorb the liquid, which keeps the rice from getting soggy. This is a very important point, because Risotto is creamy, yet has a nice firmness to it.
As you can see below, the risotto is nicely toasted.
Let’s proceed to the next step by adding the wine and broth, stirring to incorporate all of the ingredients.
This is where your hard work ends and the InstaPot’s begins. Simply close the lid, turn the valve to “sealing”, set the pressure to “High” and set the time to 7 minutes. Yep, it’s that easy!
Notice the silver button above? This button will be even with the top of the lid, when the InstaPot is pressurized. I just discovered this little tidbit recently!
It takes a few minutes for the InstaPot to pressurize, mine took 5-7 minutes for this. However, this time varies depending on what you are cooking. Steam will be coming out of the sealing vent as it pressurizes. Do not be alarmed as this is a normal part of the process.
If you are trying to time your main and side dishes, know that your 7 minutes of pressurized cooking will be displayed on the screen, once it is fully pressurized.
I made the mistake the other night of asking my hubby to start our scallops (another post on that later) and forgot that I had more than 7 minutes because my InstaPot hadn’t pressurized yet. Scary, especially since scallops don’t take long to cook! Luckily, it worked out okay. Whew!
At the point that the pressurized cooking is complete, the InstaPot will beep and switch over to warm. This is one of my favorite features of the InstaPot. It is such a relief to know that the cooking stops and the warming will keep your food ready until it is time to serve it.
Manually Relieve the Pressure!
Beware, as this is not the case with risotto. Relieve the pressure manually to halt the process of cooking and warming to keep your risotto from getting soggy.
Therefore, a wooden spoon is a great way to safely release the pressure by nudging the valve from “sealing” to “venting”. Make sure to keep your hands and face away from the steam to avoid burning yourself. Thankfully, the InstaPot has a safety feature that prevents the lid from opening until it is safe to do so.
This is where the creaminess really comes in. Add the butter and cheese to the risotto and stir to mix all the goodness together. A deliciously creamy, amazingly easy, risotto is ready to be served.
Enjoy,
Sherri
Risotto in the InstaPot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
- 1/2 Yellow Onion diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 cups Arborio Rice
- 1 cup Red or White Wine
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- 2 tbsp Butter unsalted
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 cup Smoked Gouda Cheese freshly grated
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Gather ingredients and prepare them for cooking; measure and chop as needed.
- Plug in InstaPot and Press “Sauté” Button. (set timer for 10 minutes.),
- Add Oil and Onion.
- Sauté Onion until translucent.
- Add Garlic and sauté 1 minute.
- Stir in rice and sauté to toast. (It will be slightly brown but not dark)
- Add in wine and chicken broth.
- Place lid and lock, ensuring that the vent is pointed to “sealing”.
- Select pressure to “High” and set for 7 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure when done by using a wooden spoon to avoid steam burns.
- Stir in butter and shredded cheeses.
- Stir to combine and serve.
