Risotto in the Pressure Cooker!

[FryBoy]

The discussion of cooking rice brought to mind one of my favorite foods, risotto. I think the hype that it's too hard to make or too time consuming is overblown -- I don't mind stirring it for 25 minutes (hint -- use a nonstick pot and you won't have to stir it nearly as often). All of that's worth it, IMHO, for a superb wild mushroom risotto or something of that ilk.

I do mind, however, having to do all of that when I'm cooking something else, such as lamb shanks (for which Risotto Milanese is the perfect accompaniment) and would prefer to be drinking wine with my guests (well, with some of them anyway). Last winter I found a solution -- my beloved Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker.

Here's the recipe:

RISOTTO MILANESE
Pressure-Cooker Method​

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups low-fat chicken stock
1/4 cup vermouth or dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker over high heat. Add the onion, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the rice and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds until the outer edges turn translucent.

Add the stock, wine, and saffron.

Cover and bring to high pressure over high heat.

Reduce heat to stabilize pressure. Cook 7 minutes.

Quick-release pressure and remove cover.

Stir in white pepper, salt, butter, and Parmesan.

Let sit for 2 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 Servings

 

[Michael in FtW]

Risotto is a food of love (or at least requires some time and a little concious effort - the stirring and slow incremental addition of stock has a purpose to develop it's creamy texture) - not some glop you scrape out of a pressure cooker pot!

Of course we have a few members here who live in Italy ... would love to see what they have to say on the matter ...

 

[GB]

I don't mind stirring it for 25 minutes (hint -- use a nonstick pot and you won't have to stir it nearly as often).

The stirring is not to keep it from sticking, but it is actually to bring out the starch of the grains. Constant stirring is not really required though as some will lead you to believe.

 

[karadekoolaid]

A pressure-cooker risotto...
Why?
What is the problem with cooking some rice for 15-20 minutes ( which is the time it takes to cook anyway) and stirring, tasting, adding, etc.
I thought that was what cooking was all about!
No, with all due respect, Fryboy - it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Part of the delight of risotto is the process, ¡El Amor!

It's like barbecuing meat on an open wood fire!!

 

[Gretchen]

According to some on another board, it is VERY good. And while the process may be the delight, sometimes it is nice just to get it done. At a culinary arts demo last year the chef from Julia's Kitchen also described how to "hold" risotto for service which is also helpful.

 

[Half Baked]

Gary, I thought you were on vacation...does your wife know you're on the computer?

 

[GB]

Shhhh don't tell her. She thinks I am paying bills online

We got back today. I think I am going to make risotto tomorrow thanks to this thread.

 

[Half Baked]

I'm sure you had a wonderful time and she'll enjoy tomorrow's risotto...and the bills will be paid.

 

[FryBoy]

Risotto is a food of love (or at least requires some time and a little concious effort - the stirring and slow incremental addition of stock has a purpose to develop it's creamy texture) - not some glop you scrape out of a pressure cooker pot!

My, you're certainly open to new ideas, Michael! I've made more kinds of risotto than you can imagine, and I must say I'm very good at it. When it's the main course, as it often is in our house, I make it the old fashioned way. When it's a side dish, however, and I have guests waiting, I need a quicker method that produces good results. The pressure cooker does that, your skepticism notwithstanding.

Lorna Sass, who is generally recognized as the foremost expert on pressure cookers, rightfully calls risotto nothing less than "one of the pressure cooker's greatest triumphs" (Pressure Perfect, page 196). The fact is that rather than producing "glop," as you so graciously put it, pressure cooking brings out the starch that creates the creamy texture that defines risotto, and it does it much faster and more efficiently that hand stirring. Anyone who would botther to try the method would understand that.

True, making good risotto in the pressure cooker may not be as much fun as standing over a hot steaming pot of rice during the last 30 minutes before serving dinner, but some of us prefer to concentrate on our friends rather than the stove.

 

[Lynan]

Welcome back GB!!

Now, I have to say that I dont think I will EVER see an Italian mama cook her risotto in a pressure cooker. Not to say the end result is not OK, just that in Italy, tradition dictates it is to be stirred. For 20 to 25 minutes. And that is why I love the Slow Food Movement...we have got to keep to it alive.
I get SO much pleasure from that stirring and seeing this gorgeous, creamy mass forming with my love and attention, its what cooking is all about.
We have a great Wine Master here in NZ who does his in the microwave and swears by it. Ok again.
Im sticking to stirring, and loving it. lolol

BTW, I spent 10 years in Italy, and pressure cookers were constantly being used. Just never for risotto.

 

[Chopstix]

Fryboy, thanks for the recipe. I bought a set of WMF pressure cookers two weeks ago and have used them many times already. I've fallen in love with it!

Risotto for me is almost frustrating to cook. Labor-intensive and the rice takes forever to get to the desired doneness. That's why I've never served it to guests. It's too time-critical and has to be served immediately.

I'm going to try your recipe!

 

[Chopstix]

According to some on another board, it is VERY good. And while the process may be the delight, sometimes it is nice just to get it done. At a culinary arts demo last year the chef from Julia's Kitchen also described how to "hold" risotto for service which is also helpful.

Gretchen, would you mind sharing what you learned on how to 'hold' risotto for service? Thanks!

 

[Gretchen]

He said to bring the risotto to the last addition of liquid where you would be adding your "extras" (he was making lobster risotto). Spread in a baking sheet and cool. Then for service put your plated amount in the pot, add the hot liquid and the additions and finish. Pretty easy--apparently the way restaurants prepare it for service.

 

[lyndalou]

Dave Lieberman's wild mushroom risotto is great and does not require constant stirring. I've made it for guests and they couldn't get enough of it.

Try it, if you can find it. I don't know how to give you a link on here. Barely know how to turn this contraption on.

Lyndalou

 

[suzyQ3]

A pressure-cooker risotto...
Why?
What is the problem with cooking some rice for 15-20 minutes ( which is the time it takes to cook anyway) and stirring, tasting, adding, etc.
I thought that was what cooking was all about!
No, with all due respect, Fryboy - it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Part of the delight of risotto is the process, ¡El Amor!

It's like barbecuing meat on an open wood fire!!

There is no problem with devoting your attention to risotto -- when it's your main dish or when it's just family. But if you're entertaining guests for dinner and are making several other dishes and the risotto is not the star of the meal, why dismiss an easy method if it produces good results?

I've had regular risotto, and I've had pressure cooker risotto. They are equal in taste and texture...in fact, I might even rate the pressure cooker risotto a tad higher.

 

[suzyQ3]

Risotto is a food of love (or at least requires some time and a little concious effort - the stirring and slow incremental addition of stock has a purpose to develop it's creamy texture) - not some glop you scrape out of a pressure cooker pot!

Of course we have a few members here who live in Italy ... would love to see what they have to say on the matter ...

I'm a bit surpised at seeing a member dismiss another's recipe as "glop." Isn't there a more civilized way to express disagreement regarding a cooking method or recipe? I thought this site prided itself on its politeness. Personally, I detest recipes that feature canned cream soup, so I just say nothing in reply to those recipes here or, at most, suggest an alternative.

As for pressure cooker risotto, I agree that it's not traditional. But that doesn't mean it should be automatically dismissed without a trial. I have made it, and it's excellent. When you're busy with other dishes and/or kids or guests, it's a simple alternative -- and simple is something I would think a fan of Occam's razor might appreciate.

 

[FryBoy]

Gretchen, would you mind sharing what you learned on how to 'hold' risotto for service? Thanks!

As an alternative to holding the risotto for service, the pressure cooker method allows you to prepare everything in advance, saute the onions, and set it aside. When you're ready to return to the kitchen to get everything on the table, reheat the onions and oil for a few seconds and then follow the remaining instructions. Your risotto will be ready in another 7 minutes, just as you're about ready to sit down with your guests.

I prefer to do it this way because I've found that risotto doesn't hold all that well once it's done -- although it is pretty good reheated the next day in (dare I say it without fear of ridicule from the great masters?) the microwave. It may be glop, but it's delicious glop!

 

[Gretchen]

Absolutely--another great reason for the PC. But he was giving the restaurant method for their ability to have risotto ready at any point in a diner's order.
It ain't glop, by any means. No apology needed!!

 

[FryBoy]

Thanks. I appreciate your comments.

To tell you the truth, I've rarely had risotto in a restaurant that's as good as what I make at home -- by either the traditional methods or in the PC. It's so time-consuming and last-minute that I don't think most restaurant kitchens can do it justice.

 

[VegasDramaQueen]

Te each their own, but I make a lot of risotto by the old fashioned method. I love watching the rice turn creamy with each addition of liquid and the finished product is a work of art. I can't even imagine cooking risotto in a pressure cooker. This is indeed a labor of love and I'm never in so much of a hurry that I have to use the "instant" method. But hey, if it works for you then have at it. As for me, I want to watch my risotto go through each stage. It only takes about 20 minutes to make perfect risotto, so what's the hurry??