Risotto is one of those comforting recipes that can seem so unapproachable when served in a restaurant but it’s really not! The secret to a traditional risotto is hot stock, and stirring – never stop stirring. it can be an extremely soothing way to end a stressful day to stand at your hob and gradually nurse a risotto to life. On the other hand, if you don’t have the time or inclination to stand there, constantly stirring, then just leave it to your pressure cooker. Seriously, with very little work you can have dinner ready in 15 to 20 minutes by just leaving the risotto to your pressure cooker.
This creamy, rich, tasty risotto is my take on the Italian classic. It’s an incredibly simple dish that comes out greater than the sum of it’s parts. I’ve included instructions for both the stove top method and using a pressure cooker so you can try whichever works for you but I have to admit that more often than not I tend to just use the pressure cooker as its so much easier.
If you want to take a look at the science of perfect risotto then Serious Eats did a brilliant article on this subject many years ago. I use their method for washing the rice to add to the creaminess but it’s entirely optional so if you’re short on time do feel free to skip this step. Credit should also be given to Laura at Hip Pressure Cooking who first mastered pressure cooker risotto here – give her site a look!
- Makes: Serves 2-3
Ingredients
For the Risotto:
- 750ml Vegetable Stock
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter
- 400g Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
- 500ml Risotto Rice
- 1 tsp Vegan Fish Sauce
- ½ Tbsp Cider Vinegar*
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 Rib of Celery, very finely diced
- ½ tsp dried Basil
- ½ tsp dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Medium Potato, very finely diced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
For the Crispy Basil & Garlic Breadcrumbs:
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- 4-5 Basil leaves, roughly ripped
- 1 Slice of Gluten free bread, grated to form breadcrumbs
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or fine diced
- 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
- ½ Tsp Chilli Flakes
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Optional Finishers:
- 3 Sun dried Tomato halves, thinly sliced
- Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbsp of vegan Creme Fraiche or Cream
- 150g Spinach
- Handful of Vegan Cheese
- Fresh Basil
Directions
I’ll start by walking you through the basil and garlic breadcrumbs, if you’re doing the risotto on the stove then I recommend doing this first as you won’t have time while doing all that stirring. However, if you’re leaving the risotto to your pressure cooker then I tend to throw the breadcrumbs together while the risotto is cooking – it all depends on what works best for you.
Put a small fry pan on a high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the basil leaves and allow to fry until bright green and just starting to crisp (this will take literally seconds so don’t look away). Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, or until fragment. Now turn the heat down to low and add your breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, chilli, and season well. Mix well and toast gently until the breadcrumbs are browned and crunchy, stirring occasionally. Put your breadcrumbs to one side until needed.
Mix together your stock, fish sauce, and vinegar in a large bowl. Add your rice to this mix stir well to ‘wash’ your rice and remove the starch into your stock. Drain well into a separate bowl so that you retain all the starch you’ve just rinsed off and your rice is mostly dry. Now stir the tomatoes into your stock. If you’re cooking on the stove you’ll want to place this mix into a small pan and heat gently so it’s ready when you need it.
Stove top Method; Add 2 Tbsp of your butter to a wide saute pan on a medium heat. when your butter has melted, add the chopped onion and celery, and saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Throw in your herbs, paprika, 1 tsp of salt, as well as the garlic and continue to cook until the onions have started to very gently brown. Add the potato and rice, stirring continuously and cook until the rice grains are translucent, ever so slightly golden and smell toasty. Use a dash of your stock to deglaze the pan (i.e. scrape up all the tasty brown stuff that’s stuck to the bottom) and now we’re ready to start adding the stock for real. Add your simmering stock mix a ladle full at a time, ensuring each addition is fully absorbed before adding the next and stirring well. Once all the stock is absorbed, taste your rice to ensure it’s cooked – you’re looking for soft rice that still has a slight bite to it. Stir in your last tablespoon of butter and season to taste.
Instant Pot method; Place your instant pot onto saute and add 2 Tbsp of your butter. As with the method above, when your butter has melted add the chopped onion and celery, and saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Throw in your herbs, paprika, 1 tsp of salt, as well as the garlic and continue to cook until the onions have started to very gently brown. Add the potato and rice, stirring continuously and cook until the rice grains are translucent, ever so slightly golden and smell toasty. Turn of the saute function and use a dash of the stock mix to deglaze the pan. Add the rest of your stock and mix well. Seal the lid and set to cook for 6 minutes at high pressure. when the time is finished, do a quick pressure release. The risotto will look far too wet but stir well and the excess liquid will be adsorbed. Add your last tablespoon of butter, season to taste and stir until the butter is melted and mixed through.
For either method you can add whichever finishers you feel it needs that day, if the risotto needs a burst of acidity then add a little lemon juice (this will often depend on the tomatoes). Spinach is a great addition and bumps up the amount of veg in your dish – just add with the butter and stir through until just wilted. If you’ve got some vegan creme fraiche or cream hanging around in your fridge then they can really up the creaminess of your dish.
Serve topped with cheese (if that’s your thing), a good helping of the breadcrumbs you prepared earlier, and a few leaves of fresh basil.
Notes
* Traditionally, this should be white wine but I don’t drink so we never have any in the house. If you do then feel free to sub in about a quarter of a cup of white wine. Don’t mix this with the rest of the stock but use it at the deglazing stage instead of using the stock. move on to the next step when the wine has been fully absorbed.
Allergy Notes; This should be naturally vegan, gluten free and nut free. As always, double check your stock for any allergens and if soy is an issue for you then check your vegan fish sauce – if you can’t find one without and need to skip the soy then feel free to skip it entirely.
