Instant Pot Spring Risotto Bianco with Asparagus
“A perfect plate of risotto should flow like lava if you tilt the plate.” I love this description from serious science behind risotto. J’s book The Food Lab – Better Home
Cooking Through Science – has become a favorite at home, with tried and tested methods for cooking anything from a prime rib roast to creamy scrambled eggs.
Risotto is one dish which I always chose to cook on the stovetop, that was until my Instant Pot multicooker landed on my kitchen counter two summers ago.
I previously tried and failed to convert risotto for the slow cooker, the science of long slow cooking simply didn’t work with the rice. It turns out gummy and overall unappealing. But there is something about the pressure cooker method which works, a process with a guaranteed outcome every time. Whether it’s the rice grains bumping into one another creating the friction needed to release the starches, or some much more scientific explanation I have no idea!
With locally grown asparagus hitting the produce aisles now it’s the perfect time to enjoy the seasonality of spring risotto. Michigan ranks 2nd in the nation as a producer of asparagus and the harvest runs from now until late June. This risotto bubbles up to perfection in just 8 minutes in the pressure cooker.
Be sure to serve risotto right away to maintain its optimum viscosity. Even as I allowed this bowl to sit while I grabbed my camera it thickened. The butter added at the end of the cooking will loosen it and create a glossy finish. Add spoonfuls of grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste.
Get your Zen on for Mother’s Day this weekend with this deliciously simple, no mess lunch.
- 2 tbsp butter, plus 1 tbsp for later
- 1 cup / 1 small onion, small dice
- 2 tsp / 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 1 tsp rosemary, dried or 2 tsp fresh, chopped
- 2 cups / 16 fl oz white wine
- 2 1/2 cups / 20 fl oz vegetable broth
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (more to taste)
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- *1 cup green peas, cooked
- *1 bunch asparagus spears, chopped, steamed
- heat butter in the Instant Pot on sauté function medium and sauté onion and garlic for 2 minutes
- stir the rice into the onion mixture to coat with the melted butter
- stir in the rosemary, white wine and vegetable broth
- secure the Instant Pot lid and turn the pressure valve to Sealing
- press the Manual / Pressure button and adjust the cook time to 8 minutes
- once cooked, turn the dial to Venting to Quick Pressure Release
- stir in the remaining butter, parmesan cheese and black pepper
- stir in the cooked peas and asparagus and serve
- *I prefer to add these at the end to maintain a bite to their texture, however you can add them to the pot with the liquid for the duration of the cooking time for ease.
“I will look after you and I will look after anybody you say needs to be looked after, any way you say. I am here. I brought my whole self to you. I am your mother.”
– Maya Angelou, Mom & Me & Mom
