You can disregard this post if you do not have an Instant Pot. Well, you may want to do a quick read to see if it convinces you to add yet another appliance to your kitchen. After all you can never have too many kitchen gadgets.
My first try in the Instant Pot was a Spicy Pork Shoulder dish from Melissa Clark and then Corned Beef for St. Paddy’s Day.  Let’s face it…cuts of meat like pork shoulders or briskets lend themselves well to pressure cookers. But how versatile is the Instant Pot? Upon the recommendation of my sister-in-law I decided to try my luck at making risotto. The time savings was not super significant, what was boss WAS NOT HAVING TO STAND OVER THE STOVE STIRRING CONSTANTLY.  For those who have made risotto in the traditional way, it is like a dance. Stir, stir, stir, broth, stir, stir, stir, more broth… Step, step, step together, pause, step, step, step together pause….see just like doing the tango.

First saute’ your aromatics and rice as usual in the Instant Pot (one pot cooking yay!).  Add entire amount of stock called for in the recipe and any vegetables (in this case mushrooms), slap the lid on your Instant Pot, set it for 4 minutes and WALK AWAY.  Yes, you read that right, walk away.  The Instant Pot takes a couple of minutes to come to pressure and then cooks for the 4 minutes.  All you need to do is listen for the beep that signals its done.  Do a quick release (careful, don’t burn yourself), take the lid off, set your pot to saute’ and finish the risotto.  Finishing requires a minute or two of stirring to create the creamy texture and to finish off the risotto.  Test the risotto for doneness after removing the lid, you don’t want to overcook the rice.  I did not use the full 2 ounces of dried mushrooms, probably closer to 1 ounce and found it a bit overpowering.  I would use approximately 1/2 ounce of dried mushrooms soaked in broth to soften. You can adjust the amount of parmesan to taste.  A nice addition would be crispy, crumbled pancetta or prosciutto.

The risotto was pretty darn good if I say so myself.  It could have perhaps used a smidge less time so it was truly al dente but it was surprisingly good and so easy!  I am definitely going to give risotto made in an Instant Pot another whirl.  I will miss the arm workout I get from stirring risotto though…life’s little sacrifices.

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Instant Pot Adventures-Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

• Adapted from This Old Gal Blog
• 1 ounce Porcini/Wild Mushrooms/shiitakes dried soaked in warm water to soften
• 6-8 oz Fresh Crimini Mushrooms roughly chopped or mix of fresh mushrooms such as shiitakes or oysters
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 cups 9oz Arborio Rice (or medium-grain white rice)
• 3 Large Shallots chopped or 2 cloves of garlic and 1/2 finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds crushed or 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup Dry White Wine
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1.5 cups Mushroom water or Water or Broth reserved from soaking dried mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/2-1 cup 3 oz Parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley chopped or chives
• 1 T Butter to finish

Instructions

• Dried Mushrooms, bring 2 cups water to boil in heavy small saucepan. Add mushrooms.
• Cover and let stand until mushrooms soften, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer mushrooms to cutting board and chop coarsely, reserve liquid.
• Select Sauté or Browning on your Pressure Cooker and allow to heat.
• Add oil and butter to Instant Pot and shallots or garlic/onion mixture, fennel seeds or thyme, stir and then add rice cook for three minutes.
• Add wine and cook until almost evaporated, stirring frequently, about 1 minute.
• Mix in 3.5 cups broth (or 2 cups broth/1.5 cups reserved mushroom soaking liquid), salt and mushrooms.
• Lock lid in place and close Pressure Valve. Press manual and adjust time to 4 minutes. Cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes. After beep, do a Quick Release (careful its hot).
• Turn Pot off and select sauté. Stir rice until creamy and tender but still firm to the bite, approximately 2 minutes.
• If more liquid is needed, stir in a little more broth or reserved mushroom liquid. Add more until desired creaminess is achieved.
• Mix in cheese and butter. Season risotto with salt & pepper to taste.
• Transfer to heated plates or serving bowl.
• Garnish with parsley or chives and serve while hot!