Risotto always sounded so complicated me, but it is so easy! Rice is always something tricky to cook, but a rice maker does everything for you. So why not combine the two and cook the risotto in my rice cooker. Anyone can do that!
The great thing about risotto, is it is so customizable. Add any vegetables you would like to create your own flavor. I made a mushroom and spinach risotto, but some other good vegetables are asparagus, arugula, squash, and the list goes on...
Prep Time:
5 min
Cook Time:
30 min
Ready in:
35 min
You will need:
6 cups chicken broth (variation: 6 bouillon cubes with water)
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots (variation: green onion, leeks)
2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel (variation: 2 extra teaspoons lemon juice)
About 2-3 cups of a vegetable of your choice, such as asparagus, mushrooms, squash, etc. The vegetable should be cut into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch
If your rice cooker will stay on cook without the lid down, you can do all preparations in the rice cooker turned onto its reguar cook setting, no need to dirty any pans! Mine does not stay on unless the lid is down, so steps 1 and 2 were done in a pan.
1. In a medium saucepan melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and oil. When the oil is heated, add the onion, shallot or leek and stir to coat with the oil. Saute it, stirring occasionally, until it softens and turns translucent. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and tir to coat the grains of rice completely with the wine. Saute, stirring frequently, until the rice starts to absorb the wine. The rice will eventually become translucent around the edges, with a small white dot remaining.
3. If you are using vegetables, add and saute them for a minute or two, stirring occasionally. Only add the harder vegetables that will need time to simmer and cook (such as mushrooms, asparagus, squash...Leafy vegetables, such as arugula, spinach or watercress should not be added until the last minute.
4. Transfer the rice into the rice cooker and pour in the stock or broth, all at once, and stir to combine it with the rice.
5.Close the lid on the rice cooker. If your cooker has a porridge setting, set it for this. If it is an on-off cooker, or only has a "Regular" setting, then use that setting. Either way, set a timer for 20 minutes.
After 10 minutes, check on the rice and give it a stir to recombine the ingredients. When the timer goes off, check on the risotto. If there is still a lot of liquid remaining, and the rice is still hard in the middle, cook it a little longer. The rice should be tender, but still have a little "bite" to it, what the Italians refer to as al dente. And there should be enough liquid remaining to make it just slightly soupy.
6.Stir in cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
Bon appetite!
