Risotto, such a yummy comfort food… somehow I always thought it would be hard to make and just leave it to order in a restaurant. Well, a patient of mine proved me so wrong on that one. So pretty much by now all of my patients know I love recipes… and after I ask how the are doing and talk about their health, sometimes we start talking about food and recipes (especially around dinner time). One of my patients in particular is naturally a fantastic chef – this makes me super jealous since she is only in her early 20s and somehow she just knows how to make amazing food. It’s a gift.
Last time she was in the clinic she mentioned this amazing risotto for the instant pot and told me it was so good she and her family don’t bother ordering it when out at a restaurant anymore since they just always get disappointed – I totally get it because that is how I feel about creme brule (my recipe is way better – I swear – just click the link).
That was on a Thursday or Friday. Naturally all I could think about for the rest of the weekend was the risotto. I have know this family at least 15 years…. I decided to harass her mom into giving me the recipe – which she gladly did AND said I could post! Lucky us! Thank you Taylor and Jane. You guys are rock stars.
Ingredients
Here is what you need for the risotto
Frozen butternut squash (cubed) – 3 cups
unsalted butter – 2 Tbsp
garlic – 3 cloves minced
yellow onion minced – 1
thyme – 3-4 sprigs of fresh or 1 tsp dried
salt 1 tsp
2 portobello mushrooms diced
baby spinach – half a large container
Arboro rice – 2 cups
white wine (dry) – 3/4 cup
white miso paste – 2 Tbsp
Soy sauce – 2 tsp
veggie or chicken broth – 900 ml
Parmesan – 1/2 cup grated or to taste
Directions for Risotto
Thaw butternut squash to room temperature in the microwave. In the instant pot on saute on medium or normal setting melt the butter and add squash, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Saute 2 mins then add spinach and cook down for about 5 minutes but don’t worry if all spinach has not cooked down.
Add rice ans stir until lightly toasted (edges translucent) – around 1 minute. Stir in miso and soy sauce and then wine and stir until alcohol has cooked off – around 2 mins. Press Cancel button and scrape down rice off of sides and add broth. Seal instant pot and switch valve to “sealing” mode and cook on low pressure for 7 minutes. Then when time up let pressure release naturally. When valve is down and it is safe to remove the pot’s lid remove it and stir to let rice absorb any remaining liquid. Stir in Parmesan and transfer to serving plates or dishes. This serves 6-8 people and will keep in the fridge for 5 days.
This literally took so little time – maybe 20 minutes – and I served it to friends coming over for dinner. It was a crowd pleaser and was super easy – so much so that I did it on the fly – the hardest part about it was chopping the onions and mushrooms.