Christen your new Instant Pot with this risotto recipe
Test out your handy appliance by making a tasty butternut squash and miso meal
Odds are that someone in your family got an Instant Pot over Black Friday or Cyber Monday (or has it on their Christmas/Boxing Day sale lists) and is wondering what to do with this multi-purpose cooker that has recently gained a cult following.
While the Ottawa invention serves as a slow cooker, rice maker, sauté pan and yogurt maker, most buy it for its pressure-cooker function to cook large hunks of meat, stews and dried beans in a fraction of the time it would take in the oven or stove.
The good news for people who aren’t cooking for large families is that the Instant Pot now comes in a smaller, three-quart size (it also comes in five-, six- and eight-quart sizes) that also saves on precious counter space.
So, single diners can take a break from the grain bowls and pasta plates for one and make things such as chili and pulled pork on a weekday, with enough leftover for a packed lunch or two.
For those starting out, I recommend making simple dishes such as mashed potatoes.
Or, you could try the dish that turned many skeptics (including myself) into a pressure-cooker user: risotto. Using a pressure cooker means no stirring, perfect for multi-tasking cooks. And while the rice is cooking, you can use the down time to clean up the kitchen.
This take on squash risotto incorporates miso paste for an extra dose of creaminess and umami flavour. For a vegan version, you can substitute the parmesan for nutritional yeast and olive oil for butter.
Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash and Miso Risotto
Star Tested 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter 3 cups (750 mL) butternut squash diced into 1 cm cubes 1 medium yellow onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced Leaves from 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme 1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt 1/2 tsp (2 mL) black pepper, plus more to taste 2 cups (500 mL) Arborio rice 3/4 cup (180 mL) dry white wine 2 tbsp (30 mL) white miso paste 2 tsp (10 mL) Japanese soy sauce 900 mL box no-salt-added chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated parmesan, plus more to taste In Instant Pot, using sauté function on “Normal” setting, melt butter and stir until bubbly.
Add squash, onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.
Stir until vegetables have softened and are fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add rice and stir until grains are lightly toasted but not browned (centre of rice will remain opaque but edges will turn translucent), 1 minute. Stir in miso paste and soy sauce.
Add wine and stir frequently until alcohol smell has cooked off, about 2 minutes.
Press “Keep Warm/Cancel” button. Add broth. Use wooden spoon to scrape off any rice on sides of pot. Secure lid on Instant Pot, making sure valve is switched to “Sealing” mode.
Cook risotto on Manual setting on low pressure for 7 minutes.
When time is up, let pressure release naturally or carefully pull release valve and let steam escape until float valve drops to indicate lid is safe to remove.
Remove lid. Stir to let rice absorb remaining liquid. Taste and add more pepper, if necessary. Stir in parmesan.
Transfer to serving plate or let cool to room temperature before refrigerating for up to 5 days.
Makes 6 to 8 servings. karonliu@thestar.ca