Beet Risotto (pressure cooker recipe)

I have been playing around with my pressure cooker quite a bit lately, most notably during the New New Mexican Fiesta from a couple weeks ago. Cooking pinto beans is a snap, but that recipe has a large margin of error, as mushier beans are a good thing. My experiment with pumpkins in the pressure cooker went less well.

A friend recently told me that pressure cookers are excellent for risottos – now this was exciting news. Imagine, cutting down on the stirring time, being able to make a risotto for a party, all this sounded excellent. I had some beets in the veggie drawer, so I decided to give it a whirl. Here is my recipe, along with notes I took along the way. (Apologies for the photo quality, I am having trouble now that it is getting dark earlier, there is no natural light by the time we eat dinner!)

I started with recipes from Gastronome and French Tart; both recipes indicated it would take about 10 minutes for the risotto to finish. Mine took a little longer, what with the sauteing and all. Closer to 20 minutes, start to finish. The end product was excellent, however. Far creamier than any other risotto I have made. I look forward to experimenting with other flavors this winter.

Beet Risotto

• 3-4 medium sized beets, tops cut short and scrubbed well
• 2 tablespoons oil or butter (or 1 tablespoon of each)
• 1 cup sliced leeks
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with foil; put the cleaned beets in the pan, along with 3/4 cup of water. Cover tightly with another piece of foil. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes, until tender. Save liquid in baking dish, remove beets to bowl to cool. When cool enough to handle, cut beets into small 1/2″ squares.

In the pressure cooker, melt the butter and olive oil, then sauté the leeks until soft. Add the Arborio rice and stir until all the grains are coated with fat. Add the wine and stir until it has mostly evaporated. Add the chicken broth and reserved beet liquid. Put the pressure cooker lid on the pot, bring the pot up to pressure and cook 4 minutes.

Transfer pan to sink and run cold water over the top. When the pressure has been released, return the pot to the stove. The risotto will be very runny – cook on med-high heat 3 minutes longer, until the desired consistency has been achieved. Stir in reserved beets and Parmesan cheese. Serve.