michelle picker cooks

If you have a pressure cooker this recipe makes wonderful creamy risotto and can be adapted for different ingredients.

Here’s a bacon and vegetable risotto.

In your pressure cooker add a little olive oil and fry a diced onion, 2 finely diced cloves of garlic and 6 short pieces of bacon (also finely sliced) until the onion is beginning to wilt. Add 2 diced carrots, some diced pumpkin and a diced yellow or red pepper. Continue to cook for a few minutes then add a cup of dry white wine. Turn up the heat and allow the wine to evaporate. Now add 3 cups of arborio rice and continue to cook until the rice turns opaque. Add 6 cups of hot stock (chicken or vegetable). Close the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to build. Lower the heat and cook for exactly 7 minutes. Cool the pressure cooker under cold water to open. Now add some spinach leaves, fresh basil, ¼ of a cup of grated pecorino cheese (or more to taste) and season with salt and pepper.

And this is a spicy chorizo, eggplant, red pepper, tomato and spinach risotto.

Dice and fry a chorizo. Next add a diced onion, 2 cloves of finely diced garlic and a finely diced chilli. When the onion has wilted add a diced eggplant and continue to cook for a few minutes before adding a cup of dry white wine. Turn up the heat and allow the wine to evaporate. Now add 3 cups of arborio rice and continue to cook until the rice turns opaque. Add 6 cups of hot stock (chicken or vegetable). Close the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to build. Lower the heat and cook for 4 minutes. Cool the pressure cooker under running cold water to open. Add a diced red pepper and two diced tomatoes. Close the pressure cooker again and cook at pressure for a further 3 minutes. Open the pressure cooker again and stir through 2 cups of spinach leaves and ¼ of a cup of grated pecorino or parmesan and season with salt and pepper.