Lemon Asparagus Risotto
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I love risotto. It is my Italian comfort food of choice. I am ashamed to admit that I did not once eat it when we were in Italy last summer, but I hope to rectify this some day.
What I do not love, however, is making risotto.
The process of making risotto sometimes feels like managing a high-maintenance toddler. It requires constant attention, and you really cannot hurry it along. So when I stumbled upon a recipe for the Instant Pot, I was excited to try it. I could not believe when the recipe said that it only cooks at pressure for ten minutes… ten minutes… how was that possible? My usual attempts ended 45 minutes later with a sore arm, and rice that was still a bit too al dente.
I used this recipe from The Recipe Well as a starting point, as lemon and asparagus risotto is one of my favourites. I used the classic Arborio rice, added an optional splash of white wine, and finished with some extra butter. While this risotto is not vegan friendly, it is vegetarian so long as you use vegetable broth instead of chicken. I plan to attempt a vegan risotto at some point, and will post when I do.
Begin by setting the Instant Pot to the Saute mode, and adding a couple teaspoons of olive oil. Add the asparagus (woody ends removed, and cut into 1.5 inch pieces), and saute for 5 minutes until bright green and tender.
Remove asparagus from pot, add more olive oil, and saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent.
Next, I added the Arborio to the pot, and sauteed util the edges turned slightly translucent.
Deglaze the pan either with a splash of wine, or with some of the vegetable stock. Turn off the Saute function, and add the lemon juice, followed by the vegetable stock and butter. Put the lid on your Instant Pot, turn the knob to Sealing, and set on High Pressure for six minutes.
While the Instant Pot is working, grate your Parmesan cheese. I like to use a Microplane grater for my Parmesan cheese. This is probably one of the most used tools in my kitchen; I use it to grate ginger, garlic (so much easier than mincing), and parmesan, as well as to zest citrus.
Once the timer on the Instant Pot goes off, do a quick release by carefully turning the knob to Venting. When it is depressurized, remove the lid and stir in the Parmesan cheese, as well as a little additional butter. Add the asparagus back to the pot, and stir to combine.
I topped my lemon and asparagus risotto with additional Parmesan, fresh cracked black pepper, and a little bit of lemon zest.
Buon appetito!
Lemon Asparagus Risotto
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb asparagus
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth (add 2 cups if not using wine)
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 3 Tbsp butter unsalted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
For Serving
- Parmesan cheese
- lemon zest
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to Saute function, and add half the olive oil.
- Add asparagus, and saute until bright green and tender.
- Remove asparagus to bowl and set aside.
- Add remaining olive oil to pot and add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent.
- Add the rice and cook while stirring until the edges of the rice begin to turn translucent.
- Deglaze the pot with white wine (of 1/4 c of the stock) and turn off the Saute function.
- Add the lemon juice to the pot, followed by the vegetable stock and 2 Tbsp butter.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the knob to Sealing, and set on High Pressure for ten minutes.
- When the timer goes off, do a quick release by turning the knob to Venting and allow to depressurize. Remove lid and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and 1 Tbsp butter.
- Add the cooked asparagus and stir to combine.
- Top with lemon zest, black pepper, and additional Parmesan if desired.
