fresh summer corn risotto
Some days are just painful. You know what I mean, right? There’s the stress of getting the kids dressed and fed in the morning, making sure Oliver’s daycare has been paid, making sure Madeline’s swim bag is packed, remembering to buy diapers and feed the cats, and on and on and on. Our life is filled with this type of chaos.
And sometimes I take shortcuts. I do. I hereby confess that that to all who are reading.
For weeknight dinners, we often take shortcuts. Sometimes, I use refrigerated pizza dough for our “homemade” pizzas. And we’ve been known to pop open a jar of pasta sauce to top our spaghetti. Spaghetti that comes from a box. And sometimes, dinner is simply some rice topped with a can of black beans. I’m embarrassed, but it’s true. I’m admitting that right now.
So, when a busy working mother of two who gives bad news as an integral part of her profession and who has to hire a housekeeper and a babysitter and a person to mow the grass craves risotto, what does she do?
She uses her electric pressure cooker
When I bought my electric pressure cooker
This is one shortcut I’m happy to make. And I’m not ashamed.
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Fresh Summer Corn Risotto,Pressure Cooker Method
[This first version is the recipe I used, and it’s made in my electric pressure cooker. Making it this way is a huge time saver, and the risotto has a great creamy texture when it’s all said and done. Makes 4 main dish portions or 8 side dish portions.]
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2-3 ears of corn)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
- In the electric pressure cooker, on the Sauté setting, place the olive oil and butter and let the butter melt. Add the shallot and onion, and saute for 2 or 3 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add in the arborio rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is opaque (about 3-4 minutes). Add the wine and salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
- Add 4-1/2 cups chicken broth, stir, and set the pressure cooker to High Pressure setting and cook for 6 minutes. When the 6 minutes is up, use the quick release to release the steam in the pressure cooker. Open the lid carefully.
- Set the pressure cooker to the Simmer setting. Add the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Add the corn kernels and cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.*
* Note: While it’s recommended to serve risotto immediately, I’ve been known to keep it warm in the pressure cooker for up to an hour. It will set up a bit, but you can add in a bit of warmed chicken broth prior to serving to make it creamier.
For those of you who don’t have a pressure cooker or who simply prefer the old fashioned way, the following recipe is for you.
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Fresh Summer Corn Risotto, Stove-Top Method
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2-3 ears of corn)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
- In a saucepan bring chicken broth to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.
- In a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan melt butter with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and shallot, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute more.
- Add rice and stir until rice is opaque in the center, about 3 minutes. Add salt and wine; simmer until wine is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup simmering broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly and keeping at a simmer, until absorbed. Continue cooking at a simmer and adding broth mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 18 to 20 minutes total. (You will probably have broth left over.)
- Stir in fresh corn kernels and grated Parmesan, and cook over low heat until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
