Cherry Tomato Risotto in Lakeland Pressure Cooker

My childhood memories stem back to recollection of my mother cooking in the kitchen. She did not have any electrical gadgets and all the grinding, crushing and pulsing was done in the pestle and mortar or on a large stone. She would grate all her vegetables using a hand held grater there was no kitchen aid on hand or blenders either. The only gadget I ever saw that she had was her trusted pressure cooker. I would hear it hissing and steaming as she cooked her pulses and grain in it every day.

Pressure cookers if you are not used to them can appear rather frightening to use but actually they are not. Some care and attention and safety rules are required such as never use a pressure cooker with out any liquid in it, ensure the seals are not damaged or broken, the gasket is not damaged and the valves are not blocked. Lastly its important not to overfill a pressure cooker but close the lid properly before putting it on the heat. Once the cooking process is compete ensure that the steam release vent is opened and all the steam has escaped before opening. These few instructions will ensure a very happy relationship with your pressure cooker.

I recently needed to upgrade my pressure cooker which was getting old and I could not get the correct spare parts for it, so keeping safety in mind I sourced a new pressure cooker. My new pressure cooker is the  Sitra Pro Graphalogie 8L pressure cooker from Lakeland. It comes complete with silicon steam basket and a lifting tool. The pressure cooker can be operated with one hand, has a quick glance cooking times and built in safety features. I like the cooker as its easy to clean, has good heat distribution, can be used on gas cooker or hob and it preserves flavour and nutrients. It cuts cooking time of pulses by 60 percent. This is important to me as I cook with a lot of pulses since I am a vegetarian. The Pressure cooker retails at £109.00 and its available from Lakeland website and in store too.

I made this delicious and tasty Cherry tomato risotto in my pressure cooker. My family love risotto, the creamy texture of the rice and the blend of different flavours makes it the perfect comfort food. There are many types of risottos you can make, such as mushroom, peas, zucchini, parsnip, beetroot and roasted vegetable to name a few. I had my first taste of risotto when I went to Italy and am a die hard fan of this creamy tasty dish.  

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Cherry Tomato Risotto

by October-12-2017

Creamy and delicious risotto cook with simple Italian flavours.

Ingredients:

• 250 g Cherry Tomatoes
• 250 g Risotto Rice
• 500 ml Passatta
• 250 ml Water
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Medium white onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Chilli flakes (Optional)
• 60 g Parmesan Cheese (Optional)

Method:

1. In the pressure cooker add the oil and wait for it to heat up. Once hot add onions and garlic and saute the onions until pink and translucent.
2. Add the rice and then add the pasatta, water, salt, pepper, chilli flakes and mix together. Bring the liquid to boil.Add the tomatoes, I like to keep them whole.3. Put the lid on the pressure cooker and press the regulator down and into the cook position.(This is indicated by the pressure cooker symbol) and cook the rice for 18 minutes on medium heat 4. Release the pressure from the cooker and stir the risotto, it should be quite wet and the rice should be cooked but a l dente. At this point if the mixture appears dry add a little bit more water. The risotto should be rich and creamy in texture.The rice grains should be holding shape.5. Stir in the oregano and transfer the risotto to serving bowls, add grated Parmesan cheese on top if desired.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: Serves 4

NB- This recipe can be made on the stove top instead of using the pressure cooker but the cooking time will be longer.

***I was sent the Sitra Pro Graphalogie  8L pressure cooker from Lakeland to test it out in my kitchen, all views and opinions are my own as are the photographs.