The risotto with beans and speck is a rustic and tasty first course, very simple and quick to prepare for a dinner with friends or for an everyday lunch. A very simple and quick recipe to prepare because it is made in the electric pressure cooker.
Anyone who knows me knows I love risottos, especially preparing them in the pressure cooker. For several months, I have been experimenting with recipes in the instant pot, including this type of preparation. Cooking with a pressure cooker is a very practical and fast method that allows you to maintain the nutritional properties of the food.
For this recipe, I used canned borlotti beans, but you can easily cook them first in the pressure cooker after soaking them for at least 12 hours in cold water. After cooking them, you can easily follow the recipe to prepare the risotto. The speck will add that particular flavor to this first course, but you can also replace it with sweet or smoked pancetta, according to your taste. If you’re curious to find out how to prepare it, then read the recipe because the risotto with beans and speck in the instant pot will be ready in a click!
If you are interested in other risotto recipes in the pressure cooker, also read:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Instant pot
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 486.28 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 63.92 (g) of which sugars 1.95 (g)
- Proteins 16.71 (g)
- Fat 16.32 (g) of which saturated 5.81 (g)of which unsaturated 4.65 (g)
- Fibers 5.25 (g)
- Sodium 1,811.37 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 327 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 cup cup Carnaroli rice
- 1/2 white onion
- 2 tbsps tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 3.2 oz oz speck, diced
- 9.5 oz oz canned borlotti beans
- 5.3 oz oz tomato sauce (rustic)
- 1/2 glass red wine
- 2 1/2 cups cups vegetable broth
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- rosemary (to taste chopped dry or fresh)
- 2 tbsps tbsps butter
Tools
- Pressure Cooker electric
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Steps
To prepare this risotto, you can choose to use canned beans as in my version, or use dry ones to cook. In the latter case, soak the beans in a bowl of water for at least 12 hours. Then rinse them very well under water and transfer them to the pot adding water, which should be twice their volume. Do not salt them, otherwise, they would crumble. Salt them only at the end of cooking. Close the pot, move the lever to sealing, and set the cooking on pressure cook for 10 minutes. Once the cooking is over, activate the quick release by moving the lever to venting. Some legumes may release foam during this phase. Therefore, close the valve again and wait for natural decompression.
For cooking legumes in a traditional pressure cooker, proceed in the same way by soaking the legumes. Rinse them and transfer them to the pot with water. Cook the beans for 8 minutes from the start of the whistle. In this case, the cooking times are relative, as they vary based on the type of pot you own.
Let’s proceed now to the preparation of the risotto. Clean the onion and chop half of it. Transfer it to the pot and sauté for a few minutes with the sauté function with a bit of oil and the diced speck. When the onion is wilted and the speck has turned golden, add the rice and toast it for a few minutes. Then deglaze with red wine, allowing the alcohol to evaporate.
Then pour in the tomato sauce, the canned beans drained and rinsed from the preservation liquid, or those cooked in the pressure cooker, and the hot broth. Adjust with salt, season with pepper and rosemary, and close the pot. Move the decompression lever to sealing and cook with the pressure cook function for 5 minutes. After the cooking time, activate the quick release and remove the lid. Add the butter and stir.
To prepare the risotto in a traditional pressure cooker, follow the same steps explained above and cook for 4 minutes from the start of the whistle over low heat. After the cooking time, gradually release the steam and open the pot to mix the risotto. The risotto with beans and speck is ready! Serve it hot with more rosemary if you like and grated cheese.
Variations and tips for risotto with beans and speck
Risotto with beans and speck is best enjoyed immediately. Alternatively, it can be stored in the refrigerator in a container with a lid for one or two days.
FAQ Questions and Answers for risotto with beans and speck
Can I substitute borlotti beans with cannellini beans?
Yes, you can substitute borlotti beans with cannellini beans. This does not change the procedure for the recipe.
How can I prepare it in a traditional pressure cooker?
Follow the same steps in the recipe above and cook for 4 minutes from the start of the whistle over low heat. Of course, the cooking times vary depending on the type of pressure cooker you have.
