Every fall, black swallowtail caterpillars takeover my backyard basil plants. I needed to make this basil-loaded dish before sharing my plants with them. 
This risotto was rich, creamy, and hearty. The absolute highlight of the finished dish was the crispy garlic and pan-toasted pine nut topping. Loved it.
This recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Christian Reynoso. I adapted the original recipe to prepare it in a pressure cooker. Easy and elegant.
Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
- 4 T unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
- 5 to 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced, divided
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 5 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (4 T) raw pine nuts
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 1/2 cups (loosely packed) basil leaves (from 1 large bunch), torn into 1″ pieces
- shaved or finely grated Parmesan, for serving (I used Parmigiano-Reggiano)
- Parmesan rind, optional
- juice of 1/2 large lemon
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 5 or 7 quart pressure cooker over medium heat.
- Add the rice and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until grains are partially translucent, about 1 1/2 minutes.
- Add 2 cloves of garlic slices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add all of the unheated stock; stir.
- Lock the lid in place and bring to high pressure over high heat.
- Adjust the heat to maintain high pressure. Cook for 7 minutes.
- Release the pressure according to the manufacturer’s instructions or place the pot under running cold water. (I used a quick release method.)
- Carefully open the lid, being careful of the steam. The stock should be almost completely absorbed but the rice will be covered with a thick layer of milky broth. (more stock can be added at this point if the risotto appears too thick)
- Meanwhile, cook the remaining 6 cloves of garlic slices, olive oil, and pine nuts in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts to turn golden around edges. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring often, until pine nuts and garlic are golden, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat; stir in turmeric and season with pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the Parmesan rind, if using, into the risotto. Season with salt, to taste.
- Stir the freshly squeezed lemon juice into the risotto and add freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- Stir basil into risotto.
- Ladle risotto, discarding the Parmesan rind, into shallow bowls. Top with garlic–pine nut oil and Parmesan. Serve.
thebrookcook 