aybe you’ve thought about trying to make it on your own, but were scared off by the long cooking time and the constant stirring, and with good reason. It’s a tough dish to carry out on your own. With the slow cooker, you can skip all of those steps and still have a delicious and creamy risotto that makes a wonderful side dish.
There are few things you have to know before you make risotto in your slow cooker. First of all, the type of rice matters. You need to get medium grain rice labeled either Arborio or Carnaroli. These types of rice will produce the creamy and tender results you are looking for. The other thing to remember is that while the slow cooker will do all the hard work, you can’t skip the step of cooking the rice in a little fat for a few minutes before transferring it to the slow cooker. If you’ve ever tried to make risotto on your own, then you know that that’s nothing compared to cooking it the old fashioned way.
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon saffron threads
2 medium shallots, chopped
1/2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Coat the inside of your slow cooker pot with cooking spray, brush with oil, or line with a slow cooker liner.
Heat the butter and oil in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and saffron and cook until the shallots are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and coat with the oil. Cook until the rice begins to look opaque.
Add the wine and allow it to evaporate.
Add the contents of the saucepan to your slow cooker and cover it with the broth.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Check to be sure there is still enough broth. The risotto is done when the rice is tender and creamy.
Serve with more butter and cheese.
