Tomato Barley Risotto With Marinated Feta
Creamy, yet with perfect al dente texture, this tomato-based Instant Pot risotto is made with pearl barley and topped with marinated feta cheese. Great for family dinners!
⏱️ Prep: 15 min🍳 Cook: 25 min
Ingredients
| 1.5 tbsp | 23 ml | butter |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | olive oil |
| 1 | medium white onion, diced | |
| 1 | medium celery stick (or 2 small), sliced or diced | |
| 4 | cloves garlic, finely diced | |
| 1.5 cup | 360 ml | uncooked pearl barley, rinsed (250ml cups) |
| 0.5 tsp | 2.5 ml | smoked or regular paprika |
| 0.5 tsp | 2.5 ml | chilli flakes |
| 3 | peels of lemon rind | |
| 4 | thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp thyme leaves) | |
| 1 | bay leaf | |
| 400 g | tin chopped tomatoes | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | tomato paste/concentrated puree |
| 3 cup | 720 ml | vegetable stock (with 1.5 stock cubes) |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | salt |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | caraway seeds or cumin seeds |
| 0.5 cup | 120 ml | olive oil (for feta) |
| 300 g | feta cheese, broken or diced | |
| — | fresh oregano, for garnish |
Instructions
Prep Time: 15 · Cook Time: 25 · Total Time: 40 minutes · Yield: 4 serves · Category: Main Entree · Method: Instant Pot Pressure Cooker · Cuisine: Italian
Creamy, yet with perfect al dente texture, this tomato-based Instant Pot risotto is made with pearl barley and topped with marinated feta cheese. Great for family dinners!
- Turn the Instant Pot on and press the Sauté function key. Add the butter, olive oil, onion and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring a few times.
- Add the barley, paprika, chilli, lemon rind, thyme and bay leaf and stir through for 20-30 seconds. Press Cancel to stop the Sauté process.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato puree/paste, stock and salt and stir through. Pop the lid on and lock it, making sure the steam valve is pointing to Sealing. Set to Manual, HIGH and adjust the time to 15 minutes. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will start to build up the pressure and the cooking will begin.
- Once the timer goes off, allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then open the lid after using a quick release to let off the rest of the steam. Stir through the risotto and serve with crumbled feta over the top.
- While the risotto is cooking, prepare the marinated feta. Add the olive oil to a hot frying pan together with the caraway seeds. Stir through for 1 minute to release the spice aromas.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool down for 5 minutes. Place the crumbled or cubed feta into a bowl and pour the oil with the seeds over the top. Stir through and set aside to infuse. You can do this step ahead of time, giving the feta more time to marinate.