I get way too much happiness from good food.
Elizabeth Olsen

Eight weeks ago my face met the edge of our v-berth in a dramatic and forceful collision. The result? One tooth knocked sideways and two more significantly loosened. Not to mention the swollen combined with a black and blue face.

After realigning my teeth, the oral surgeon gave me strict orders to eat a soft food diet for at least the next six weeks. Based on the pain in my mouth there was absolutely no way I wanted to eat anything solid. But still, six weeks of nothing harder than mashed potatoes???

Their solution was to buy lots of Boost and Ensure meal replacement shakes. The thought of nothing but these shakes for six weeks was almost worse than the pain in my mouth. Luckily, they agreed I could eat other foods as long as I blended them to the consistency of mashed potatoes. [For the record, I realize both Boost and Ensure help many people get the necessary nutrients they need.]

For the next few weeks, soup was my food of choice. Blended and creamy soup was all my poor mouth could handle. But it was warm and savoury and not an overly processed shake.

As the healing process continued and one tooth was removed, I could handle eating softer food like macaroni and cheese, red beans, and rice and lentil stews.

Then I stumbled upon our new favourite Saturday night dinner – risotto. Specifically Lemon Mushroom Risotto made in the Instant Pot. This super creamy, yummy and oh so soft dinner is the perfect reward for making it through another week of soft foods. Or to celebrate a special occasion. Or even just because.

Making Lemon Mushroom Risotto (Instant Pot) on a Boat

With only a few ingredients and an Instant Pot, this risotto is super easy! The key is to cook the mushrooms until they release their liquids.

And yes, it will look super runny when you remove the Instant Pot’s lid. Don’t worry!!! This is normal and in a few minutes, it will be the creamy dish you’ve been craving.

We add different proteins – salmon (and not just because it’s easy to eat on a soft food diet), sausages (vegan or meat-based) and in the future it will be a great side dish for a grilled steak and seared duck breast (oh how I’ve missed you!).

Life on a boat also means not always having a lemon handy. In that case I use True Lemon packets – they are easy to store and don’t take up too much space. In this recipe I use 4 packets in place of the lemon juice and zest.

Boat Tested and Tasted!

This Lemon Mushroom Risotto was boat tested and tasted on a 1978 Tollycraft 37 using an Instant Pot 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker – 6 Qt. See other boat tested and tasted recipes

Lemon Mushroom Risotto in the Instant Pot

Risotto made in the Instant Pot is the easy way to a tasty dinner! Adding lemon gives a zing to this mushroom risotto.

Lemon Mushroom Risotto on a boat ⚓Wife on a boat

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion diced
8 oz mushrooms sliced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cups Arborio rice 1 pound
½ cup white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp lemon juice juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp butter
1 cup grated parmesan cheese 4 oz
2 teaspoons lemon zest zest from 1 lemon
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

Heat olive oil in Instant Pot using sauté mode adjusted to high, until the oil starts to shimmer. Add the onions and chopped mushrooms to the pot and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms give up their liquid and start to brown, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
Pour in the arborio rice and stir the rice until it is coated with the olive oil and onions. Toast the rice for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the dry white wine to the Instant Pot and let simmer for about 2 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the wine.
Stir in the lemon juice and vegetable broth. Turn off the sauté function and place lid on pressure cooker. Set the vent to sealed.
Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release the pressure, then carefully remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the scalding hot steam.
Stir butter into the rice until it melts, then stir in the grated cheese and lemon zest.
Serve, sprinkling with a little extra grated cheese and some minced parsley. Enjoy!

Notes

Life on a boat means not always having a lemon handy. In that case I use True Lemon packets – they are easy to store and don’t take up too much space. In this recipe I use 4 packets in place of the lemon juice and zest.

This Lemon Mushroom Risotto was boat tested and tasted on a 1978 Tollycraft 37 Sedan using an Instant Pot 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker – 6 Qt. See other boat tested and tasted recipes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Stay safe and happy cruising!