One of the premier weapons in my armory is my pressure cooker. The pressure cooker is the ultimate cook's friend. It not only saves time, and fuel, but it can be used for an incredibly broad range of things. From the creation of succulent soups and stews to baking bread and canning this is a "must have" item for the galley! Sounds like an ad!
I put up chicken, spaghetti sauce, a beef stew hybrid, italian sausage, chili and ground beef crumbles. Here are some shots of the facility and the results. I use a Sharpie to label the contents on the top and side of the cans.
We visited them in Pike Place, Seattle and discovered some new spices, and spice blends that now enhance many of our favorite treats! I'd really recommend trying the "Adadaba" spice blend. It a coriander/tumeric-based blend that works really well with chicken, turkey, tuna, stews and various bean dishes.
1 C Chopped Pecans Recipe yields 2 1/2 to 3 dozen
1/2 C All-purpose Flour
2/3 C Melted Butter
2 Eggs
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a greased mini muffin pan, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Tip: Garnish each muffin with a pecan half before baking.
2 double chicken breasts, Butterflied, overlapped slightly and then pounded until about 1/3" thick
1/2 C sliced, pitted green olives
1/3 C capers
1 C chopped fresh mushrooms
8 slices of bacon (raw)
4-6 slices of deli ham
4-6 slices of deli cheese such as gouda or havarti.
1 tsp oregano, black pepper, garlic powder
Kitchen string
After the chicken has been pounded-out into a rectangle shape, (use saran wrap to help with this process), sprinkle with oregano, garlic and pepper. Then lay the bacon slices across the surface. Scatter olives and capers evenly over that. Next comes the mushrooms. Then the ham and finally the cheese. Roll the chicken up from one side to the other like you would a jelly roll. Using the string go around the entire thing sideways a few times, then around the other way down the entire length of the roll. It should be secure enough to keep things intact during the baking and slicing. Bake in a medium oven (350) for about 1 hour. Test for clear juices to ensure it's cooked. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice into 1" slices. I tented mine with aluminium foil for the first 1/2 hour. If you want you can make a mild cheese sauce to serve alongside.
1 can diced tomatoes
1 ˝ C chicken broth
2 hot Italian sausage sliced into rounds
˝ C smoked chorizo sausage, crumbled (optional)
˝ C each, chopped - carrots, onion, zucchini, pumpkin and potatoes
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 t cumin
˝ t Italian herbs, chili powder
Brown the sausage with half of the garlic and cumin, add onion and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add dried peas, tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves and half of the remaining seasonings. Stir to combine, cover and bring up to pressure. Pressure cook for 15 minutes. Let cool naturally. Meanwhile, sauté all veggies in remaining seasonings until slightly caramelized. Add to pot, adjust seasonings. Bring up to pressure again for 1 minute, let cool naturally. Serves 4.
1 medium zucchini, chopped into 1/2" cubes
1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced into 1/4" slices (can substitute celery but not as good)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 C fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 C mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1/4 C italian breadcrumbs
1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese
Saute zucchini, onion, fennel, garlic, mushrooms and cilantro in butter/oil combination until just crisp/tender. Add breadcrumbs to veggies and combine. Top with cheese and cover pan for 3-5 minutes. Serve.
2 skinless boneless chicken thighs (or 1 each breast and thigh)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms - or 1 small can
1/2 cup diced celery (optional)
1 large yellow squash, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sherry
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon each; celery salt, Lawry's pinch of herbs, Adadaba (or cumin)
Chop the chicken into chunks, lightly dredge in flour. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the pressure cooker and heat to medium-high. Brown chicken for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and onion. Continue browning for another couple of minutes, then remove ingredients to a bowl.
Next brown the mushrooms and squash (skip this step if using canned mushrooms). Remove to the bowl with the chicken.
Using 1-2 tablespoons of wine vinegar, deglaze the stuck pieces from the bottom of the pressure cooker.
Add the can of mushroom soup, and thin with white wine. Add celery salt, herbs, adadaba and a pinch of cayenne. Add to this, the chicken and veggie mixture, cover, bring up to pressure and cook for 5 minutes. Release pressure, add sherry and parmesan and serve.
2 cups stoneground cornmeal
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix together cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add eggs and buttermilk.
Place oil in a 9" square pan and pour in mixture. Bake 30-35 minutes until done.
As much or as little meat as you want (or go meatless)
2 cans of sliced stewed tomatoes
1 can dark red kidney beans, partially drained
1 can black beans, partially drained
1 large can mushrooms
1 cup each chopped celery, carrots, yellow squash and onion (more onion if you want)
1 cup chopped okra, (frozen OK)
3-4 bay leafs, 1 tablespn chili powder, 1 teaspn Lawry's pinch of herbs, 1 tablespn Adadaba (or cumin), 1 teaspn garlic powder, 1 teaspn celery salt, and optionally add cayenne for some heat.
1 cup red wine (usually I use burgandy)
Brown meats, add all remaining ingredients and either simmer on stovetop for about an hour to mingle flavors or cook under pressure for 10 minutes and let pressure reduce normally. This can be eaten "as is" with tortilla chips, or can be served on rice with crusty bread. Bon apetit!
3/4 C Fresh Shrimp, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 C each - mushrooms, onions and fresh fennel root (substitute celery for fennel)
1/2 C chopped tomato
1 T fresh basil leaves, or an appropriate amount of dried.
2 T red wine such as Cabernet Savignon or Burgundy
2 T Ceasar salad dressing
1 t red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped (optional)
Saute onion, fennel and mushrooms in olive oil until soft and starting to take on color (about 3 to 4 minutes), then add tomatoes, garlic, basil and shrimp. After 2 to 3 minutes add wine, ceasar salad dressing, the chopped egg and red wine vinegar. Stir to blend flavors, then spoon out over salad greens. We serve it with toasted asiago bread and a glass or two of Cab Sav. Yum!
Some varieties of seafood - I've used shrimp, cleaned crab, firm-fleshed fish. Tailor the amount to suit your tastes. Again, combine them if you want. Shrimp is my favorite seafood to use.
1 can stewed tomatoes - drained, or 1 large ripe tomato chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock (I use bullion and water)
1/2 cup white wine
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.2 cup fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup okra, chopped (frozen OK)
2 tablespn oil - (use equal parts oil/flour)
2 tablespn all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspn chili powder, thyme, basil
Black pepper to taste
Start by sauteing the onion, mushrooms, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Parboil the okra if fresh. Set aside.
Next, make the roux. Heat oil over medium high heat then stir in flour. Stirring constantly, continue to cook for several minutes until dark brown. It's important to get to the dark brown stage slooowly, so reduce heat to medium if necessary to prevent burning the roux.
Once the roux is quite dark, begin to add your liquids, slowly. The idea here is to end up with a 'gravy' thick enough to serve over rice, so use only as much liquid as is needed. If more liquid is needed, add it. Remember the tomatoes will add liquid, so add veggies then finetune the thickness. Simmer for 20 minutes.
About 3-5 minutes before serving, add the chopped seafood and stir. Serve over white or yellow rice with tobasco sauce handy for those who like things spicier.
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh chopped zucchini
1 cup fresh yellow squash
2/3 cup celery, chopped
2/3 cup mushrooms
1 roasted red pepper, chopped (optional - jar kind OK)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chili's (regular or mild)
oregano, basil, lawry's pinch of herbs - several shakes each
pinch of whole fennel seeds
Saute the onion, mushrooms, celery, and squash over medium heat in a small amount of olive oil (gently) for about 6-8 minutes, then add the garlic. Saute for another 2-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes first, then slowly, a bit at a time, add the cream of mushroom soup (don't dilute). It shouldn't be too thick but thin with white wine if needed. Add the red pepper and spices (don't skip the oregano!) then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
If you want, this can be served as a vegetarian entree, otherwise chicken or cooked italian sausage can be added and simmered along with the veggies.
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablspn fennel seeds, roughly chopped
6 tablspn shortnening (1/4 C plus 2 T)
2 tablspn butter (1/4 stick)
1 teaspn freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspn salt
1 1/4 cups finely minced onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 tablspn water
Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour, salt, pepper and fennel and blend well. Cut in shortening and butter well, until mixture looks like coarse meal. Add onions and blend well. Blend in enough water to form mixture into a smooth, cohesive ball. Divide dough into 2 portions.
Use a rolling pin and a floured surface to roll the dough out very thinly, about 1/8" thick . Cut into 2" squares. This is the important part - the thinner the dough the crispier the cracker. Puncture the cracker with a couple of strokes from a fork and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn crackers over and bake an additional 5 minutes. Cool on a rack if possible. Makes about 65 - 70.
1/2 C freshly toasted homemade breadcrumbs (just grind up some bread and toast in the oven)
1/4 C chopped onion, mushrooms, and shredded carrots
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 C chopped, cooked meat - I had some leftover pork which I chopped up fairly fine
1/2 C red wine and stock of some sort (probably pork or chicken, but let's not rule out beef)
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese (parmesan reggiano if possible)
1/2 t pinch of herbs, adadaba, and fresh basil leaves (slivered)
Saute the mushrooms and carrots, then after a couple of minutes add the onion and garlic. Next add the meat and saute another 2 minutes. Of course while this is going on, cook some angel hair pasta to the almost "al dente" state. Add the breadcrumbs and wine and stock, plus the basil and parmesan. When the pasta is just this side of done, drain and add to the frying pan to finish it out. Loosen with wine or stock to just coat the pasta. Serve with crusty bread and viola!!
