Sorry if the title made you groan. But as the weather turns cooler and the days grows shorter all I can think about is soup. My perfect fall meal is a bowl of hearty soup, a chunk of warm crusty bread spread with sweet butter, a bottle of Chianti and some nice fava beans…just KIDDING, no Chianti or fava beans. I came across a recipe on Pressure Cooker Recipes for a cauliflower soup that #1-looked and sounded delicious and #2-can be made in a snap in an Instant Pot- WIN-WIN.
Pressure Cookr Recipes (not the most original title but spot on) is a great resource not just for recipes but for tips and info on how to use your pressure cooker. There are quite a few soup recipes but this one stood out since I really like cauliflower. For the soup I used red potatoes but any waxy potato will do such as white rose or Yukon Gold. If cauliflower doesn’t float your boat, I think broccoli would work well also. To lighten the soup you can use half and half or whole milk in place of heavy cream or decrease the amount of cream by half and add a bit more stock. A nice green salad, a baguette and a bowl of this soup…yep, living the good life.
Optional: freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
Place chopped bacon in your Pressure Cooker and turn heat to medium (Instant Pot: press Sauté button). Stir occasionally and allow the bacon bits to crisp (~4 mins). Remove bacon bits from pressure cooker and place on paper towel to absorb the excess fat.
Sauté onions in bacon fat for roughly 1– 2 minutes until soften. Add in garlic and half of the green onions. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper if you like. Sauté until fragrant.
Deglaze: Pour ~ ⅓ cup (100 ml) chicken stock. Scrub all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Keep the brown bits as they are very flavorful.
Pressure Cook the Cauliflower Potato Soup: Add 2 bay leaves, cauliflower, and 2 red potatoes in the pressure cooker. Pour the remaining chicken stock into pressure cooker.
Close the lid and cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a 10 minutes Natural Release. Open the lid carefully.
Remove Bay Leaves. Blend cauliflower soup into desired consistency with an immersion hand blender. Add 1/2 -1 cup (250 ml) of heavy cream. Taste the soup and season with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of fish sauce and kosher salt.
Serve: Garnish with green onions, crispy bacon bits, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately. I think you will love it
Notes
Thinner Consistency: If you like a thinner soup consistency, add hot homemade unsalted chicken stock to adjust the thickness of the soup.
Smaller Cauliflower Florets: break the larger pieces into smaller florets, so it'll be easier to blend.
Crispy Bacon: It's important to place the bacon in the cold pot before turning on the heat (see tips section in the article).
FALL Into One Pot Meals (Instant Pot Korean Beef Stew)
As summer winds down I head to the back of my closet to pull out my sweaters and jeans. I also start yearning for comfort foods like stews and hearty soups. Over the weekend we made the rounds to our favorite food marts. We find short ribs for a delicious hearty Korean stew called Khal Bi Jim and right next to the short ribs…oxtails!
Are you thinking what? Oxtails? Are they really swish, swish, in the back of the …yep, they are. Haven’t tried them? The meat is rich and flavorful. It has a bit more texture than short ribs and if you like chomping on bones, you’ll love oxtails. There is another reason to give this recipe a whirl…
INSTANT POT
I google oxtails, pressure cooker and the blog Korean Bapsang pops up with a recipe for Koriijim or braised oxtails. Bingo. Normally oxtails need quite a bit of time braising to get to the tender fall-off-the-bone stage (which is generally around 3 hours). This means starting pretty darn early in the day to have dinner on the table at a decent time. This time? Brown the oxtails, pour the marinade/sauce over the meat, top it with carrots, potatoes, and onions. Then, twist the lid on and set the cooking time to 45 MINUTES. Yep, not a typo-45 MINUTES. Whoa, less than half the time to cook this dish. WOOHOO.
The recipe calls for onions, mushrooms, and carrots. I like lots of vegetables so I added potatoes and extra carrots. I might even add squash or another root vegetable like parsnips next time. If you don’t have dried shiitakes you can use fresh mushrooms. The recipe calls for a Korean plum sauce, maesil cheong, a sweet-sour sauce often used as a sweetener. Not having any I used Chinese plum sauce, which may be totally off base but it’s what I have and it is sweet and a bit tart. You can skip it altogether and use sugar and honey, 1 tablespoon of each.
Classic Asian flavors-soy sauce, sesame, garlic, ginger, and onions in a hearty, down-home stew. Delicious. As the weather starts to cool try this dish. If you are really not thrilled with oxtails try this with bone-in short ribs cut into 2-3 inch pieces (ask your butcher) just as tasty. I love autumn.
1white potato cut into large chunksYukon Golds for a less starchy, russets for starchy
3 to 4dried shiitake mushroomsbriefly soaked and quartered (use fresh mushrooms if not available)
Braising liquid
1/2cupsoy sauce
1/2cuprice wineor mirin a sweet Japanese cooking wine
1/2medium Asian pearor 1 bosc pear or apple, grated
2tablespoonsminced garlic
1inchgingergrated (about 1 teaspoon)
3tablespoonshoneyor sugar
3tablespoonsmaesil cheongor 1 more tablespoon honey or sugar
pepper to taste
Garnishes
1tablespoonsesame oil
2scallionsroughly chopped (and some finely sliced for optional garnish)
sesame seeds-toasted
Instructions
Trim off excess fat. Rinse the oxtail pieces and let them sit in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes to draw out excess blood. Drain well, and pat dry with paper towels.
Press the “Saute” button on the Instant Pot. When the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil. Sear the oxtail pieces in two batches, browning all sides. Or sear in separate pan and place in Instant Pot
Combine ingredients for braising liquid and pour the braising liquid over oxtails. Add the vegetables.
Close the lid tightly. Press the “Meat” function, and using the “+” button, increase the time to 45-48 minutes. 48 minutes for softer meat. When finished, the Instant Pot will automatically turn to the “Keep Warm” mode. Leave the pressure cooker alone for about 10 minutes before opening the lid.
Stir in the scallion and the sesame oil. Remove the meat and vegetables from the pressure cooker. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl to skim off the fat. Pour sauce over the ribs.
Garnish with the optional scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with hot rice.
Do you remember TBS’s Dinner and A Movie Night on Friday nights? During each commercial break hosts Paul and Janet and their resident chef would prep and cook a dish that thematically went along with the movie being aired (prime example-Russell’s Mussels for the movie Gladiator). Silly banter, fun factoids about the movie and cooking tips plus a movie…pretty nifty? Fast forward a lot of years-babies, kids, teens, gray hair, thinning hair, expanding waistlines, empty-nest and our Monday mom’s coffee klatch has resurrected Friday night Dinner and a Movie.
We started with Big Little Lies, best described as the Housewives of Monterey gone batsh*t crazy and moved on to The Handmaid’s Tale. Based on Margaret Atwood’s book it takes intensity and darkness to a new level. Luckily cocktails and dinner after each airing helps lighten the mood. A combination of factors including work and not being able to stomach a dystopian world (it hits a little too close to real life) I show up, along with the hubbies, just in time to enjoy drinks, dinner and conversation. I rationalize my absence from watching with the feeble excuse “I read the book once upon a time”.
Dinners are potluck and lucky for me Stephanie brought one of her favorite dishes, Picadillo. Its roots are Latin, regional versions can be found from Mexico to Cuba. It’s a delicious mixture of ground beef, sautéed with tomatoes, seasoned with bay leaves and raised to flavor-town by, drum roll please, olives and raisins. The briny tartness from the olives and that little pop of sweetness from the raisins makes this dish a stand out.
Mind blown…never dreamed I would be enamored with a savory dish that included raisins and olives. Not only is it delicious it is also easy to prepare. Served with steamed coconut or brown rice and fried plantains this is a simple, beautiful meal.
Stephanie’s recipe is adapted from Cooking Light that includes generous amounts of finely diced carrots and bell peppers not always found in traditional Picadillo. Think of this as Picadillo Light. The dish can be lightened even more by substituting ground turkey or chicken for part of the beef (I would definitely keep it at least 50% beef though).
I perused other recipes for Picadillo and found some included other spices including cumin, oregano, cinnamon, chili, and cloves. I enjoy the simplicity and the clean bright flavors of Steph’s recipe but I love cumin and cinnamon. Next time.
2poundsground beef or a combination of ground beef and turkey or chicken
1tablespoonolive oil
1 1/2cupsthinly sliced onion
1garlic cloveminced
1 1/2cups1/4-inch-thick slices yellow bell pepper, each slice cut in half
1 1/2cups1/4-inch-thick slices red bell pepper, each slice cut in half
1cupfinely chopped carrot
3/4cupgolden raisins
1/2cupdry white wine
1/4cupsliced pimento-stuffed manzanilla or green olivesabout 15 olives
2tablespoonsbalsamic vinegar
1 1/2teaspoonssalt
1/8teaspoonblack pepper
2bay leaves
114.5-ounce can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
18-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
Instructions
Cook beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned; stir to crumble. Remove from pan; drain well.
Add oil to pan. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and carrot; sauté 3 minutes. Return beef to pan. Stir in raisins and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves.
Red Lentil Soup with Lemon (Just Another Meatless Monday…)
In an effort to eat healthier, we have cut back on animal proteins and upped our veggie game. Don’t get me wrong, we still enjoy a good steak for special occasions and I am not giving up those slices of succulent pork belly in my bowl of ramen-no, not EVER. Meat is our splurge. But we have made a conscious decision to eat more vegetables and legumes on a daily basis. Our search for tasty and different ways to prepare them has led to a virtual trip around the world through food.
World Food Tour In Our Own Backyard
Luckily we live in the Bay Area where Korean and Southeast Asian stores, Middle Eastern bazaars, Mexican Pandarias, and Indian markets are a short drive away. Now that we are empty-nesters, Wes and I find ourselves tootling around on weekends stocking up on goodies from the various stores. As an added bonus, many of the stores have pre-cooked food, delis, and SAMPLES (lol) to try. We come home not just with bags of groceries but with crispy KFC (Korean Fried Chicken Wings), samosas, fried tofu flavored with bonito flakes, spicy garlic-chili eggplant, and fresh warm naan.
I do love going to the markets but at the same time, it’s a little (ok, a lot) intimidating. I spend half my time standing in aisles Googling stuff or calling friends for advice. My friend Namrata (whom we affectionately call the professor at work) is on speed dial whenever I go to the Indian Market.
Phone a Friend
Me: Uh, Namrata I’m at the store, HELP. I want to make dal and I am looking at a rainbow spectrum of lentils, black, red, yellow, and green..which am I supposed to get?
Namrata: Well, what kind of Dal are you making?
Me: Hmm, let me look (as I fumble with my phone trying to get to the net and carry on a conversation with her), it says Red Lentil Dal.
Namrata: Buy the masoor dal, the yellow ones are moong dal, the black ones are for special occasions…….Namrata begins to sound like the grown-upsin a Peanuts cartoon. I scan the shelves overwhelmed, I think I have Dal overload.
Me: Hmm, this package says masoor or split red lentils, is that right?
Namrata: yes that’s the one.
Me: In my defense, the word “split” threw me off. I come from “The World According to Rice”.
Next, I ask her about spices and chiles. I have learned when I ask her “how spicy will that be?” is a relative term. If she says not too spicy, that means a glass of water close by and a napkin to blot the sweat off my face. If she says a bit spicy that means running around with my “HAIR ON FIRE” screaming in an exorcist-like voice “I NEED WATER NOW”. But she has been my go-to source for ingredients and spices and I’ve learned a lot.
Follow the ClarkBar
I wanted to make dal but I found a recipe for a red lentil soup in the New York Times. So, I decided it would be a good first foray into using lentils. The recipe is by Melissa Clark whose posts in the New York Times are wonderful. So wonderful, my brother has made her his cooking muse. Which is amusing, I haven’t seen him go this gaga over anyone since the days when he ripped out pictures of Cybil Shepard from my Seventeen magazines.
Soup, What’s for Dinner or Lunch
This soup is delicious. Wes is not overly fond of soups unless it is clam chowder but this one had him asking for seconds. We love how the lentils absorb much of the liquid to create a thick substantial soup. In addition, the flavor kick from chile powder and cumin is delish. A squeeze of lemon brightens the soup and adds a slight yummy tang. You can tweak it by using ghee instead of olive oil and adding a pinch of garam masala. Dollop a bit of yogurt at the end. This gives it an Indian flair.
For a tasty, filling dish that comes together in less than an hour (less time in an Instant Pot) try this soup. Invite me over for a bowl, please. Don’t forget the naan to go along!
Just Another Meatless Monday… Lentil Soup with Lemon
A delicious lentil soup from Melissa Clark and the NYT.
Course dinner, lunch, Soup
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword Melissa Clark, NYT Cooking, Red Lentils
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Adapted from NYTCooking Melissa Clark
The Aromatics
3tablespoonsolive oil or ghee
1large onionchopped
2garlic clovesminced
1tablespoontomato paste
The Spices
1teaspoonground cumin
1teaspoonkosher saltmore to taste
¼teaspoonground black pepper
Pinchof ground chile powder or cayennemore to taste
The Rest
1quartchicken or vegetable broth
2cupswater
1cupred lentils
1large carrotpeeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemonmore to taste
The Finishing Touches
3tablespoonschopped fresh cilantro
Olive oil for drizzlingoptional
yogurt for drizzlingoptional instead of olive oil
Instructions
In a large pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons oil or ghee over high heat until hot and shimmering**
Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, sauté for 2 minutes longer.
Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. For a thicker soup only 1 cup of water. Note the soup will thicken the longer it sits after cooking.
Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low.
Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30-40 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro and garam masala if using
Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.
Instead of olive oil finish with a dollop of yogurt and garnish with additional cilantro
And YOU CAN MAKE THIS IN AN INSTANT POT OR PRESSURE COOKER=STUPID EASY **If using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker:
Saute vegetables in the bowl of the Instant Pot using the sauce function. This will take longer than stove top due to lower cooking temp of pot around 5-7 minutes.
Add all other ingredients, according to recipe. Cover and lock lid in place. Set cooking to manual for 10 minutes.
When timer goes off do a quick release.
Proceed with recipe, season and use a hand blender to puree soup in Instant Pot bowl.
Friday night, its Cinco de Mayo! Time to make something yummy, kickback, relax and catch up on one of my favorite TV shows, Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. This episode features the Los Angeles Mexican community thus making my dinner choice easy, Chile Verde. I am stoked.
When I was a kid our Friday night ritual was Swanson’s TV dinners (turkey for me, meatloaf for my brother) in front of the tube. A multi-course meal contained in a cool space age aluminum tray with individual compartments for each course (so cool). Later Swanson’s added a little square squished between the veggies and potatoes like a tiny jewel box. It contained a perfect 2-bite apple cobbler or brownie. Since we ate Chinese food most of the time a meal of roast turkey or fried chicken was a special treat. To top it off we got to watch The Flintstones while we were eating and then Jiffy Pop to finish the evening (kids ask your parents about Jiffy Pop or watch Real Genius). The best, Friday nights were the bomb.
So there we were on Cinco de Mayo, sitting back on the couch with bowls of steaming hot Chile Verde and warm corn tortillas watching Bourdain gettin’ real with the homeboys in Eastside LA. Traditions should #persist don’t you think?
Still on my Instant Pot jag I searched for a recipe for a Chicken Chile Verde in a pressure cooker. I found a couple that sounded good so I decided to do a mash-up. I started with a recipe from Serious Eats by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Really difficult (NOT)-chopped tomatillos, jalapeños, poblanos & Anaheim peppers, add chicken thighs and legs, toasted cumin seeds, salt, bunch of garlic, a white onion also chopped and throw it in your pressure cooker. Seal, set and dinner…It’s yours (Thank you, Stevie). Yep, thirty minutes later eating Chile Verde. Happy Cinco de Mayo.
Serious Eats adds a bit of Thai fish sauce at the end for that secret flavor bomb. Surprisingly it does round out the flavor. I like lots of veggies so I included potatoes and if my kids were home I would have added corn. I also added a pinch of oregano, fresh ground pepper and some smoked paprika. Delish.
You can substitute pork for the chicken for a classic Chile Verde. Use 3-3.5 pounds of Pork Shoulder (aka pork butt) cut into 2 inch pieces. Set Instant Pot for 30 minutes and use quick release. Also Delish.
The recipe makes a lot of sauce, so save the extra sauce to make some awesome enchiladas.
¾poundtomatillos3-4 large tomatillos, quartered, husks discarded
¾poundpoblano peppershalved with seeds and stem removed
½poundAnaheim peppershalved with seeds and stem removed
2-3jalapeño peppershalved with stem removed (you can remove the seeds if you don’t want the heat – make sure you wear gloves or thoroughly wash your hands after cutting, trust me)
1white or yellow onionquartered
1russet potato cut into good size chunks6 pieces
6medium whole garlic clovespeeled
1tablespooncumin seeds toasted and ground
1teaspoonsmoked paprika
1/2teaspoondried oregano
1tablespoonKosher salt
1tablespoonfish sauce
Garnish:
Cilantro
Sour cream
avocado-sliced or cubed
red cabbage-shredded
Corn tortillas
Instructions
Place chicken, vegetables and seasonings except fish sauce in Instant Pot bowl.
Cover and seal pot making sure vent knob is set on sealed
Select poultry or manual cook mode
Adjust cooking time to 30 minutes using the +/- timer
When Instant Pot beeps the cooking cycle is complete. Carefully release pressure by moving top knob from sealing to venting.
Once pressure is released, uncover.
Remove chicken and potato chunks and reserve in bowl.
Add fish sauce to pot. If you have an immersion blender, puree vegetables in Instant Pot to desired consistency or spoon vegetables and liquids into a blender to puree.
Have I convinced you to try an Instant Pot yet? If not, here is the recipe that may just tip the scales in favor of that new kitchen gadget. I came home after a long day at work and pulled out my pot. Threw in sliced chicken, chopped veggies, coconut milk, curry paste and 30 minutes later we were sitting down for dinner. Yep, thirty minutes to fragrant bowls of Massaman Curry Chicken over rice. A complete meal, a party in a bowl and my mouth. Chunks of cauliflower, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, and chicken surrounded by a rich autumn orange hued curry sauce that is creamy, spicy and sweet.
Curry On
Despite being somewhat of a purist (no box cake mixes or frozen pre-formed pie crusts in this house, nope) the key to this meal, besides the Instant Pot, is the pre-made curry paste. I vow (lol, not) to one day make my own curry paste but for now I’m wimping out, life’s full of compromises. Find my favorite curry pastes, either Mae Ploy and Aroy-D, at your neighborhood Asian market or on Amazon. There are quite a few different ones you can pick from so I thought I would give you the quick and dirty on curries.
Green-Spiciest of the Thai curries, fresh green chilis, kaffir lime leaves, basil, shallots, ginger, garlic and coconut milk for sweetness
Red-Red chilis, lemongrass, shallots, ginger and fish paste and coconut milk. Not quite as spicy as green curry and a work horse for curries. Goes well with chicken, seafood, beef and a variety of vegetables
Yellow-Mildest of the curries. It is a combination of kaffir lime leaves, turmeric, cumin, mustard seeds and coconut cream. Great with vegetables
Massaman- Finds its roots in Indian curries and is made of red chilies, galangal, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, cardamom, coriander, cloves, and cinnamon. Coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves are then added to create the sauce. Peanuts and potatoes finish off this delicious curry. I used Massaman curry for the dish in this post
Panang-Found its way to central Thailand by way of Laos It is milder and subtle, spicier than Thai curries. It is made from dried chilies, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, lemongrass, cilantro, cumin, garlic, ginger, shallots. Peanuts are often used in this curry
I am sure there are rules for what vegetables or meats and which you should use with each type of curry you should use but my motto is experiment. Try different vegetables and meats with any of the curries and create your own favorites.
This recipe is an adaptation from Paint the Kitchen Red, a wonderful site devoted to Instant Pot recipes. The OG recipe calls for sautéing the vegetables after the curry is cooked in the pot. I like my vegetables on the soft side so I cooked them with the chicken in the Instant Pot. Use your favorite veggies, or whatever is in the fridge. So good and so easy.
You can disregard this post if you do not have an Instant Pot. Well, you may want to do a quick read to see if it convinces you to add yet another appliance to your kitchen. After all you can never have too many kitchen gadgets.
My first try in the Instant Pot was a Spicy Pork Shoulder dish from Melissa Clark and then Corned Beef for St. Paddy’s Day. Let’s face it…cuts of meat like pork shoulders or briskets lend themselves well to pressure cookers. But how versatile is the Instant Pot? Upon the recommendation of my sister-in-law I decided to try my luck at making risotto. The time savings was not super significant, what was boss WAS NOT HAVING TO STAND OVER THE STOVE STIRRING CONSTANTLY. For those who have made risotto in the traditional way, it is like a dance. Stir, stir, stir, broth, stir, stir, stir, more broth… Step, step, step together, pause, step, step, step together pause….see just like doing the tango.
First saute’ your aromatics and rice as usual in the Instant Pot (one pot cooking yay!). Add entire amount of stock called for in the recipe and any vegetables (in this case mushrooms), slap the lid on your Instant Pot, set it for 4 minutes and WALK AWAY. Yes, you read that right, walk away. The Instant Pot takes a couple of minutes to come to pressure and then cooks for the 4 minutes. All you need to do is listen for the beep that signals its done. Do a quick release (careful, don’t burn yourself), take the lid off, set your pot to saute’ and finish the risotto. Finishing requires a minute or two of stirring to create the creamy texture and to finish off the risotto. Test the risotto for doneness after removing the lid, you don’t want to overcook the rice. I did not use the full 2 ounces of dried mushrooms, probably closer to 1 ounce and found it a bit overpowering. I would use approximately 1/2 ounce of dried mushrooms soaked in broth to soften. You can adjust the amount of parmesan to taste. A nice addition would be crispy, crumbled pancetta or prosciutto.
The risotto was pretty darn good if I say so myself. It could have perhaps used a smidge less time so it was truly al dente but it was surprisingly good and so easy! I am definitely going to give risotto made in an Instant Pot another whirl. I will miss the arm workout I get from stirring risotto though…life’s little sacrifices.
1ouncePorcini/Wild Mushrooms/shiitakes dried soaked in warm water to soften
6-8ozFresh Crimini Mushrooms roughly chopped or mix of fresh mushrooms such as shiitakes or oysters
1TablespoonButter
1TablespoonOlive Oil
1 1/2cups9oz Arborio Rice (or medium-grain white rice)
3Large Shallotschopped or 2 cloves of garlic and 1/2 finely chopped yellow onion
1TeaspoonFennel Seedscrushed or 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2cupDry White Wine
2cupsChicken Broth
1.5cupsMushroom water or Water or Brothreserved from soaking dried mushrooms
1/2teaspoonSea Salt
1/2-1cup3 oz Parmesan
2TablespoonsFresh Parsleychopped or chives
1TButter to finish
Instructions
Dried Mushrooms, bring 2 cups water to boil in heavy small saucepan. Add mushrooms.
Cover and let stand until mushrooms soften, about 10 minutes.
Transfer mushrooms to cutting board and chop coarsely, reserve liquid.
Select Sauté or Browning on your Pressure Cooker and allow to heat.
Add oil and butter to Instant Pot and shallots or garlic/onion mixture, fennel seeds or thyme, stir and then add rice cook for three minutes.
Add wine and cook until almost evaporated, stirring frequently, about 1 minute.
Mix in 3.5 cups broth (or 2 cups broth/1.5 cups reserved mushroom soaking liquid), salt and mushrooms.
Lock lid in place and close Pressure Valve. Press manual and adjust time to 4 minutes. Cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes. After beep, do a Quick Release (careful its hot).
Turn Pot off and select sauté. Stir rice until creamy and tender but still firm to the bite, approximately 2 minutes.
If more liquid is needed, stir in a little more broth or reserved mushroom liquid. Add more until desired creaminess is achieved.
Mix in cheese and butter. Season risotto with salt & pepper to taste.
Transfer to heated plates or serving bowl.
Garnish with parsley or chives and serve while hot!
I just received an InstantPot pressure cooker for my birthday! This is right up my alley since I am a KITCHEN GADGET FREAK. Not exaggerating, I love kitchen appliances. I am the “what was I thinking, forehead slap” owner of donut hole pans, a strawberry corer, spiralizer, brownie squares pan, sous vide thingy, Ebelskiver pan, bread machine, the list goes on and on…
When I was a kid I went to Woolworth’s with my mom (yes baby boomers, Woolworth’s, remember?) in anticipation of a slice of their delicious gooey cheese pizza. Instead, I found myself in front of a demonstration booth, entranced. A voice boomed “it slices, it dices, it does it all. This is going to revolutionize cooking and help you escape from the kitchen” I watched as he deftly created mountains of julienned squash, chopped onions, sliced carrots, even waffle-cut potatoes. How I convinced my mom to buy this new fangled tool I will never know. But we walked out of Woolworth’s, a slice of cheese pizza in one hand and a Slice-o-Matic with a bonus Chop-o-Matic in the other! These days if I go to the mall with my kids they know there will be the prerequisite stop at Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma to peruse because YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY Kitchen tools.
The Pressures Off with an Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is the latest, hippest iteration of a pressure cooker. There are blogs, Facebook pages, and books devoted to the Instapot. It is a slow cooker, saute pan, rice cooker, yogurt maker all in one. For you tech geeks you can download the app and program it using your phone. Crazy huh.
A few weeks ago NYT Cooking published Melissa Clark’s recipe for Pressure Cooker Spicy Pork Shoulder along with a video of her using the Instant Pot. It’s easy and delicious and best of all cuts cooking time by at least half.
The overnight marinade adds to the bold flavor of the dish
The liberal use of Korean chili flakes and Kochuchang, a sweet chili pepper paste in the sauce adds an Asian flair. If you are a pulled pork fan you will absolutely love this version. Marinade the pork in a mixture of chili flakes, honey, salt, and garlic overnight and then brown it the next day. Then saute’ the pork in the Instapot (which surprisingly took less time than I imagined) until browned. Add a bit of water, twist and clamp the lid shut, set the timer for 70 minutes, and chill out for a couple of minutes before making the sauce. Easy peasy.
Fusion BBQ Sauce
The sauce is made with chili paste, ketchup, garlic, fish sauce, honey, and ginger. As delicious as this sauce is it packs a punch in heat and flavor. A little goes a long way so add the sauce in small increments to taste.
The first day we shredded the pork, mixed in bbq sauce and juice (from the Instant Pot), and broiled the pork to crisp the edges. We served it on a bed of rice with sliced cucumbers and carrots, a Porki Bowl (get it?).
The quiet nods and hmms as we ate confirmed we had a winner.
This makes a more than generous amount of pulled pork. Luckily the kids were home for spring break and made quick work of the pork. Beyond our rice bowls, we had it with scrambled eggs for breakfast and in Hawaiian sweet rolls with a cabbage slaw for lunch. So good! This is a definite keeper.
The maiden voyage of my Instant Pot was a resounding success. Can’t wait for another opportunity to use it.
1tablespoonKorean chile flakesgochugaru or other chile flakes (Maras, Aleppo or crushed red pepper)
1tablespoonkosher saltmore to taste
1teaspoonground black pepper
5poundsboneless pork shouldercut into two or three pieces
FOR THE SAUCE:
1tablespoonpeanut oil
4garlic clovesgrated on a Microplane
2tablespoonsgrated fresh ginger root
⅓cupgochujangKorean chile paste or other chile paste or sauce such as Sriracha
¼cupsoy sauce
2tablespoonsketchup
2tablespoonsmirin
2tablespoonshoney
1tablespoonrice wine vinegar
1teaspoonAsian fish sauce
1teaspoonsesame oil
FOR THE SESAME PICKLED CUCUMBERS:
6Persian cucumbersthinly sliced (or about 4 cups sliced cucumbers)
1 ½tablespoonsrice vinegar
2teaspoonssesame oil
2teaspoonsbrown sugar
½teaspoonfine sea salt
¼cupthinly sliced red onion
2teaspoonssesame seeds
Instructions
To prepare pork, combine garlic, brown sugar, chile flakes, salt and pepper. Rub marinade all over pork. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to up to 24 hours.
Set electric pressure cooker to sauté (or use a large skillet). Add pork in batches and sear until browned all over, about 2 minutes per side. Add 3/4 cup water to pot (or to skillet to deglaze, then move to pot), cover, and set to cook for 90 minutes on high pressure. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so it doesn't scorch or the pot will turn off.
While pork cooks, prepare sauce: In a small pot, warm peanut oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Set sauce aside. (It can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)
Manually release steam. Let pork cool until you can handle it, then shred it into bite-size pieces. Pork can be made in advance.
While pork cools, strain liquid from bottom of pot. Pour off fat (or chill liquid, then scoop off solidified fat with a spoon). Reserve.
Cucmber Salad
Prepare cucumbers: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except sesame seeds, and let sit, tossing one or twice, for at least 20 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds.
To serve, heat broiler. Toss pork with sauce and 1 to 2 tablespoons cooking liquid — just enough so pork is evenly coated but not wet or runny. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet, and broil until crisp on top, 2 to 3 minutes a little char is fine. Think burnt ends or tips, those are yummy.
Make a porki bowl! Top steamed rice with generous portion of pork and cucumbers. . Or make sliders with an Asian slaw
Addendum: St. Patrick’s Day, a week later was the perfect time to use the Instant Pot. Literally threw corned beef, pickling spices, an onion, and some garlic in the pot. An hour and a half later I had a platter of tender melt in your mouth corned beef with cabbage, potatoes and carrots (ok I slightly mis-timed the vegys so a bit on soft side) on the table. It’s a good thing.
An Easy “Egg”cellent Dish (Stir-Fried Tomato and Eggs)
I grew up running the streets of Chinatown. My parents had a mom-and-pop business right in the heart of Chinatown on Grant Ave. (Yep, Grant Ave…San Francisco…California…USA made quasi-famous by the musical Flower Drum Song). There are a gazillion restaurants to eat at or take out, but the trick is knowing where to go for the best of whatever you crave. The best egg tarts? Golden Gate Bakery. BBQ Pork Buns and dim sum? Yung Kee (sadly gone now), or Good Luck Dim Sum. Best stuffed rice noodles? Sam Wo. Best fried chicken Wings? Golden Daisy or Capitol Restaurant. Call me for the 411.
Down Home, My Home, Chinatown
My favorite down-home dishes were and are found in the quirky little hole-in-the-wall places. Many of these joints are a fusion of Asian and American food-you will find beef stew, apple pie, stir-fried beef with bitter greens, and wonton soup all on the same menu. I love going to Kam Po next to the Broadway Tunnel where rice plates are a mainstay. A mountain of rice covered with crispy roast duck or soy sauce chicken with a side of stir-fried garlicky greens, my go-to quick meal.
A couple of weeks ago I was perusing the NYT cooking site and a recipe for stir-fried tomatoes and eggs by Francis Lam caught my eye. This immediately transported me back to my days in Chinatown. This Cantonese soul food dish is quick, simple, and perfect after a long day at work and slow commute home.
As soon as you walk in the door make a pot of rice. This will be the rate-limiting step of the entire meal. In fact, you will have a couple of minutes to kick back and relax before starting on the eggs. Yes, it’s that easy.
A little music to cook by, Grant Ave. from Flower Drum Song- Pat Suzuki and Ensemble
Quick stir fry, do not overcook, keep em’ runny! Eggs will be added to the tomato mixture.
The eggs are flavored with sesame oil and salt and then whisked lightly so that there are still streaks of egg white left. For fluffier (technical term) uniform color eggs, whisk them thoroughly. Scramble eggs quickly until barely set and remove from heat and pour into a dish. Stir fry the tomatoes to the desired doneness. Add the eggs to the tomatoes and cook just long enough to stir the tomatoes and eggs together.
That’s It.
A word of caution, I am THAT person who orders scrambled eggs, very soft and runny. In fact, the runnier the better, so cook the eggs to your taste. Scoop steaming hot rice into a bowl or on a plate, top with the tomato-egg mixture and garnish with green onions. Turn on the tube, plop yourself down on the couch and watch your favorite reruns while you gobble up your eggs and rice. You deserve it, there’s nothing better.
If you need protein, throw in bite-sized pieces of chicken, beef, or shrimp while cooking the green onions. I had a bit of ground beef left, so in it went. Don’t have green onions? Use thinly sliced yellow or red onions.
2-3scallionssliced, reserve 1/3 of green portion for garnish
Tomatoes
1poundbeefsteak tomatoes in season, any juicy tomato would workor 1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes in juice-DON'T EVEN-its here because its in the original recipe-bleah
1teaspoonminced gingerfrom about 1/4-inch nub
Sauce
1teaspooncornstarch
1teaspoonsugarcan subtitute light brown sugar
2tablespoonsketchupYES, ketchup
2tablespoonswater or stock(chicken or veggie stock will work)
To Serve
Steamed ricefor serving
Instructions
In a bowl, beat the eggs with 1 teaspoon salt, sesame oil and rice wine or sherry.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until well combined, then stir in the sugar (can substitute brown sugar) and ketchup.
Core and cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch wide wedges.
Heat a wide nonstick skillet over high heat with 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. When the oil shimmers, add most of the scallions, saving some to garnish. If adding protein or another vegetable, add now. Cook, stirring, until very aromatic, about 20 seconds.
Add the eggs, and cook, stirring well with a spatula or chopsticks, until just set but still runny, about 45 seconds.
Remove eggs to a plate and wipe out the pan.
Reheat the pan over high heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil. When it is hot, add the ginger and cook until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Add the tomatoes and salt to taste; cook, stirring occasionally, until the flesh has softened but still has some shape and the juices have begun to form a sauce, 2-3 minutes. (If using canned tomatoes, add the juice as well and cook about 4 minutes, to reduce it to a saucelike consistency.)
Reduce the heat to medium. Give the cornstarch-ketchup mixture a stir in its bowl, then stir it into the pan. Cook, stirring, until the sauce returns to a boil and thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, sugar or more ketchup — you want a savory, tart-sweet sauce. Stir the eggs in the bowl to cut up the curds a bit, then return them to the pan. Cook, stirring, for a few seconds to finish cooking the eggs and to combine. Top with the reserved scallions, and serve with steamed rice.
