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Dinner Under Pressure
Two passionate cooks live at my house. Both my husband Howard and I love to experiment in the kitchen. We have completely different approaches though. I am the Luddite. Aside from combining ingredients in the food processor, blender, or stand mixer, it’s a mostly manual process.
On the other hand, for Howard, it’s all about the technology. He’s been into sous-vide cooking for years, first assembling his own water immersion unit, then recently buying a more professionally built one. He has a hefty vacuum sealer and the Modernist Cuisine library.
The most recent addition to his arsenal is a pressure-cooker. Pressure cookers aren’t actually new-fangled, or even electric, in this case, so I suppose it’s debatable whether it’s a truly high-tech device. All I can say is that the idea of pressure cooking has always terrified me. I always imagine a resulting explosion and food all over the kitchen ceiling. I’ve been assured by kitchen shop salespeople and more fearless cooks than I that current pressure cooker designs make disaster unlikely, but I’ve had my doubts.
Howard did extensive research, and we visited multiple kitchenware stores. The winner was a Fagor Duo (also a top pick by Cooks’ Illustrated).
So, what to make as the debut pressure cooked recipe? Howard’s research indicated risotto would be an excellent choice. We have always enjoyed risotto, at home more than in restaurants. I make it somewhat regularly, though not often. There are infinite variations. It’s the perfect vehicle for leftovers. But all that stirring? It’s time-consuming.
Howard told me that once all the chopping was done, risotto in the pressure cooker would take only 7 minutes, unattended. Humph. That seems work a try, as long as he was in charge of the pressure.
We started with a basic risotto with onion, garlic, carrots and fennel. To turn it into a meal, we added assorted leftovers at the end: shredded turkey confit, mashed rutabaga, and braised kale.
It worked. Once the pressure was reached, Howard turned the heat down just a little to stabilize things. Seven minutes later, the rice was perfectly moist and cooked through. Amazing!
I like knowing that when we’re short on time, we can make such an elegant and easy dinner from pantry items and added inspiration from the leftover stash in the refrigerator. Who would think?
Pressure-Cooked Risotto
Serves 6-8
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
½ bulb fennel, cored and diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cup Arborio rice
2½ cups chicken stock
2/3 cup dry sherry
Chopped fresh rosemary and thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2-4 cups of additional ingredients, i.e. shredded cooked meat, cooked vegetables, vegetable puree
In the pressure cooker base, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, carrot, and garlic. Cook until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the rice so that it coats with oil and starts to turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and sherry and stir. Pressure-cook on high for 7 minutes. Start timing when full pressure is reached. Depressurize the cooker. Taste for doneness. If it isn’t quite done, simmer for a few more minutes, uncovered, no pressure. Stir in fresh herbs and season to taste. Fold in any additional ingredients and serve.
Breakfast for Dinner, Always a Winner!
I often feel like my repertoire of fast and easy dinners is lacking. Some weeks, I’m better than others at planning ahead, but when I’m not, while my pantry and freezer are overflowing, it’s not always easy to pull an interesting dinner together from what’s on hand. I’d be happy stopping at the market every day, but with all my other time constraints, it’s just not happening.
Lately, the thing that always seems to be in plentiful supply is fresh eggs. Last summer and fall, Howard was getting a bi-weekly dozen from his co-worker’s flock. Those hens slowed down for the winter, but for the past few weeks, someone who lives on my road has been putting out cartons of eggs in a cabinet at the roadside with an honor cash box. These are the most beautiful eggs, a mix of gorgeous blue-green eggs that come from Araucana hens mixed with brown ones.
Fresh Local Eggs
Armed with eggs, frittatas make a good imaginative meal that can be made from whatever’s in the fridge. I made chili before we went to Florida, and I found some of the wilted vegetables languishing in the veggie drawer.
I chopped and sautéed some peppers, red and green, along with some puckering grape tomatoes and an onion to make a cheerful looking frittata. I cook the vegetables first. Then, in my trusty cast-iron skillet, I cook half a dozen eggs scrambled with some milk until they are almost set. The cooked eggs are topped with the sautéed vegetables. This gets topped with a healthy handful of grated cheese (again, whatever I find in the refrigerator). Pop it in the over for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese and it’s dinner! Leftovers are delicious too, for lunch or ever breakfast. The biscuits I made last week complemented the frittata nicely.
Here’s the recipe. Frittatas are completely flexible, so this is more of a formula. It’s good with blanched asparagus in spring and corn kernels and fresh tomatoes in the summer. There are infinite variations you can make.
What’s your go-to no-thought-required home-cooked dinner dish? I could use some inspiration.
Oven Frittata
Serves 4 to 6
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups cooked vegetables
Option #1
½ green pepper, diced
½ red pepper, diced
½ pint grape tomatoes, quartered
Option #2
2 cups asparagus, cut into 1” lengths, blanched
Option #3
Kernels from 2 ears corn, sauteed or steamed
1 tomato, chopped
6 eggs
1/3 cup cream, half & half, or milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, muenster, gruyere)
Saute the onion in butter in a 10” ovenproof skillet.
Whisk together eggs, cream, salt & pepper. Pour egg mixture into the skillet. Cook on the burner until the eggs begin to set (3-4 minutes). Arrange the vegetables over the eggs. Bake at 425F about 5 minutes, until almost done. Cover with cheese. Return to oven. Cook another 5-10 minutes until eggs are puffed and cheese is melted.
A Plateful of Happiness 