tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85695321007878489602024-02-07T19:14:00.810-08:00Miss Vickie's Pressure CookerMiss Vickie's Guide To Modern Pressure CookeryMiss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-79350842206552382542010-04-03T14:09:00.000-07:002010-04-05T11:13:45.194-07:00Spiral Sliced Ham Steam Roasted in the Pressure Cooker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010904sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nt="true" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010904sm.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When I tell people about how quick and easy it is to cook all kinds of foods in today's modern pressure cookers, a <a href="http://missvickie.com/howto/meat/ham.htm">ham</a> -- gammon to my friends across the sea -- is probably not something they've ever thought about, and certainly not a spiral cut ham. Those who have tried to pressure cook a ham, most likely drowned it in water, boiled it to death, and then proudly served that rubbery ham at dinner. Eeek!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Let me show you a better way</span></b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010905sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" nt="true" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010905sm.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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The Steam Roasting method is an excellent way to cook meats in the dry, superheated steam of the modern pressure cooker with their precision pressure valves. Yes, I said 'dry'. When foods are elevated above a minimum amount of water, the steam is actually very dry so the surface of the food stays drier too. The meat looks more like it was cooked in the oven when you Steam Roast rather than boiling it.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For this recipe I'm using a 4lb. fully cooked spiral cut ham, this cut of ham that is very popular and readily available in every supermarket. The directions say to cook in the oven for 18 minutes per pound at 325°F., or about 1 hour and 12 minutes, but by using the pressure cooker, I'm going to cut that down to -- wait for it! -- just 14 minutes! Why, you ask in amazement... how is this miracle possible? </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010913sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" nt="true" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010913sm.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Well, it really very simple. If you look closely at any spiral cut ham, you'll see that it's not a solid piece of meat like a whole ham, but just a stack of thin slices of ham that are barely held together by a minimal attachment to the hambone. So essentially, we are only cooking a bunch of thin ham slices until they are heated all the way through to the bone in the middle... minutes, yes?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Place the ham cut side down in a steamer basket to make it easier to lift it out of the cooker. Most pressure cookers come with such accessories, but if you don't have one, then just use the foil Helper Handles under the ham instead. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/howto/meat/images/P1010907sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" nt="true" src="http://missvickie.com/howto/meat/images/P1010907sm.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_426878481"></span><span id="goog_426878482"></span>I brushed on a little sweet/hot mustard over the surface of my ham to help keep the edges moist. Try some natural fruit preserves made without added sugar -- blackberry mixed with hot mustard is really good -- but any sort of glaze adds a nice flavor and appearance. If you like to use jams, honey, maple syrup or molasses, remember that the heat will just make the sugars melt and run off. The trick then, is to wait until the ham comes out of the pressure cooker and then brush on your sugary glazes and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes. This way you you can keep basting as the sugars caramelize.<br />
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Ready for more? <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Look... You can see how moist my ham is on the inside. The meat is not over cooked or dried out, and its not rubbery or waterlogged from being boiled. With Steam Roasting, much of the excess grease melts off too, so there's another plus.<br />
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Watch your timing with spiral cut hams and don't overcook them or the edges of every slice will curl and become dried out and tough. If that happens, just trim away the dried out edges, but save them in the freezer. All those bits you might trash will come in handy for later use in soups where they will become tender and succulent and oh-so-yummy! </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010917sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nt="true" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010917sm.JPG" width="171" /></a>Be sure to save all the remaining broth too. Refrigerate it overnight to make it easier to remove the solid layer of fat, then package for the freezer for later use in beans and soups. Do the same with the ham bone, all the scraps, and the leftover bits and pieces that you would probably just throw out in the garbage anyway... that's free stock makings!<br />
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Your grandma knew how to use that trick to cut costs, and next time I'll show you how to re-cycle all those inedible scraps to make a delicious and flavorful 'FREE' ham broth for just a few pennies worth of herbs and seasoning. Use that scrumptious broth in your next bean soup -- or in many of the other soup and bean recipes you'll find right here on my blog, or in my cookbook. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><b>AMAZINGLY SIMPLE, NO FUSS, BAKED HAM IN A PRESSURE COOKED</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010912sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nt="true" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/pork/P1010912sm.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>This is the most ridiculously easy recipe ever! It's so simple you'll want to cook hams all the time. Plan on a lovely dinner with lots possibilities for leftover meals like Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, (p-299 of my cookbook, Miss Vickie's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes), or sandwiches, and don't forget breakfast too!<br />
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4 pounds fully cooked spiral sliced ham<br />
1/4 cup hot honey mustard <br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0000717AU&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Place the cooking rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker and pour in 2/3 cup water. Use a basting brush to apply the mustard evenly over the surface of the ham. Place the ham in a steamer tray or use foil Helper Handles under the ham to place the ham on the rack. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 14 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Cut the slices away from the bone and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.<br />
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To cook a whole ham, or any other cuts of ham, see the <a href="http://missvickie.com/howto/times/howtomeat.html">Cooking Time Charts</a> for the basic directions.<br />
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</div></div>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-58678147448413340782010-03-10T16:44:00.000-08:002010-04-05T09:59:59.969-07:00KALE COLCANNON<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020239sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020239sm.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a></div>Potatoes are an Irish staple, sometimes referred to as “<em>Irish Ice Cream</em>". With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, what could be better than a recipe for that most iconic of Irish food, colcannon. I thought I'd show you a great way to try kale with a different twist on this traditional potato and cabbage dish from the Emerald Isle. Kale is related to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards and Brussels sprouts, so if you like any of those veggies, you will love the milder taste of kale.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00004R8ZF&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>To most people, kale, or "<em>farmers cabbage</em>" as my grandma called it, is just an ornamental decoration seen in supermarket display cases, or the useless plate garnish that we toss aside at restaurants. With its ruffled, deep green leaves, kale is a pretty vegetable, but it also has a tender texture and a delicate, mild and slightly sweet taste. It’s a great way to introduce greens to your dinner table.<br />
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Colcannon is traditional peasant fare of cabbage mixed in roughly smashed potatoes with lots of butter, salt, and pepper. Intended to be hearty and filling, this is cheap food and it's easy to make and also very tasty too, but my recipe substitutes shredded kale for ordinary cabbage, giving the potatoes a wonderfully festive and speckled green appearance. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020241sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020241sm.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a></div>There are many varieties of kale, so you'll find it available throughout the year. Before cooking, do a thoroughly good job in washing each leaf in a sink of cool running water to remove any sand, dirt or little hitchhikers that may have hidden in the leaves. Sort the frilly leaves and discard any parts that are yellow, limp or bruised. Here, I use kitchen scissors to cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Both the leaves and the stems can be eaten, so I'll freeze the stem parts for another day. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This dish has enough personality to stand up to all kinds of personal touches, so don't hesitate to make it your own by adding sour cream, sautéed leeks, onions, chives, or bits of leftover ham, sausage or bacon. Here's how I did it:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020244sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020244sm.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a>I'm using several different cooking techniques for this recipe, so I'm going to say its probably suitable for someone at an <strong>intermediate level</strong> of experience in pressure cookery. If you are a novice, you'll need to know how to do <strong><a href="http://missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/techniques.htm#Steam Roasting">Steam Roasting</a></strong> for the garlic, and the <strong><a href="http://missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/pipinfo.html">PIP</a></strong> method, as well as the <strong><a href="http://missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/Tiered%20Cooking.htm">Tiered</a></strong> cooking method, to cook all this at the same time. You will need at least a 6qt pressure cooker, an insert pan with holes for steaming, and one insert pan without holes, and a trivet or cooking rack if your insert doesn't have feet.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020260sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020260sm.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><strong>Bonus Tip = Roasted Garlic</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">Now, as any garlic lover knows, roasted garlic is one of life's magic inventions. It is sweet and delicious and has to be one of the best tastes in the world... but it takes an hour to roast garlic in the oven. However, using the dry heat of Steam Roasting in the pressure cooker, we can have our garlic fix in about 5 minutes. It's a miracle! Don't peel the cloves, just rub off the papery skin and place the garlic well above the waterline. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020265sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020265sm.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">For my Kale Colcannon recipe I'm just going to lay the cloves on top of the foil covering the top tier pan of kale. Done, and I just snip off one end of each clove and pop out that rich tasting, golden morsel. Oh... just imagine the endless possibilities of using 5-minute roasted garlic on garlic bread, sandwiches, pork and beef, or Italian sauces.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020271sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020271sm.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a>After the cooker is depressurized, the tender kale is sautéed in butter. You can use the pressure cooker to do this and save a little cleanup, but I used a skillet. Why, you ask; because the combination of a real short cook and a very tall pressure cooker is an insurmountable… er, shortcoming. This step took about 3-4 minutes, and you'll be amazed at how little kale actually remains.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020273sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020273sm.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a></div>Add the buttery sautéed kale and the roasted garlic to the smashed potatoes and fold in with a spatula, until everything looks well blended. <br />
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I used sea salt with this recipe. I dunno... Maybe it's just my imagination, but do you think sea salt adds a better taste than plain table salt?<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">KALE COLCANNON</span></strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020276sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/kalecolcannon/P1020276sm.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div>Roughly smashed potatoes are flavored with roasted garlic and blended with buttery, sautéed kale to tweak this dish and make it far more interesting than just another ho-hum, bland bowl of mashed potatoes.<br />
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<strong>Step 1</strong><br />
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2 lbs (about 4 medium) russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes<br />
1 bunch kale, washed with the ribs removed and the leaves cut into pieces<br />
4-5 garlic cloves<br />
1/2 stick butter softened to room temperature<br />
1/3 cup milk<br />
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Pour 1/2 cup water into a large pressure cooker. Place the cut potatoes in a steamer basket and lower it into the bottom of the pressure cooker as the lower tier. If necessary, use a cooking rack to elevate the potatoes above the waterline. Place the cut kale into a plain insert pan (one without holes) and crimp a square of aluminum foil to cover the top. Arrange the second tier pan with the kale on top of the potatoes. Place the unpeeled garlic cloves on top of the foil covering the kale. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. <br />
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<strong>Step 2</strong><br />
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Snip off one end of each garlic clove and pop out the buttery soft goodness inside. Mash to a smooth consistency and add to the potatoes. Add the softened butter, and season the potatoes with lots salt and a very generous amount of fresh, coarsely ground black pepper. I use a stand mixer with the dough mixing attachment to smash my potatoes, slowly adding just enough milk to get the desired consistency. For better control, you might want to smash your potatoes with a potato masher or a fork, but if you do opt for a mixer, be careful and just pulse the power or you'll go from homey and rustic, coarsely smashed potatoes, to a glob of gluey potato starch in the blink of an eye. Depending on your preferences, the potatoes should have a coarse texture with lots of bean-sized potato lumps in the creamer mix. <br />
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<strong>Step 3</strong><br />
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Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the bottom the pressure cooker, or use a skillet. Sauté the cooked kale over medium heat, stirring as it wilts down to about a quarter of its volume. Stir the sautéed kale into the smashed potatoes and taste for seasoning. Transfer to a serving dish. <br />
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Cook's Notes: <br />
If you're not a big fan of curly kale, you can always fall back on the more traditional cabbage for this recipe, or even substitute some other type of leafy greens such as spinach, or chard and so forth; it's OK to do your own thing. It's hard to get colcannon wrong, and within the broad guidelines of this recipe, you'll want to add lots more salt and fresh ground pepper than you would normally to really bring out the flavors. Oh, and don't overwork the potatoes, they are supposed to be rough with lots of chunky pieces mixed in with the smooth and creamy parts. <br />
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Looking for a pressure cooker recipe for <a href="http://missvickie.blogspot.com/2009/03/corned-beef-and-all-fixings.html">Corned Beef and all the Fixings</a> ? <br />
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<a href="http://missvickie.com/howto/times/howtomeat.html">Cooking Time Chart For Corned Beef</a><br />
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More <a href="http://missvickie.com/library/stpat.html">St. Patrick's Day Recipes</a> for the pressure cooker on my website:<br />
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Irish Champ<br />
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Irish Potato Farl<br />
ColcannonMiss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-69392734532030319122010-02-21T13:44:00.000-08:002010-04-11T11:21:41.614-07:00Grandma's Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread in a Pressure Cooker<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0013BG2G6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0764597264" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>There are hundreds of different cornbread recipes, and each family has their own cherished version, so you've probably been baking cornbread for years. Me too! <br />
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There was a hot pan of cornbread on our supper table almost every night… except that ours might have been cooked in the <strong>pressure cooker</strong> just as often as in the oven. It's one of the recipes that didn't make it into my cookbook. Judging from all the requests I get for about cooking cakes and bread in the pressure cooker, its time to correct that. <br />
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I learned how to cook standing on a chair beside my grandmother in her big farm kitchen. As with so many of the foods she prepared, there was no written recipe and the ingredients often varied according to what she had on hand, and cornbread was no exception.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000689sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000689sm.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;">Use a large enough insert pan to allow plenty of extra <br />
room for your cornbread to rise.</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">This type of quick bread is very popular throughout the United States, and if you're like me, you have lots of good memories of eating warm, buttery cornbread with the big bowl of hot soup or beans on cold winter days. Depending on where your roots are, cornbread recipes may have a mixture of flour and cornmeal or only cornmeal, many include buttermilk, and then there's white or yellow cornmeal, and bacon drippings or butter, and the endless debate about sugar. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There's serious dispute amongst cornbread connoisseurs about the origins of sweetened, cornbread… and even if such a concoction should be called cornbread or corn-cake. Self-styled experts claim that "real" Southern style cornbread has no sugar, and that it was "them dang Northerners" that adulterated the purity of genuine cornbread with the horrid addition of sugar. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000688sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="281" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000688sm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;">The lid transforms the insert pan into a mini oven within the<br />
pressure cooker when it is elevated above the waterline. </span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Now, my family has deep Southern roots, and my crotchety old kin folks were great authorities on the local lore, the quaint old customs and the odd bits of historical trivia. "Pshaw!" grandpa Gaylord said indignantly. "We always made sweet cornbread cuz we had tons of cheap sugar. North of the Mason Dixon line, they made cornbread plain 'cause they couldn't get sugar until after the Civil War." </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There you have it; sweet cornbread is indeed a fine old Southern heritage recipe, and it must be true cuz my elderlies say it's so! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000704sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="280" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000704sm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;">The lid also protects the delicately crisp crust on the cornbread<br />
from droplets of condensation that form as the pressure cooker<br />
cools during the Natural Release cycle.</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">If I remember my grade school geography lessons, I suspect that my grandpa was right. Since the pre-civil war days, sugar cane has always been a vital crop in the South. With sugar so cheap and plentiful, naturally it would have been used in great quantities in southern kitchens, but perhaps not so much in the North where it had to be imported and shipped at some considerable expense. Sugar would have become quite scarce as the war between the North and South raged on, so it's probably unlikely that it would have been a common ingredient in Yankee-style cornbread. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Back in the 50s, my grandma would often entertain us younguns with stories about the 'olden days'. She maneuvered around her kitchen like a commanding general, brandishing her big old wooden spoon as she went about tasting, stirring, and learnin' us cookin' while dispensing lessons in life along with the colorful oral history about our family roots. Her recipes reflect many favorites of Southern cuisine, and they document a long-standing -- and insane -- love affair with sugar. Anyone who's ever sampled Southern cooking knows that vast amounts of sugar is poured into everything from Sweet Tea, to sticky barbecued foods, and its even sprinkled on corn on the cob and watermelon!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000705sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="305" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000705sm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;">Cooked without any additional zero-pressure steaming period,<br />
my finished cornbread has nearly doubled in height, <br />
rising high despite cooking at 15psi.</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Now that I've settled the great debate about sweet cornbread, let me show you another great cooking technique for the pressure cooker: <b>BAKING</b>. This recipe uses the PIP (Pan In Pot) cooking method to actually bake the cornbread. I rate this recipe for Intermediate pressure cooker users. If you are already using my PIP recipes, then you'll have no problem trying this. Okay, lets get us some cornbread cookin' in that pressure cooker!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Start by pouring the cornmeal batter into a greased metal pan that will fit inside your pressure cooker. You can also cook this recipe in a silicone baking pan, but a metal pan will give the cornbread a light, delicate crust that I really like.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Let's get on with the recipe:</div><a name='more'></a><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For this recipe, I have placed my cornbread pan inside a steamer tray so it would be easy to remove using the handle on the steamer. The steamer tray has built in feet so I didn't have to use a separate cooking rack or trivet. If your pressure cooker didn't include a steamer tray then just use the foil Helper Handles under the pan.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000707sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000707sm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;">Here's my lovely, piping hot cornbread with a nice,<br />
crisp crust around the side.</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Choose a pan with a lid, it doesn't matter if its a lid from another pan if it fits. Even if you don't have a lid, just use a sheet of foil. This creates a mini-oven within the pressure cooker to bake the cornbread rather than steam it. The lid also acts as a shield against condensation droplets than can occur as the cooker cools down during the natural release. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I turned my cornbread out on a rack to rest for 5 minutes or so to let to firm up a bit before cutting. </div></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">with </span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000727sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="342" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000727sm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;">A slice of cornbread, cut in half, and buttered, to show <br />
the inner texture. This cornbread is not dry and crumbly,<br />
but more cake-like, so it doesn't fall apart when you pick it up.</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So try this cornbread recipe, or use your own recipe, or just go grab a box of Jiffy mix, and use your pressure cooker to "bake" your next batch of cornbread. It's fast, it's easy, and you don't waste money by having a big hot oven heating up your house just to cook a little pan of cornbread.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Grandma's Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread</span></b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A recipe for a sweet and delicious cake-like cornbread. My grandma was a very frugal woman, and any leftover cornbread from dinner was re-purposed for breakfast the next morning. I have fond memories of her crumbling cornbread into a big glass of ice cold milk and eating it with spoon. Sometime she would add a glug of molasses or maple syrup, maybe a few fresh berries from the garden, or some of her own canned peaches. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000717sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="286" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000717sm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2/3 cup white sugar</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 teaspoon salt</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3 teaspoons baking powder</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 1/3 cup cornmeal</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2/3 cup all-purpose flour</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 cup buttermilk.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 eggs</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4 tablespoons bacon drippings, or 1/2 stick butter (not margarine), melted and cooled to room temperature</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Choose a round pan with a flat-bottom and a tight fitting lid that with fit inside your pressure cooker. If you don't have a lid to fit the insert then crimp a square of aluminum foil tightly over the top of the pan. Generously grease the pan. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In a small bowl whisk the eggs, and then blend in the drippings and other liquid ingredients. In large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just barely blended. The batter should look a bit lumpy. Pour the batter to the prepared pan, only filling to about 2/3 full to allow room for it to rise. Add 2/3 cup water to the pressure cooker and put a cooking rack or trivet in the bottom. Use foil Helper Handles to place the pan on top of the rack. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><b>Variations</b>: This recipe can accommodate all kinds of personal touches, so feel free to add about 1 cup of extras in extras like grated sharp cheese, sliced green onions, corn kernels, chopped jalapeño peppers, cooked sausage or crumbled bacon. I like a combo of cheese and jalapeños.<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b>Cook's Note</b>: No buttermilk? Substitutes are best employed sparingly because they are seldom as good as the genuine thing, but powdered buttermilk seems to be a good thing. You can use other acidic dairy products like plain yogurt, sour cream, or even make your own clabbered milk. To make the well-known fake buttermilk substitute, sour 1 cup of milk by stirring in 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and letting it stand for 5-10 minutes. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000720sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="282" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/cornbread/P1000720sm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">People are always asking me about cooking breads and cakes in their pressure cookers, so why not start learning this technique by cooking this cornbread recipe? Let me know how you like it.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-28067764939369544752009-12-31T13:07:00.000-08:002010-04-05T09:57:55.010-07:00A Soup Of Black-Eyed Peas<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0000717AU&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Soup Of Black-Eyed Peas</span></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">and Collard Greens in Ham Broth</span></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;">S</span><span style="font-size: small;">oup is comfort food, and we can produce some really rich, full bodied and marvelously delicious soups in just minutes using a pressure cooker. E</span><span style="font-size: small;">very household has </span><span style="font-size: small;">a favorite recipe, and in the Southern states of the US, some of the best soups feature local ingredients like black-eyed peas and collard greens. This well known combination is steeped in history and has become a popular dish throughout the country.<br />
<br />
For more interesting factoids about American traditions that are centered on Black-eyed Peas, see <a href="http://missvickie.com/resources/1newyears.html">my article</a> on the website. You might even get a smile or two about what some of my opinionated elderly kinfolk had to say about the quaint old Southern custom of eating black-eyed peas as a lucky New Year dish.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh yeah, and there's even another pressure cooker recipe featuring more black-eyed peas, too. </span><span style="font-size: small;">A soup made in the pressure cooker can be cooked in minutes, but still taste like it has simmered all day. The foundation for any soup is a well seasoned broth or stock that compliments and enhances the flavors of all the ingredients.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010928.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010928.JPG" style="float: left; height: 180px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 241px;" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">So lets begin this soup with a ham broth. </span><span style="font-size: small;">I always save the meaty ham bone and the pieces of the smoky outer rind </span><span style="font-size: small;">in the freezer for making soup broth. I'm adding aromatics like onions, garlic and cilantro, and my seasoning are simple bay leaves and rosemary.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;">Oh, but the aroma... I wish you could smell how delicious this is as the scent fills my kitchen. It always reminds me of sitting around my grandma's big old farmhouse table as she ladled her homemade soup into those big old fashioned soup plates.<br />
<br />
Did you know that our grandparents scrimped in hard times as well as good times, and all cooks were </span><span style="font-size: small;">frugal in those bygone days so there was very little kitchen waste. Quite literally, what we so casually toss in the garbage today, was routinely 'recycled' and every sort of vegetable and meat scrap was boiled down for the best tasting stocks and broth to make those wonderful soups we all remember. Another big side benefit, was getting a big meal of soup that was practically free. So, plan ahead and freeze those scraps for your next pot of soup.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ready?</span></div><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: inherit;" /></span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010941.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010941.JPG" style="float: left; height: 246px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 240px;" width="195" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;">I'm using a rather small ham bone here and there is probably only about 1 1/2 cups of usable meat. Not to worry, here's a secret trick for stretching a small amount of meat like this so no one will ever know just how skimpy you were. Tear, cut or chop the meager amount meat into fine shreds and your soup will appear to be loaded with lots of meat.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remember, most of the flavor has been cooked out of the meat and is now in that great broth, so there's not much left for the meat to do except look good swimming next to all the other ingredients, and a little goes a long way. You'll see what I mean at the end.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not being pressed for time, I made my broth a day ahead, but that's certainly not necessary if you are in a hurry and need to get dinner on the table like NOW.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010921.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="177" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010921.JPG" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 240px;" width="200" /></a>After the broth is cooked, strain it and discarded all the non meat solids. Like the meat, all those veggie pieces gave up every bit of their tasty goodness and its all in the broth and waiting for your soup fixin's, so there isn't any point served in keeping them around. If you do make the broth ahead of time, refrigerated it over night to make it easier to remove the unwanted fat from the gelatinous broth.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">With the broth in the pressure cooker, add the meat and the black-eyed peas. And please remember to pick through any dried beans to remove any tiny pebbles, bits of sticks and any weird looking peas or alien things that are trying to masquerade as peas. Give them a good rinse to remove any surface dust before dropping them into the pot.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010944.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="149" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010944.JPG" style="float: left; height: 180px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 241px;" width="200" /></a>Give it good stir to get everything acquainted. Wash the greens. All kinds of things like to hide in those lovely leaves, so do a good job. Cut the thick center rib out of each leaf... and no, I don't waste these either. I slice 'em and throw the lot in the freezer to be added to my next vat-o-broth.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010953.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="133" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010953.JPG" style="float: left; height: 162px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 242px;" width="200" /></a>You don't have to use collard greens if your family prefers something else. I've interchanged chard, kale, turnip or mustard greens, and fresh spinach.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The greens go on top of the rest of the ingredients... did I mention you should use a pressure cooker that is at least 6-quarts in size? That's really the minimum size I recommend for all practical purposes. Don't stir the greens into the soup until after it's all cooked.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here we are! And just look at all that meat... really fools the eye, eh? I served this soup with some really powerful sour dough bread and butter -- yep, the real deal -- and a glass of ice cold milk.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">There was barely enough leftover for my lunch, and it was mostly broth. Actually, the broth is so good I could just drink a cup of it by itself; it really is THAT scrumptious.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Try my recipe and let me know what you think.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">A Soup Of Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens in Ham Broth</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 meaty ham bone</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup leftover ham with bits of the smoked rind</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 medium onion, coarsely chopped</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves, packed</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tablespoon minced garlic</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 bay leaves</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">A pinch of dried red pepper flakes, or amount to taste</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">8 cups water, or more if need to cover the ham bone</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010979.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010979.JPG" style="float: left; height: 193px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 240px;" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Making this broth is fast and easy, and it will turn out the most delicious base for the finished soup. All the ingredients go into the pot at once. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Take out the bone and pick off all the meat bits for the soup.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Strain the</span><span style="font-size: small;"> broth and discard the non-meat solids, toss out the bone, any largish pieces of fat and gristle, and don't forget to remove the bay leaves.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 cups dried Black-Eyed Peas</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 bunch fresh Collard Greens</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">ham broth from above</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sort through the dried peas to remove any unwanted debris like teeny pebbles, sticks, loose skins and blemished peas, then rinse -- no need to soak -- them to remove surface dust. Add the clean peas to the meaty ham broth and give it a stir.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Submerge the collard greens in a sink or filled with cold water and swish them around to loosen and remove any dirt or hidden bugs. Remove and inspect the leaves one at a time, tearing off any bruised or discolored edges before laying them side on a towel to drain. Cut out the thick center rib and then stack the leaves and cut through the middle of the stack to divide them into two sections. Roll up each pile of stacked leaved and then cut them into one inch sections. Loosely pile the cut collard leaves on top of the peas and broth. Do not stir.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Stir to blend the soup and ladle into soup mugs. Leftover soup will freeze well.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010983.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="313" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/blackeyed2/P1010983.JPG" style="float: left; height: 188px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 240px;" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Cook's Notes: If you don't have a nice ham bone handy, choose any other variety of smoked meats such as ham hocks, pork neck bones, turkey legs or thighs, but check the cooking time as these will all need additional minutes to cook.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another option is bacon ends. These odd bits and pieces are thicker and meatier than sliced breakfast type bacon and there is often a nice bit of the smoked rind that adds wonderful flavor and aroma to the soup. Skim off any excess fat from surface of broth before cooking the peas. Another plus if you choose the bacon ends is they are usually very inexpensive and the extras also freeze well.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For a difference taste, add about one pound of well seasoned sausage with this black-eyed pea soup. Bulk sausage or link, hot or mild, Mexican, Cajun, Italian, Polish, German or whatever style appeals to you taste buds. First, lightly brown the sausage and then scoop it into a steamer basket. Add 1 cup water to the pressure cooker and place the steamer above the water level so the fat can drain away. The cooking time will be much less, about 4 minutes for loose or sliced sausage meats, to 6 minutes for whole links. Remove from heat and use the quick release method before opening the lid. Discard the cooking water and the fat. Add the precooked sausage meat and all the other ingredients used in the broth, along with the black-eyed peas and the collards. </span></div><br />
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</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-72589249605937439442009-05-28T07:17:00.000-07:002010-04-05T10:03:27.715-07:00Mexican Steak Sandwiches<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvoEvonWMBEm4qEPx7jT4C06kmOZHEO_v9XVFokeWtXMiJ3QziuXO0GUINcMeA9KNr6HYjkPRuapOnxdzSifTg_nk_InPfN9RyMKoexlfAtt9jw1riQL7Ybuc9-UpEWCjipRnAd87p40/s1600-h/valsm.jpg"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341690211935239394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvoEvonWMBEm4qEPx7jT4C06kmOZHEO_v9XVFokeWtXMiJ3QziuXO0GUINcMeA9KNr6HYjkPRuapOnxdzSifTg_nk_InPfN9RyMKoexlfAtt9jw1riQL7Ybuc9-UpEWCjipRnAd87p40/s200/valsm.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 120px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 160px;" /></span></a><span style="color: black;">If you're a foodie, you love a well stocked supermarket, and I could spend the whole day just browsing around the large and boldly colorful, sparkling clean Mexican <em>Mercado</em> (supermarket) in my California town. For those who are accustomed to the typical American grocery, the <em>Tortilleria</em> (the tortilla factory), the <em>Taqueria</em> (the food court) and <em>Panaderia</em> (the bakery) are a terrific bonus, but the <em>Carnicería</em> (the meat dept) where meat does not come in plastic trays, is my first stop. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgQ3Nq7ZJdtZgusDM4xyl0QFy6qcP01Zpw0tU35EqC3LsTGpNHRfP_NLYnEoBMGbul_GwvLuT5NCmPJKOz0CY7Xrj4MUzn8nT1rYN558JLRgq_1KpVPWuaVAj07kPiOZToyv0-USYB_U/s1600-h/carniceria.jpg"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341693591210067874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgQ3Nq7ZJdtZgusDM4xyl0QFy6qcP01Zpw0tU35EqC3LsTGpNHRfP_NLYnEoBMGbul_GwvLuT5NCmPJKOz0CY7Xrj4MUzn8nT1rYN558JLRgq_1KpVPWuaVAj07kPiOZToyv0-USYB_U/s200/carniceria.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></span></a><span style="color: black;">With so much to see, it can be somewhat confusing to a gringa like me. The courteous and helpful Mexican <em>Carnicero</em> (butcher) offers a huge selection of every sort of fresh USDA meat imaginable, all displayed in a gleaming meat case that must be a hundred feet in length. The customers cue up to select from a dizzying variety of cuts that will be wrapped up in butcher's paper for you. Even the cuts of meat may look unfamiliar because it is usually cut along the muscle groups, so there is less bone included... more bang for the buck! American butchers cut cross several muscle groups and take a crosscut section of bones along with the meat, which of course adds to the overall cost we pay.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7T4wF8ABDNEDUyGfVYXhb7qD-LyyuEyLpOwY7r-cVQ7p0LYwCZwXc84KLYjzYT471x-S_SfKN2-Gc1WG5zQtIzh11Wq-zorbnsG2cUe-_lhyePAzVivk2GQHL_RMn9R5PSondDPNGhU/s1600-h/P1010459sm.JPG"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341693955756906610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7T4wF8ABDNEDUyGfVYXhb7qD-LyyuEyLpOwY7r-cVQ7p0LYwCZwXc84KLYjzYT471x-S_SfKN2-Gc1WG5zQtIzh11Wq-zorbnsG2cUe-_lhyePAzVivk2GQHL_RMn9R5PSondDPNGhU/s200/P1010459sm.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 180px;" /></span></a><span style="color: black;">The first thing you'll notice is that Mexican <em>Carne De Res</em> (beef) is generally cut very thin, and its only about 1/4 inch thick. While you may not see large roasts or thick, juicy American style steaks, you can certainly ask the <em>Jefe de Carniceros</em> (Chief Butcher) for any special cut you'd like or preorder in advance. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Mexican cuts are thinner for two reasons; first, like most other countries, meat is not consumed as a high percentage of the diet in Latin America. Secondly, the wonderfully complex flavors of Mexican cuisine make the most of thin cuts of meat to stretch the food budget with traditional recipes that add delicious combinations of robust ingredients and piquant seasonings.<br />
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Another thing that you will notice in the Carnicería is that the beef also looks leaner and less marbled than its fatty, corn fed American cousin, and the meat is not generally aged so its very bright red in color. The fat may have a yellow tint due to the vitamin A in grass from cattle that are raised on pasture rather than feedlots. Not only does the Carnicero do a painstaking job of removing most of the fat, but a leaner beef carcass is preferred... a plus if you're trying to eat healthier meals. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpKo4M2-_Jt08a7EoFMytbwGAy5RwYDuyuDGlJJihe9dxPFr0O0iyL70BzA42JztO_OAiLtRQpzXx57DTRaHcib62RW7M0rXKbaN6HbXSxCcdJ7pvJf2rclCnQUBkmIoU2NRDE-fM90Q/s1600-h/P1010460sm.JPG"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341696638490714466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpKo4M2-_Jt08a7EoFMytbwGAy5RwYDuyuDGlJJihe9dxPFr0O0iyL70BzA42JztO_OAiLtRQpzXx57DTRaHcib62RW7M0rXKbaN6HbXSxCcdJ7pvJf2rclCnQUBkmIoU2NRDE-fM90Q/s200/P1010460sm.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 187px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></span></a><span style="color: black;">This makes Mexican beef an excellent choice for the pressure cooker where it benefits from moist heat cooking methods like braising, steam-roasting, poaching, or stewing. For this recipe, the cut of beef I bought at my local Mexican Mercado, was a Clod Steak. This is just one of the many different names for a Boneless Shoulder Steak, which can also be labeled as an English Steak, a London Broil, or Swiss Steak. It's a fairly cheap cut of beef from the chuck, that's the shoulder section of the steer between the ribs and the front chest (brisket). Because the big muscle groups in the chuck are heavily exercised and contain a lot of connective tissue, they are naturally very flavorful, but less marbled and tend toward toughness… perfect for the pressure cooker.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TcL8jgXdRTtXIDAo-aQO8FBKlheomMKJvuI93ybwNQhbMPvoa_jG7vQSfwGMbwU-cyBOxBad31anoLCHWmBARZrYBQHQqav-89BYesNFy1J5ucnezqjOnjWgnhPjvDDwIZrtsP7tka4/s1600-h/P1000988sm.JPG"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341697521031727010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TcL8jgXdRTtXIDAo-aQO8FBKlheomMKJvuI93ybwNQhbMPvoa_jG7vQSfwGMbwU-cyBOxBad31anoLCHWmBARZrYBQHQqav-89BYesNFy1J5ucnezqjOnjWgnhPjvDDwIZrtsP7tka4/s200/P1000988sm.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 154px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></span></a>The pressure cooker, with its thick base does a very good job in caramelization, an important cooking trick that not only adds color, but also flavor, to many foods. Caramelizing onions is just cooking them for 10 to 20 minutes to get a nice caramel brown color which develops a rich, sweet flavor as the natural sugars within the onion begin turning to caramel. It's important to have all the onion pieces roughly the same size and shape so they cook evenly otherwise the smaller pieces will start to burn before the larger pieces can caramelize.<br />
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The onions will lose as much as two-thirds of their volume as the water within them evaporates. Stir them often as they begin to brown, and watch closely as they'll quickly go from light tan, to golden. The deeper the color; the richer the flavor, and with care, you can get a deep mahogany brown, but the danger of burning is high, so I'm happy with the golden brown.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzb0VLOGpEN777E4NiB10-UPYUyPWZ1Zxyu8R1Tw1qUnGADGQJxgD4utu4qJfGpHUndOuEzg4RAjJTb7AuQh5iuyXZxuJ3HYnkKqDR-7TwVYeGt7ohD-4FaD1WyL6MCE15uACyZt6gUw/s1600-h/P1000993sm.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341704525485635858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzb0VLOGpEN777E4NiB10-UPYUyPWZ1Zxyu8R1Tw1qUnGADGQJxgD4utu4qJfGpHUndOuEzg4RAjJTb7AuQh5iuyXZxuJ3HYnkKqDR-7TwVYeGt7ohD-4FaD1WyL6MCE15uACyZt6gUw/s200/P1000993sm.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 198px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjvMAU_XYux0vgj7Tem0AhCnLzDSAgkwIVauTSIdX5brOTmFh_aLFxytVDI5mJZjbWBjm-BQVQOQD3ynok1YmCYfhopO5PM16TsRnvQE6MFkDJoT7kBmwEJXevPsvVAHKJuR-aqYGRIQ/s1600-h/P1000985sm.JPG"><span style="color: black;"></span></a>Lightly brown the strips of beef in hot oil and then toss in the green stuff. If you are shopping at the local mercado, buy a mild Mexican chile pepper to add a zesty piquant flavor without too much heat, and you'll also need some peppery cilantro leaves add to the unique Mexican taste. Add other hot peppers if they appeal to your taste buds, or just stick with an assortment of colorful bell peppers if you're more timid.<br />
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The peppers will loose a lot of water during cooking, but that ads to the flavor of the au jus dipping sauce. When you remove the lid, divide the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNi7sOZ0_-R9jSPW6OkTub33AQUJ_CYqEKIB3WHjdJiKd_njibiKMUqiI9VC51T4_W5XFZexeqkE3NjHtP6h8uDfG350E7AKPXZmbMuH6eWynaQXoRSkJHhHgTvxNgNaTOP0fUwJYYmgU/s1600-h/P1000994sm.JPG"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341697651512643522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNi7sOZ0_-R9jSPW6OkTub33AQUJ_CYqEKIB3WHjdJiKd_njibiKMUqiI9VC51T4_W5XFZexeqkE3NjHtP6h8uDfG350E7AKPXZmbMuH6eWynaQXoRSkJHhHgTvxNgNaTOP0fUwJYYmgU/s200/P1000994sm.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 159px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></span></a>meat mixture between the sandwich rolls and top with a slice of Jack cheese while its still hot.<br />
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Taste the dipping sauce and adjust the flavors to your taste. I added more salt and a big splash of Mexican style jalapeno hot sauce before spooning it into small ramekins on each serving plate.<br />
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<strong>The finished sandwich.</strong><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JxTXBKc5uHui6mTLn0tF5MB4T5KdUvUH39wGCes1AofXXTtdXzjg3jGlkPRJhJhLAkDuYyIphyGIM6bwpprkOSlho8gyA-B7HweEeLU1vhznR2ihHgkdNMM8iB-M0XuUYqJeXC8eTMM/s1600-h/P1010002.JPG"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" height="237" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341698045781988882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JxTXBKc5uHui6mTLn0tF5MB4T5KdUvUH39wGCes1AofXXTtdXzjg3jGlkPRJhJhLAkDuYyIphyGIM6bwpprkOSlho8gyA-B7HweEeLU1vhznR2ihHgkdNMM8iB-M0XuUYqJeXC8eTMM/s400/P1010002.JPG" style="float: left; height: 190px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" width="400" /></span></a></div><br />
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<div align="left"></div>While almost everyone hides their pressure cookers in the back of the cupboard during the summer months, I hope this recipe will tempt you to make use of it all year long. I'll be adding more time saving, beat-the-heat recipes that will get you out of the kitchen and explore more for uses for today's modern pressure cookers, so check back soon.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: black;">Mexican Steak Sandwiches </span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: black;">This recipe is a bump up from the popular French Dip Sandwich with a little more zesty flavor that comes from the addition of Mexican ingredients. I chose a Clod Steak, but you can substitute any cut of boneless chuck and slice it into thin strips for this recipe. This will serve two, but you can easily increase the servings without changing the cooking time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">1 tablespoon veg oil<br />
1/2 lb thin cut beef clod steak<br />
1 onion, halved and sliced<br />
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced<br />
1/2 mild Mexican (Anaheim, poblano, pasilla) chile pepper, seeded and sliced<br />
1/3 cup minced cilantro leaves<br />
Mexican hot sauce to taste<br />
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules<br />
1/2 cup flavoring liquid, beer, wine, coffee, stock, etc.<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
2 slices Jack cheese<br />
2 hoagie rolls, toasted<br />
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Heat the oil in the pressure cooker, brown the sauté the onions over medium high heat until they begin to caramelize and become soft and brown. Slice the meat into 1/2 strips of about 2-3 inches in length, and brown them in the pressure cooker. Add the green veggies, hot sauce, beef bouillon, salt and pepper, and the flavoring liquid of choice. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 8 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Split and toast the rolls. Divide the steak and veggies between each roll and top with the Jack cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings in the au jus dipping broth, portion it into small ramekins and serve on the plate with the cut sandwich.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Cook's Notes:</strong> If using another cut of beef, either ask the butcher to slice it thinly, or partially freeze it at home and use a fillet knife to cut it into thin strips. To substitute thinly sliced, boneless pork = change the cooking time to 6 minutes. To use strips of chicken = change the cooking time to 4 minutes.</span><br />
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<strong>Do overs:</strong></span><br />
More spiciness... more hot peppers. I must have a cast iron palate because I expected more hot Mexican taste. Next time I'll omit the bland bell pepper and increase the chili peppers, maybe I'll add a hotter variety like a couple of jalapenos, or some crushed chipotle peppers (which are just dried jalapenos) to add more heat. What do you say... any chile pepper aficionados?Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-54319384367497853722009-05-04T07:15:00.000-07:002010-04-05T09:59:22.830-07:00Honey Glazed Herbed Carrots<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 85%;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0028RXHKS&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Don't use your Pressure Cooker to boil veggies; </span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 85%;"><strong>STEAM them!</strong></span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Vegetables are a great match for the pressure cooker. Since they are steamed, not boiled, they retain more nutrients and the faster release methods keep the bright colors and texture. All that translates into wonderful taste and flavor, and as a bonus, of course, they only take a few minutes to cook.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxX_IG2WpP7Rqb4dMnY-AuqQloXcwpDp_Uc0ue8F1reeKxyDsSkS86kma9H-UNuTAWL7NxsuYPiBqFMqMVouwyW12J64QUSNyxyzUS620TRHYtF6K2TljWaoKOa5A8X1YD1xP-8CYl5F8/s1600-h/no-boil.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332082552921612674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxX_IG2WpP7Rqb4dMnY-AuqQloXcwpDp_Uc0ue8F1reeKxyDsSkS86kma9H-UNuTAWL7NxsuYPiBqFMqMVouwyW12J64QUSNyxyzUS620TRHYtF6K2TljWaoKOa5A8X1YD1xP-8CYl5F8/s200/no-boil.jpg" style="float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>I like to cook vegetables in the smallest size pressure cooker possible because it will pressurize and depressurize much faster. Also, the newer brands that only need a 1/2 cup of liquid will really speed the process, and the less time foods are exposed to heat, the better. This is always an important consideration when cooking vegetables. If you have a 4qt pressure, which is often sold as part of a set, now is the time to use it.</div><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 85%;">Steamed baby carrots in a handy accessory pan included with most pressure cookers.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kXfOd_53lZeuileui-m9Ixj9JJIAHZnYt-geU6s-qbgefS4sN3B2oNKayR5WGqX9CZKkVjqPltKoatmhI7bQfTgqA3wVSwxjcMchIn5JgrAePlUcbnrm4Dc9XZKrnRQCuM0vC9UuQws/s1600-h/P101030sam.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="155" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331992363903988418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kXfOd_53lZeuileui-m9Ixj9JJIAHZnYt-geU6s-qbgefS4sN3B2oNKayR5WGqX9CZKkVjqPltKoatmhI7bQfTgqA3wVSwxjcMchIn5JgrAePlUcbnrm4Dc9XZKrnRQCuM0vC9UuQws/s200/P101030sam.JPG" style="float: left; height: 248px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" width="200" /></a>A perforated steaming tray is included with most pressure cookers, and it's a very valuable accessory to have in your cupboard. Test the carrots for doneness; they should be tender, but not soft or mushy. Pour out the water and wipe the inside of the pressure cooker dry. You'll want to use real butter for this dish because margarine contains water that will prevent the honey and herbs from sticking and coating the carrots.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhvWqNPmtCJaQwkJMwuspt-Bzn0LnYtb-3XQD8AS5m5GDDfLFp_xj0Ct0Z8lvwvOYvkdnWGH_7dgsc7f9J-XNtdPQqfLVw0YfOMEMP_KM-fI_TubYPK8O0e68BiuDOyzqPVphPKWDqRk/s1600-h/P1010314sm.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="161" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331993108901340130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhvWqNPmtCJaQwkJMwuspt-Bzn0LnYtb-3XQD8AS5m5GDDfLFp_xj0Ct0Z8lvwvOYvkdnWGH_7dgsc7f9J-XNtdPQqfLVw0YfOMEMP_KM-fI_TubYPK8O0e68BiuDOyzqPVphPKWDqRk/s200/P1010314sm.JPG" style="float: left; height: 258px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" width="200" /></a> I use a medium high heat to get a nice glaze on the carrots as they get well coated by the honey mixture. Stir frequently, gently moving the carrots around to get them completely covered with the glaze. Keep stirring as the glaze thickens and the little bits of herbs start sticking to the carrots. When it begins to look like there is less glaze in the pan and you can see the bare metal, then the glaze is set. When you dish the carrots, pour any remaining honey mixture over the top.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBXNjFXEavqfMWnWbZfHEW591H1qtLTQSjYbHsMI0qi7CbBlaIydfahcVLxkwFo44nfTXWDh6XVALBzrMs5ghO85VLnayMVosMEeKWSXMNKOXPt6PJiZkfzCYKxUeJP9UN-GgnoSqYKw/s1600-h/P1010332.JPG"></a>Sweet and tender enough to appeal to children, the scent of herbs and flavors will tempt adults as well.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Honey Glazed Herbed Carrots</span> </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELAGFeaZP71Xui6n9oc-1MI8HNbyfBYMjccSbYPTSMIDGoNI9mZg_fH30yoUNiQXXiR1_oHWXLAKyT2FHpQVn-BVhpc8esEd8qLIr197ohyphenhyphen_ATIM9BxwZ2MFCarG_ORahEP4QFzITCaM/s1600-h/P1010332sm.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332090747711258274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELAGFeaZP71Xui6n9oc-1MI8HNbyfBYMjccSbYPTSMIDGoNI9mZg_fH30yoUNiQXXiR1_oHWXLAKyT2FHpQVn-BVhpc8esEd8qLIr197ohyphenhyphen_ATIM9BxwZ2MFCarG_ORahEP4QFzITCaM/s320/P1010332sm.JPG" style="float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>A quick and tantalizingly sweet way to serve carrots with just a hint of dill. It's sweet and savory at the same time, and the aroma of thyme and dill will tickle your taste buds.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>1 lb fresh baby carrots, or carrots cut to a similar 2 inches x 1/2 inch thickness<br />
1/2 cup honey<br />
1 teaspoon dried dill<br />
1 teaspoon dried thyme<br />
Salt to taste<br />
2 tablespoons butter, not margarine<br />
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Add 1/2 cup water to the pressure cooker. Wash the carrots and place them in a steamer tray. Place the tray in the cooker, using a cooking rack if needed to elevate it above the water level. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and use the quick release method before opening the lid. Pour off the water and wipe the pressure cooker dry. Melt the butter in the pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the dill and fry a couple of minutes or until the aroma if released. Add salt and honey, stirring to blend. Add the cooked carrots and saute, turning gently until they are well coated with the honey mixture and heated through. Serve hot, spooning any remaining honey butter over the carrots.<br />
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Try this dish and let me know how you like it.Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-23954916566979873492009-03-10T07:58:00.000-07:002010-04-05T09:57:00.404-07:00Corned Beef and all the Fixings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPFoirq1TTHz0-QWmrBDyUE0TAKLCLWCnANNDbnJ4ifVMy0bEJc_rTmsi9EHfj5svQQPYPOfe0DHO1rTIYK5rzegqKFt9MRhH6Dhhh5JJC8HtK0aYgy_gugkoX0YSDC3kYpMrKoZ9ygI/s1600-h/P1000736sm.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311575806037790034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPFoirq1TTHz0-QWmrBDyUE0TAKLCLWCnANNDbnJ4ifVMy0bEJc_rTmsi9EHfj5svQQPYPOfe0DHO1rTIYK5rzegqKFt9MRhH6Dhhh5JJC8HtK0aYgy_gugkoX0YSDC3kYpMrKoZ9ygI/s200/P1000736sm.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>Corned beef and cabbage is one of my absolute favorite meals. What we think of as Irish fare, corned beef and cabbage is a special feast for some people who only cook it for a St Patrick's Day dinner, but both St. Paddy's Day celebrations and corned beef, are actually American inventions, and also known as the traditional New England Boiled Dinner. A corned beef -- and the correct term is indeed "corned beef", not "corn beef" -- requires moist cooking, so it's perfect for the pressure cooker.<br />
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A corned beef is beef that has been pickled or cured. The word "corn" comes from an Old English usage that refers to a process that dry-cured meat in the days before refrigeration by packing them in coarse salt pellets, or “corns” of salt. "Corn" describes the size and shape of the coarse rock salt that is traditionally used for brining because it resembled a kernel of grain. If you live in the UK, this would be a Corned Silverside or "salt beef".<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrocyAWbrx4AgWWJFpMoOQZX1KCSXYhVrgyBHyBFHLllG4c2Y7Ahvu7x2vnIcDqfciSuxHNY_BMAo6JpxdEFEtEVoipz4rNsTKkHez2vB9F49dcy3tQWBux1ps-3fDMnWWFyU3hWWXGUU/s1600-h/P1000737sm.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311576308527992802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrocyAWbrx4AgWWJFpMoOQZX1KCSXYhVrgyBHyBFHLllG4c2Y7Ahvu7x2vnIcDqfciSuxHNY_BMAo6JpxdEFEtEVoipz4rNsTKkHez2vB9F49dcy3tQWBux1ps-3fDMnWWFyU3hWWXGUU/s200/P1000737sm.JPG" style="float: left; height: 159px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>In the US a corned beef is typically a brisket, rump or round roast that is pickled or brined in salt water instead of dry salt cured, but the name "corned beef" remains. Usually a little packet of picking spices in included to give corned beef that distinctive flavor. If the spice packet is missing, you can find pre-mixed pickling spices in the spice aisle at most supermarkets. If you want a spicier taste, you can also make your own blend, and here's what I use:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Miss Vickie's Corned Beef Spice Blend</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCQ95LRiVBXP7SWQgIvVDr9agNsJvl85bRiAlyJj25unI_h3roGMsXYP4ScXvFoOOJDo4muP2u2_QlEN8IQras97UYh30G0DbEUwU2SPXYE5nDsJqja_8YIz18o8Tzj1_WXYk18kQ9tk/s1600-h/P1000739sm.JPG" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311576902749488818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCQ95LRiVBXP7SWQgIvVDr9agNsJvl85bRiAlyJj25unI_h3roGMsXYP4ScXvFoOOJDo4muP2u2_QlEN8IQras97UYh30G0DbEUwU2SPXYE5nDsJqja_8YIz18o8Tzj1_WXYk18kQ9tk/s200/P1000739sm.JPG" style="float: left; height: 164px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/4 teaspoon whole celery seeds</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seed</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 bay leaves</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 - 4 whole cloves</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4 cloves crushed garlic</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Tie all the spices in a square of cheese cloth, or put them in a large tea-ball for easy removal. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>The brisket can be the Flat or Plank Cut that is leaner and has the distinctive grain we see in the slices. The Point Cut is a rounder, thicker cut with more fat in it and may be a little more expensive. Either cut will shrink by about a third during cooking. Be sure to add additional quantities if you plan to have leftover corned beef to use in recipes like stovies, bully beef stew, Ruben sandwiches, or hash.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0H0iZuGROEOka5SvssBNIEX-g_Fp_BCqO5XRYyYyPS20cXcdvj7eRDQztkzaRSJUExdBMDw3UZuSzxCNiB4TkMT0mTESlzs0hlB5qAEGVat4N1PlQSClZWkU3tTdqjKmBGZMaVv_jSsI/s1600-h/P1000740.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311580331375185698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0H0iZuGROEOka5SvssBNIEX-g_Fp_BCqO5XRYyYyPS20cXcdvj7eRDQztkzaRSJUExdBMDw3UZuSzxCNiB4TkMT0mTESlzs0hlB5qAEGVat4N1PlQSClZWkU3tTdqjKmBGZMaVv_jSsI/s200/P1000740.JPG" style="float: left; height: 152px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>Place the whole shrink-wrapped brisket in a large colander in the sink, then cut it open and remove the packaging. Rinse the meat thoroughly to remove the salty brine. The salt brine draws out the blood in the meat. Do not use the brine in the package to cook with.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Cooked in a regular pot, a corned beef takes about 4 hours, but in the pressure cooker, the cooking time is cut down to only about 50 minutes. Corned beef can be cooked a day in advance, refrigerated, and reheated by steaming in the pressure cooker for about 6-8 minutes. A corned beef is usually boiled to draw out the salt and fat, you can use water, but I like Guinness stout to add flavor... and because it sure goes good with a big corned beef sandwich the next day.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzmwd-iGq1xq7gWscvYL7pfhr2ATryVpRF-KSBCu8bcV8IKl-HJVa5KGCWOrDo_eLgBNc4EB0ParuHmAsoOzhIpfs0K3QzLX9yNLqwNFRXGE6dYSiOX6PrEoBdiUGRgB-_5Uur2rUGyw/s1600-h/P1000742sm.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311582538693769026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzmwd-iGq1xq7gWscvYL7pfhr2ATryVpRF-KSBCu8bcV8IKl-HJVa5KGCWOrDo_eLgBNc4EB0ParuHmAsoOzhIpfs0K3QzLX9yNLqwNFRXGE6dYSiOX6PrEoBdiUGRgB-_5Uur2rUGyw/s200/P1000742sm.JPG" style="float: left; height: 162px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>After the cooked beef is fully cooked and fork tender, I remove it from the pressure cooker and pour off most of the cooking broth. Using a large steamer basket to hold all the hard root vegetables, I put the cabbage wedges on top. This allows the vegetables to <strong>steam</strong> rather than boil in the greasy, salty cooking broth, and I know they will be tender, but not too soft or mushy from boiling or overcooking. <br />
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Some people like the taste of the vegetables cooking in the meat broth, and that's a matter of preference, so you can use either method. If this suits your palate, can ladle some of the broth into a bowl to be passed at the table and drizzle a few spoonfuls over the corned beef and veggies as desired. </div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf28qkjz2-al7dBjoRVb4pMsFwbaVoXLLJIAqxAxpkja3DSpP0CuqeJ23DbajXGvuXF4mgVqGLUcKJVana-A9S__JO0iQN1_adv8wr1Ok-QsWx5kF4nB23hgMUO4dC4uJHqK6bTQx0XcQ/s1600-h/P1000743sm.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311959417656431474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf28qkjz2-al7dBjoRVb4pMsFwbaVoXLLJIAqxAxpkja3DSpP0CuqeJ23DbajXGvuXF4mgVqGLUcKJVana-A9S__JO0iQN1_adv8wr1Ok-QsWx5kF4nB23hgMUO4dC4uJHqK6bTQx0XcQ/s200/P1000743sm.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 131px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>You can stretch your food dollar by buying a smaller corned beef and adding a wider assortment of root vegetables such as rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes and onions. You also switch from cabbage to kale or Brussels sprouts. The leftovers can be mixed and mashed for new dishes like Dutch Whip, or make <a href="http://missvickie.com/library/stpat.html">Irish Potato Farl, Colcannon, Irish Champ</a>, or <a href="http://missvickie.blogspot.com/search/label/Kale">Kale Colcannon</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Corned Beef with all the Fixings</span></strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjVoyUFCjL0qG4tkfXmeIPLh0-CLkYJ9GNnqLmhVFSzFltwR5s28labC6sPeZlgDBMKPl2INFvTNx-TqDOEaTNjtVlpb5BkMZlR_MDPPf92aloogfmsF3XD4yW7Dpqg_hBV9uYLPtB04/s1600/P1000751sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="342" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312279267115554418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjVoyUFCjL0qG4tkfXmeIPLh0-CLkYJ9GNnqLmhVFSzFltwR5s28labC6sPeZlgDBMKPl2INFvTNx-TqDOEaTNjtVlpb5BkMZlR_MDPPf92aloogfmsF3XD4yW7Dpqg_hBV9uYLPtB04/s400/P1000751sm.JPG" style="display: block; height: 274px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Step One: The Meat</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A corned beef brisket with the spice packet, choose either a flat or point cut, allowing at least 1/3 lb, or a more generous 1/2 lb, per serving</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3 cloves garlic</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 bay leaves</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">include the seasoning pkt, or a make a suitable spice blend<br />
16 ounces of a stout or a similar full-flavored beer, or other combinations flavoring liquids such as beef broth or wine with water</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Discard the packing brine and rinse the meat well, trimming off any visible fat. Lay the meat with the fattiest side up on the cooking rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Add spices and the flavoring liquid, and enough cold water to just cover the meat.<br />
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Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 50 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. A corned beef will have a natural pinkish-red color after cooking. This does not mean it isn't done. Nitrite is used in the curing process and this fixes the pigment in the meat and gives it the distinctive color. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cover it with foil and a folded towel and let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. This allows the meat to absorb its natural liquids, and it will continue to cook itself at the same time.<br />
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Test for doneness; the meat should be "fork-tender", meaning that a fork goes through it like its soft butter. If you can easily pull up a sliver of meat with a fork, it is a good indication of doneness. The internal temperature should be at least 160°F. If necessary, return to pressure for an additional 10 minutes and repeat the natural release, but do not overcook or your corned beef will be dry and stringy. <br />
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<strong>Step Two: The Vegetables</strong><br />
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While the meat is resting, its time to cook the vegetables. Include at least 1lb of assorted vegetables per serving, increase as you like to add variety, stretch your budget, and for planned leftovers. Choose from a variety of root vegetables like carrots and parsnips, red or white boiling potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, boiling or yellow onions. Cut the pieces to a similar size -- I like hefty 2 inch chunks -- so they cook uniformly.<br />
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Use any variety of cabbage cut into thick 2-3 inch wedges, or use Kale or Brussels sprouts instead.<br />
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You can also add any type of cut hard winter squash, sweet potatoes, or any other veggies your family likes.<br />
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Discard all but 1 cup of the cooking broth. Place the cut root vegetables in a large steamer if you have one. Alternately, just put the cooking rack in the pressure cooker and add the cut root vegetables. If your pressure cooker is large enough, add the cabbage wedges on top of the cut root vegetables. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat and use the quick or cold water release method before opening the lid. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from pressure cooker and put the root vegetables and cabbage in separate serving bowls.<br />
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Alternatively, steam the cabbage separately using a second pressure cooker, or wait and cook them after the root vegetables are done. You can also steam cabbage wedges in a covered regular pot in about 15 minutes.<br />
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<strong>Step Three: Plating</strong><br />
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To carve, slice the meat across the grain, otherwise it will be just about impossible to cut and shred in the process. Cut in thin slices and arrange them on a warmed platter. Include the condiments of your choice, a grainy mustard, horseradish, or malt vinegar is usually a pretty good selection. I also add a loaf of good bakery rye bread, Irish Soda bread or dark pumpernickel to serve with the meal, and be sure to pick up enough sandwich makin's for the leftover corned beef.<br />
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Refrigerate leftover brisket and vegetables separately, and use within 3 to 4 days. The corned beef can be frozen for about 2 to 3 months.Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-17428098317683782602009-02-19T13:02:00.000-08:002010-04-05T10:00:39.243-07:00Penny Pinchers Navy Bean Soup<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000EGA6QI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>The U.S. recession is putting a severe economic pressure on every household. As in the past, when hard times, a cheap meal looks very appealing and nothing is better for a budget than a comforting bowl of homemade soup!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirV2IRXz8vyz0YTxHKRIIOmWQOffJR_VRxu3uoasCDkfBqNJIu2xiJBMq-Ns6NgffTYV0xcA9AWJ20K29KbdfiPjxmlAVcNdktqoFq0SNiIEGm0WGnsa6UAqvb-N8q0BctciLN6SKIip8/s1600-h/P1000315.JPG" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304628783948468914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirV2IRXz8vyz0YTxHKRIIOmWQOffJR_VRxu3uoasCDkfBqNJIu2xiJBMq-Ns6NgffTYV0xcA9AWJ20K29KbdfiPjxmlAVcNdktqoFq0SNiIEGm0WGnsa6UAqvb-N8q0BctciLN6SKIip8/s320/P1000315.JPG" style="float: left; height: 251px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a>To make a frugal soup from leftovers, start with making a flavorful stock as the base. Smoked pork neck bones are often used to add a robust flavor to beans, and they are very cheap, too. Unlike ham hocks, another popular choice, this meat doesn't have a great deal of waste, and there's much less fat, and no useless rind of pigskin. Smoked pork neck bones have loads more meat, and plenty of bone and connective tissue, the key elements to making a rich tasting soup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnk-oQg6K8Zl_FrPTKI699fGwL41U4AvKoVuUB57EzoNudqdfZGzFtV_5ms1nJeQph6DtPxV2LExn3tFyDGXKUed74vsBTJkzXkIuiLZ38RlRo54d0eb5qVuWnWq6ZI91m3t_5mPKjoU/s1600-h/P1010180.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304629937581456082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnk-oQg6K8Zl_FrPTKI699fGwL41U4AvKoVuUB57EzoNudqdfZGzFtV_5ms1nJeQph6DtPxV2LExn3tFyDGXKUed74vsBTJkzXkIuiLZ38RlRo54d0eb5qVuWnWq6ZI91m3t_5mPKjoU/s320/P1010180.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 284px;" /></a>Inexpensive ingredients like onions, garlic, peppers and cilantro add taste and aroma, and the scent of rosemary and thyme fills the air. Dried beans will go a long way to stretch your food budget, and the yield is incredible so I'm only using 1 cup for my cheap soup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNe06QDoFF-8BrHBsHNfpMB8FSfJXYm01-2je9MlL0J1nvSP4WzOGH3ff-xlh1s2QlArz1kE2NR2nAlgO9V6TdzkN983MldCBTy6FtKJ1MSNGl3dfWyS8ejv1k2LJKb8YA3xpxDfl9WWA/s1600-h/P1010184.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304632800721662322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNe06QDoFF-8BrHBsHNfpMB8FSfJXYm01-2je9MlL0J1nvSP4WzOGH3ff-xlh1s2QlArz1kE2NR2nAlgO9V6TdzkN983MldCBTy6FtKJ1MSNGl3dfWyS8ejv1k2LJKb8YA3xpxDfl9WWA/s200/P1010184.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 151px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
I've added only enough water to cover most of the ingredients without totally drowning everything. In this case I used a little more the 2 quarts which gave me about 18 cups of soup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqbx8PC-rE7Of30pDRND4dRrAEb5jaY2YsSaia1Jdcq6IQM01w01qA60Zes0xeGTK_NZnKFrc4eprn6PC7R72bVXnOVfwZvWc2N3ekZk0Iq1amHUX1NrlRoZsiDIH0b10j__L1WvEfGE/s1600-h/P1010193.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304634624149404994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqbx8PC-rE7Of30pDRND4dRrAEb5jaY2YsSaia1Jdcq6IQM01w01qA60Zes0xeGTK_NZnKFrc4eprn6PC7R72bVXnOVfwZvWc2N3ekZk0Iq1amHUX1NrlRoZsiDIH0b10j__L1WvEfGE/s200/P1010193.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 124px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>My smoked neck bones cooked for 35 minutes plus the natural release which will finished the cooking and give me meat that is just about falling off the bone. I'll set them aside to cool a bit so I can pick all the meat off.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2JYs90tPviGfHPqs_sVNnRgrPIZkcThnBVtWMM-CUSrWHHnQvd1zLSInFDOO2VcPYJoxisvkLk4c0AvkAzp9tKcxhYIi4xA8VQnlsiUMBGEKJlRrGLj2CttQO70IBudxladFzwevE_g/s1600-h/P1010188.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304631991289503682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2JYs90tPviGfHPqs_sVNnRgrPIZkcThnBVtWMM-CUSrWHHnQvd1zLSInFDOO2VcPYJoxisvkLk4c0AvkAzp9tKcxhYIi4xA8VQnlsiUMBGEKJlRrGLj2CttQO70IBudxladFzwevE_g/s200/P1010188.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 196px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a>Now I'm going to add the Navy beans. These are one of the most popular of dried beans because they are so creamy tasting. I've picked through these beans and they soaked for four hours. Into the pressure cooker they go, and they should be covered by at least 2 inches of that meaty broth for a good soup. Add more liquid if needed. Back under pressure for 12 minutes they go, and I'm using the natural release so the skins don't split.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_ArdJmciRAjVVPVU2YDj-EZJOROvnupUQyJcmpgoLMt587Ap06pMEVA-D1sMQc9E_VFQooFXU8wJWZxKqm0UhEnkIetM2SdohDBrLXmMqxRAU49dr269Mrv0hGikefwamsB8L8DWCmA/s1600-h/P1010195.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304636179279961858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_ArdJmciRAjVVPVU2YDj-EZJOROvnupUQyJcmpgoLMt587Ap06pMEVA-D1sMQc9E_VFQooFXU8wJWZxKqm0UhEnkIetM2SdohDBrLXmMqxRAU49dr269Mrv0hGikefwamsB8L8DWCmA/s200/P1010195.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 196px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>While the beans are cooking, the meat is cool enough to handle. Its easy to pull off most of the meat with a fork. Use your fingers to get every delectable morsel for the soup. The penny pincher trick I learned from my grandma was to chop most of the meat into very small bits and shreds, but also leave a few large pieces so it fools the eye into seeing just the bigger chunks. I ended up with slightly less than 2 cups of meat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eBf7s3jCTnvBa9mQTjVf1jXpB5JvUTGyaRzAK25K_9_TDcSbQMf5sHQNyB8o2jNondPui4qbnNbpuKchdGDc_VrTGz8Y-ZVvPGsbe2sU0Di2KmMr5yWHkK5vDijXgSlryyCBeYWw96Y/s1600-h/P1010203.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304638785100809394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eBf7s3jCTnvBa9mQTjVf1jXpB5JvUTGyaRzAK25K_9_TDcSbQMf5sHQNyB8o2jNondPui4qbnNbpuKchdGDc_VrTGz8Y-ZVvPGsbe2sU0Di2KmMr5yWHkK5vDijXgSlryyCBeYWw96Y/s200/P1010203.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a>When the beans are done, they are so tender that you should be able to mash one in your fingers. Now I'm going to use a hand blender to partially puree the broth and some of the beans. The starch from inside the beans will thicken the soup and give in a creamier, richer texture. You can also do this in a food processor or blender, but take care not to over do it. I'm careful to leave a fair amount bigger veggie pieces, and some whole beans to add more substance to my frugal soup. Finally, add the chopped meat back into the soup and heat through.<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">All done and my cheap eats meal is a winner. </span></strong></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8TrfDiAtTLENvPLU1Cl-OfQQIos2a29ch6mLE9tQA1eBaj5GVDa56qFaqVKiJpCpf62agnfVtncBudA4vx7Dtpn3jdrCW2dV4tqIqqxEAtKeYnlR-_Blf53zt5fPK7bdppk31WlcwQ8/s1600-h/P1010212.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304640705665667122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8TrfDiAtTLENvPLU1Cl-OfQQIos2a29ch6mLE9tQA1eBaj5GVDa56qFaqVKiJpCpf62agnfVtncBudA4vx7Dtpn3jdrCW2dV4tqIqqxEAtKeYnlR-_Blf53zt5fPK7bdppk31WlcwQ8/s320/P1010212.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 198px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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The soup is well seasoned and flavored with the taste of garlic and onions and just a hint of lingering heat from the cilantro and peppers. Its thick and rich with tons of little bits of tender, smoky meat and aromatic herbs and vegetables... the aroma from the rosemary and thyme is wonderful!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ps4T04ZmYIpHanRM0yKXZQHhStxHSCNFKlWT5-PlObKGkKT83iZxZ1X3yQ8OHvHUl7l8ePw6V3Pil3QYgK5IukdQR4fs31SqSilnG5jfnsVryHRq-eQCG846kHJhfSXPikdURVD0GsQ/s1600-h/P1010206.JPG"></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Costs</span></strong></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Smoked Pork - 1.34</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Cilantro - .15</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Onion - .25</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Garlic -.20</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Chilies - .55</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Dried Beans - .50</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Spices - .40</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Total</strong> <strong>= $3.39 or <u><span style="color: red;">18¢ per cup</span></u></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">See that? A delicious, nutritious, made from scratch, meaty, thick, rich, flavorful and aromatic soup for just <span style="color: black;">18¢ per cup! If you're watching your pennies, try this soup for a great tasting meal.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Penny Pinchers Navy Bean Soup</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAg9BoW21T7ylPyMMduDGYkXgTt1RCrO0WjdclxXZJOZPj6IyzKFwmr66C-3XU9oM1Icvt7ERGfteEbH8Fe3HAlmkalC1gUc7DLfeZ7HOQjqwpISMP0Qb7OV4LVTIWCj0Y-oCe6fy4Aeo/s1600-h/P1010206.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAg9BoW21T7ylPyMMduDGYkXgTt1RCrO0WjdclxXZJOZPj6IyzKFwmr66C-3XU9oM1Icvt7ERGfteEbH8Fe3HAlmkalC1gUc7DLfeZ7HOQjqwpISMP0Qb7OV4LVTIWCj0Y-oCe6fy4Aeo/s400/P1010206.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 cup dried navy beans, sorted and soaked a minimum 4 hours</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><strong>Step One: The Meat Broth</strong><br />
1/2 lb. smoked pork neck bones<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
2 tablespoons minced garlic<br />
1 mild chili (Anaheim, pasilla, poblano) pepper, seeded and chopped<br />
1 jalapeño chili pepper, seeded and chopped<br />
1/2 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves, chopped<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste<br />
1 teaspoon dried thyme<br />
1 teaspoon dried rosemary<br />
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Place everything except the beans in the pressure cooker. Add just enough water to almost cover the ingredients. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 35 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Check for doneness; all smoked meats start out very dry and tough, but when cooked properly the meat should be fork-tender and easily pull away from the bone. If needed return to pressure for an additional 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Remove the meat and set aside to cool.<br />
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<strong>Step Two: The Soup</strong><br />
Rinse the beans and discard the soaking water. Add the beans to the broth. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Check for doneness, a bean should soft enough to mash between your thumb and forefinger. If needed return to pressure for an additional 2 minutes. Use a hand blender to partially purée the beans and broth, leaving some beans whole.<br />
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Meanwhile, debone the meat, discarding any little pieces of gristle, veins or fat. Chop the meat into small pieces. Return the meat to the beans and broth. Season to taste. Simmer gently over a medium-low heat until heated through. Serve with a hunk of bakery bread or a pan of cornbread.<br />
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This soup freezes well.<br />
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Does this "Penny Pincher" recipe appeal to you, would you like to see more recipes like this?<br />
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If you make my <strong><u>Penny Pinchers Navy Bean Soup</u></strong> let me know about your experience.Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-62809984810715286832008-06-29T06:17:00.000-07:002010-04-05T11:07:08.711-07:00Chicken à la King<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0000CFMTV&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>I get lots of emails about pressure cookery. Questions about using frozen ingredients keep popping up, and everyone wants to know the secret of transforming frozen meats into a flavorful meal that will not only smell delicious, but look appetizing too.<br />
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The short answer is, YES, you can really cook frozen meats, although I wouldn't recommend tossing a frozen clump of meat into the pressure cooker as a matter of routine. I know, when its crunch time, busy people sometimes run out of both time and options when it comes to getting dinner on the table. I have written a comprehensive article on the website, Help! It's Frozen, which demystifies the use of frozen meats.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpawlWyKjW7zlp57i5xvnK3LmIHjyFQso7pJcP4mvKVXr7XsxNCZfg8SsL6CD9ED5zA3UNWLrO0q5tAuJx_8xeEnXZ5wTblpvhYXEjc_00Yewfmd9msSVjYPgbxLJToBY7tkM756z1AM/s1600-h/20108816.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpawlWyKjW7zlp57i5xvnK3LmIHjyFQso7pJcP4mvKVXr7XsxNCZfg8SsL6CD9ED5zA3UNWLrO0q5tAuJx_8xeEnXZ5wTblpvhYXEjc_00Yewfmd9msSVjYPgbxLJToBY7tkM756z1AM/s200/20108816.jpg" width="166" /></a>Today, I want to focus on a recipe for cooking frozen chicken breasts so they don't end up looking so blanched and unappetizing. The fact is, frozen meats cook up bland and tasteless without browning, so how can we add aroma, flavor and visual appeal to frozen chicken?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A suitable recipe should lots of flavor enhancing ingredients like aromatic herbs and vegetables. A colorful and well seasoned sauce, or plenty of other bright, contrasting ingredients that will make the dish look more visually appealing. While we're at it, lets make this a casserole style meal so there's less clean up work. Sounds good to me!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLJNBSiVqETGuclTzgKtAt354X-dVVt7V6cUO-q15GshTCjGmESV5iz052IvsknOp3D1FW-5Xq3KK6rfP3dUStvrpoXUpKV4yzp_oP3d8d_t2XtHenQa6QsyMVGg58lWCZunZc-tDTKY/s1600-h/P1000328.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLJNBSiVqETGuclTzgKtAt354X-dVVt7V6cUO-q15GshTCjGmESV5iz052IvsknOp3D1FW-5Xq3KK6rfP3dUStvrpoXUpKV4yzp_oP3d8d_t2XtHenQa6QsyMVGg58lWCZunZc-tDTKY/s200/P1000328.JPG" width="200" /></a>That's a tall order, but I have just the thing, lets use my version of an old fashioned, classic dish, Chicken à la King. Okay, lets get started... and don't forget to click of the photos here to see the BIG picture.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I'm going to use a recipe that incorporates the PIP method for the peas in a modified version of the Tiered cooking technique. These are some of the Advanced pressure cooking techniques that take advantage of the new features found in today's modern pressure cookers.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbO9nk-BINEYgz_QKxclVrA2Mj5CcHEg5cG95jbKZH5XHyO9rvPVbzWsvEf__iriE8hZ-_K0PiG3c5ZlLDUzjbKqAHO0EclDEcrlwyqtbIP4JcRalcIQgSjIDcctGmTGt-4opLIoWDIA/s1600-h/P1000332.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbO9nk-BINEYgz_QKxclVrA2Mj5CcHEg5cG95jbKZH5XHyO9rvPVbzWsvEf__iriE8hZ-_K0PiG3c5ZlLDUzjbKqAHO0EclDEcrlwyqtbIP4JcRalcIQgSjIDcctGmTGt-4opLIoWDIA/s200/P1000332.JPG" width="200" /></a>The chopped celery, bell peppers, onions and rice are stirred into a blend of hot EVOO and margarine in the pressure cooker. Stir the mixture until grains are coated and look translucent. Click the photo to see what I mean.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The recipe calls for frozen peas because they will cook slower than thawed peas and so retain their bright color. For the same reason, I'm using a Pyrex bowl because glass and ceramic dishes heat slower, but retain heat longer, than metal inserts. See this chart on my website for the Quick Guide To Heat Conduction Properties. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZiqn1OJH6DXVn6Q4wc0pmllsct8PokLjVIFUtM1bB7ckoSjXb9icMqCGb0fk3OdHcjTvS6PeTnDfYw78ddpscayNBu1AWqMir0spymoijXsKe2oayb8Rpv4HO7TZkrRVxotUkVvtZag/s1600-h/P1000334.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZiqn1OJH6DXVn6Q4wc0pmllsct8PokLjVIFUtM1bB7ckoSjXb9icMqCGb0fk3OdHcjTvS6PeTnDfYw78ddpscayNBu1AWqMir0spymoijXsKe2oayb8Rpv4HO7TZkrRVxotUkVvtZag/s200/P1000334.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">These poor, icy peas look rather sad, but don't worry, they will still plump up all nice and pretty at the end. Normally the peas cook in just 3 minutes and they use the Cold Water Release to stay bright and fresh looking, so we really need to slow down the cooking process for them. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPtnu7DgsnGj-0Xiwk4A9EK8FmS0ENCafsWQlzzOGsLNPAyfZBzIQcNkxF8qU13O758y1EbGYVtVM7JgMSG6dqYyCZ9Vc32t9EBf9SPB8tiTcjUj4XpQzNvib08EqWxd6_CC0I46uL54/s1600-h/P1000337.JPG" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPtnu7DgsnGj-0Xiwk4A9EK8FmS0ENCafsWQlzzOGsLNPAyfZBzIQcNkxF8qU13O758y1EbGYVtVM7JgMSG6dqYyCZ9Vc32t9EBf9SPB8tiTcjUj4XpQzNvib08EqWxd6_CC0I46uL54/s200/P1000337.JPG" width="200" /></a>You see I'm also covering the bowl with a sheet of foil to protect the peas from direct exposure to the super heated steam. Again, the whole purpose is to delay the cooking time for the peas so they fit in with the other recipe ingredients. Otherwise, they would over-cook, loose their color, shape and texture in the 7 minutes required to cook the pearl rice. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKntnZojyzsalD7-lX2CK19DkTiEc5bx3Egg_Bkge_rIuVsLAk1LvRs5TLYpOC_riwbsaBvkKmjfyIf4DDrOjdPjvDojA1MStc7cRuJNEuSmEV0PRWX0ffbL3PDN7Pskm1nAPE1q_Gws/s1600/P1000339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKntnZojyzsalD7-lX2CK19DkTiEc5bx3Egg_Bkge_rIuVsLAk1LvRs5TLYpOC_riwbsaBvkKmjfyIf4DDrOjdPjvDojA1MStc7cRuJNEuSmEV0PRWX0ffbL3PDN7Pskm1nAPE1q_Gws/s200/P1000339.JPG" width="200" /></a>All the ingredients are in the pressure cooker now, and the bowl of frozen peas is safely nestled right on top of it all. Here we go; after 7 minutes of cooking and the natural release, the rice and chicken are tender, and the peas are still tender, plump and brilliantly green.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
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Now isn't that a pretty dish, the blanched chicken is a perfect match to the white rice and the bright colored veggies!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Miss Vickie's Chicken à la King</span></strong></div><br />
But its not just looks that count, is it? As soon as the lid is removed, you can smell the wonderful aroma coming from the herbs, peppers and onions. The rice has absorbed the flavoring liquids and the meat is tender and juicy, and just infused with flavor from the wine and stock. When the brilliantly colored peas and pimentos are added, we've got a dish that tastes and smells just as good as it looks. Now you know the secret to transforming tasteless, frozen chicken into a delicious, main course meal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8UjlHHyu28QbYTKxlataZjb5jJKzmWjgT68dj6kZrFcgdo18NGdLFtFXiEWPKOmXC_ZyHQK0phUo_JuYULFfHByONOvYca0DokYnLWTYhnY_jDC1FbEopY1N5TUwaSiGhDYJFH5kTdM/s1600-h/P1000345a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8UjlHHyu28QbYTKxlataZjb5jJKzmWjgT68dj6kZrFcgdo18NGdLFtFXiEWPKOmXC_ZyHQK0phUo_JuYULFfHByONOvYca0DokYnLWTYhnY_jDC1FbEopY1N5TUwaSiGhDYJFH5kTdM/s400/P1000345a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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1 tablespoon olive oil<br />
1 tablespoon margarine<br />
4 fresh or frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts<br />
1 1/2 pearl rice, or any short grain variety<br />
1 green pepper, chopped<br />
1/2 cup onion, chopped<br />
2 stalks celery, sliced<br />
1 (2 ounce) jar pimentos, diced<br />
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms, either fresh button or dried ivory Portobello<br />
1 (10 ounce) can cream of chicken or mushroom soup<br />
2 cups frozen peas<br />
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
1 cup white wine<br />
1 (16 ounce) can chicken stock<br />
1 cup water<br />
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Combine all ingredients except peas and the pimentos in the pressure cooker. Stir to mix. Put the frozen peas in a ceramic or glass bowl and cover securely with a sheet of aluminum foil. Center the bowl on top of the other ingredients in the pressure cooker. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 7 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. <br />
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Remove the bowl of peas and drain off any water. Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and cut into bite sized pieces. Return the chicken pieces and the peas to the pressure cooker, add the diced pimentos, gently folding them into the rice mixture. Serve immediately.<br />
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<strong>Variations</strong>:<br />
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Tuna à la King is as easy as replacing the chicken with a 12 1/2-ounce can of water packed tuna.<br />
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Turkey à la King is a really good way to use leftover turkey.<br />
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Shrimp, Crab or Lobster à la King, substitute about 1/3 pound frozen seafood chunks for the chicken.<br />
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So... was this information helpful to you? <br />
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Any questions on this recipe, or the different pressure cooking techniques I used? <br />
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Please add your comments... I'd really appreciate feedback from those who try this recipe. Let me know what you think, so I can determine if I might need to tweak the recipe a little bit.<br />
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Can you see where the techniques I used here might be useful with some of your own recipes? <br />
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</div>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-64348899491446576392008-04-27T15:15:00.000-07:002010-04-05T11:04:17.095-07:00Savory, Herbed Three Grain Pilaf<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2DhlW97qvT6TDN-OYmQ9Fn3qF7NhdaYk7bMHFwaiI4tfqG60DIPDRcfhprmCfOywl9y8A0-GJcOV5hevS4J6V1fRfL92WuGYtY_gmtFzlJmEKpNNUFnicODWw41ru1aabX2Dzhkh0DI/s1600-h/grainpilaf.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="138" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194077827655843362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2DhlW97qvT6TDN-OYmQ9Fn3qF7NhdaYk7bMHFwaiI4tfqG60DIPDRcfhprmCfOywl9y8A0-GJcOV5hevS4J6V1fRfL92WuGYtY_gmtFzlJmEKpNNUFnicODWw41ru1aabX2Dzhkh0DI/s200/grainpilaf.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a> In my new cookbook, I use many different kinds of pressure cooking techniques that were well known in our grandma's day when nearly every household used a pressure cooker. Most of today's pressure cooker users don't know about these more advanced techniques, so I'm going to show you how to get the maximum use out of your modern pressure cooker by cooking two separate PIP recipes using the tiered cooking technique.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganPxPZkIkcBpbZTyvbFfK6FQB1fKPZtkQRTN6Me0_-dliKIuYQdwifD0tYZRBqGIzMVWlWq88GZtW3OqpAEpGFyRiyE0Knq1D6V0DdRYXbgTnRgXwFFcohmr5FA9rceG6QIAK4VVYQZc/s1600-h/pip1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194063125982789058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganPxPZkIkcBpbZTyvbFfK6FQB1fKPZtkQRTN6Me0_-dliKIuYQdwifD0tYZRBqGIzMVWlWq88GZtW3OqpAEpGFyRiyE0Knq1D6V0DdRYXbgTnRgXwFFcohmr5FA9rceG6QIAK4VVYQZc/s200/pip1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The first recipe is a full flavored, <strong>Savory, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Herbed</span></span></span></span> Three Grain Pilaf</strong>, a dish that compliments <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">many</span> meat entrees. So for the purposes of demonstrating the tiered cooking technique, I'm <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">also</span> cooking a separate dish of lentils for lunch the next day, to be used in <strong>Lentil and Arugula Salad</strong>, a very <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">versatile</span> recipe that works well as lunch or a light supper to beat the summertime heat.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0006GCC54&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div><div><div><div><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><strong>What You'll Need</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><br />
</strong>You'll note that I'm using one of the horrid, bent wire 'trivets' supplied by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Fagor</span></span></span></span>, a singularly useless item for most purposes, but here's one way where it actually does work well. Lay the wire trivet inside the bottom pan, or place a cooking rack over the top of it, to support the upper pan.</div></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyV-g9r7YhuZ1gKT12V6UGtF9kb_3FOcg2mVZK4MUNkv_eP_TJuxxY4dAGN72hq4GRU7npPbPCiauo2pbdQoG3pPFt_Nqdc_-SDDa13WmhnlrxOIiBlmMWoAvWw8BW4E9yQYgoBKAZK3Y/s1600-h/ricebarley.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194063954911477218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyV-g9r7YhuZ1gKT12V6UGtF9kb_3FOcg2mVZK4MUNkv_eP_TJuxxY4dAGN72hq4GRU7npPbPCiauo2pbdQoG3pPFt_Nqdc_-SDDa13WmhnlrxOIiBlmMWoAvWw8BW4E9yQYgoBKAZK3Y/s200/ricebarley.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The bottom PIP insert pan is from Kuhn-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Rikon</span></span></span></span>, it has a handy wire bail to lift it out of the pressure cooker, and little punched out feet on the bottom so there is no need for a cooking rack. You will need to use a rack beneath your pan if it has a flat bottom. Without a bail, its necessary to utilize a foil Helper Handle to get your pan out of the cooker. For the top pan, any kind of small, inexpensive Stainless Steel bowl will work. The one I use here is available at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Wal</span></span></span></span>-Mart, Target and such.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">SAVORY, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">HERBED</span></span></span></span> THREE GRAIN PILAF</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">This delicious recipe has an irresistible nutty flavor that is great by itself or served as a side dish with poultry, pork, and beef. Even better, there's no tedious chopping, so if you're looking for minimal effort food after a long day, this is it.</div><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 teaspoon dried thyme</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 teaspoon dried oregano</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 teaspoon garlic powder</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 teaspoon bouillon powder</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 tablespoons wild rice</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/4 cup long grain brown rice</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/4 cup pearl barley</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 1/2 cups water</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 cup dry white wine</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Pour 1 cup water into the pressure cooker. Place all the ingredients in an insert pan. To cook as a combination see the directions below, to proceed as a separate dish: Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 16 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Fluff grains with a fork, they should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPRIQwkZdoug54Fy_LPHSFguG8VOo7vEEv5LTTSjTe6plJQpNKOs1hYlzSipR4M_1rQX0XhHsROMBpThkmwTdsDhx0jOYOs9TnvcmfITZusX3zZ4sjoCIXc2M4Na7eglVuQ2dx0C6pMA/s1600-h/pilafclose.jpg" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194064569091800578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPRIQwkZdoug54Fy_LPHSFguG8VOo7vEEv5LTTSjTe6plJQpNKOs1hYlzSipR4M_1rQX0XhHsROMBpThkmwTdsDhx0jOYOs9TnvcmfITZusX3zZ4sjoCIXc2M4Na7eglVuQ2dx0C6pMA/s200/pilafclose.jpg" /></a></div><strong>Cook's Note:</strong> I used that <em>Better than Bouillon</em>, a flavor enhancer that comes in several varieties (In my supermarket, I have seen beef, chicken, mushroom, and vegetable varieties.) According to the Superior Touch website there are also turkey, lobster, ham, chili, clam and organic, plus low sodium versions are available. One teaspoon of <em>Better Than Bouillon</em> base mixed with water yields the same as an 8 oz can of broth, but its much more flavorful, and its just as convenient as ordinary bouillon cubes. It is a bit salty, so I suggest holding off adding any additional salt until you've actually tasted the finished dish. This is a very tasty and convenient product that makes for a no-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">brainer</span></span></span></span> method of preparing quick and easy dishes, so do give it a try. </div><br />
<div></div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Lentil and Arugula Salad</span></strong></div><br />
<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8crxvIivBf4Ve2FzAXl7iFBbrtRAKsBkBXVxmKm5hiT9kAZeDWXU7uZ6-UlJDERlu1RAu6lFMtVJcslenQbTj9c-qxGOxBYBVEP0DYnblwZfE8g183C5C1ssFXYfDcoTCmye6Ogoi7c/s1600-h/lentilsalad.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194243682112945714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8crxvIivBf4Ve2FzAXl7iFBbrtRAKsBkBXVxmKm5hiT9kAZeDWXU7uZ6-UlJDERlu1RAu6lFMtVJcslenQbTj9c-qxGOxBYBVEP0DYnblwZfE8g183C5C1ssFXYfDcoTCmye6Ogoi7c/s200/lentilsalad.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a>This is an easy dish with many <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">possibilities</span>. If you can't find <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">arugula</span> in your supermarket, substitute curly endive, escarole, radicchio, spinach or any combination that appeals to your taste. </div><div></div><div></div><br />
<div>1/4 cup lentils<br />
1 1/2 cups water<br />
Place in a small stainless steel bowl. Pour 1 cup water into the pressure cooker. To cook as the featured combination, position a trivet in the bottom pan and stack the bowl of lentils on top. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 16 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Drain the lentils, add the prepared homemade or bottled vinaigrette salad dressing and marinade them in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day, ahead of the serving time.<br />
<br />
2 cups sliced cherry or grape tomatoes <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmnnHraShnVzpNAqApwcvSNSqc21_I9THlPP30Es6UrPMM4q-AbgiYCGY0EL9oovgfSx28MwCxn9vduHbIY49l4R8rS5XEF_PGO43ew6Nabql3Am4fN3hdTf1s893OWjgENN6SN4hVuo/s1600-h/lentilsalad.jpg"></a><br />
1/2 cup chopped red onion<br />
2 cups torn Arugula or other salad greens<br />
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
Prepared homemade or bottled vinaigrette salad dressing<br />
In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, tomatoes, onions, lentils and cheese. Add the vinaigrette and toss gently. Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />
<strong>Variations</strong>:<br />
Add a small amount of leftover cooked meat, ham, poultry or shellfish for a main course.<br />
Add chopped hard salami, pepperoni or prosciutto, some sliced olives and marinated artichoke hearts for an antipasto style salad.</div><br />
<div>============================</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>When you think about all the interesting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">possibilities</span></span>, I hope you'll try both the PIP (Pan In Pot) and the Tiered Cooking Techniques. You'll find detailed instructions on these, and much, much more in my new cookbook, <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764597264?ie=UTF8&tag=pressurecooke-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0764597264">Miss Vickie's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes</a>.</strong> See my <a href="http://missvickie.com/"><strong>website</strong> </a>for more information about other cooking methods and all the different techniques used in pressure cookery. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />
<br />
Does this give you ideas about how you can incorporate the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Tiered</span> Cooking technique into your own <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">recipes</span>? What combinations can you put together?</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
<br />
<br />
I'd like to get your feedback on my new recipes to see if there's anything that I need to adjust. Please, post your comments and let me know if you try these recipes, won't you?</span></strong> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<div></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-47971736177135110142008-03-27T19:33:00.000-07:002010-10-29T08:32:12.967-07:00Nutritional Egg Custard<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00005B8JQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Well, if you've missed me, here's the thing... My appendix ruptured, I had some post-op problems and was hospitalized until just a few days ago. I am finally home and slowly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">recuperating</span>, but still weak as can be, so this is just a short post.<br />
<br />
I've been restricted to a liquid diet for nearly two weeks now -- now there's a boring meal -- but truthfully, I'm not up to anything else. Fortunately the freezer is well supplied with broth and stock, so at least I have a welcomed change from fruit juice and Jello.<br />
<br />
In a couple of days I'll move on to "soft foods", so I thought I share my first planned meal, an easily digested, protein rich, Nutritional Egg Custard. This particular recipe was handed down from my grandmother who worked as a practical nurse after WWII, and she prepared this simple food for her patients. <br />
<br />
As a young child, I remember helping her feed this plain custard to my ailing grandfather, a victim of Mustard Gas in WWI. Fifty years later I made it for my own father who was suffering with terminal cancer. For any of my readers who are caregivers, you may want to try this recipe if the ingredients are suitable for your loved one. This is also an excellent food for fussy or teething babies, and sick kids as well. It's well tolerated by most people with a tender mouth following dental work or braces, and those who have an upset tummy or digestion problems.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nutritional Egg Custard</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UvddBlPQEHRKbHw_Z0RBsEkg-3Mj3dnRrsDWlHptMMiSV1fsxvVLHWZQP4VWFLw_eFHIhr7HxEnT1SIWQuO8GOICnYuZN91p27E4hvIEAjBQ_tpsDF7ir1f7N5bHaEbY4dsC_SyA3NI/s1600-h/1109.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img ?="" alt="" border="0" height="334" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182616464743428034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UvddBlPQEHRKbHw_Z0RBsEkg-3Mj3dnRrsDWlHptMMiSV1fsxvVLHWZQP4VWFLw_eFHIhr7HxEnT1SIWQuO8GOICnYuZN91p27E4hvIEAjBQ_tpsDF7ir1f7N5bHaEbY4dsC_SyA3NI/s400/1109.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The silky texture and mild taste of this custard provides a simple, easily digested, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">eggy</span> lusciousness. With only a trace of vanilla and minimum of sugar, a spoonful of this custard will slide easily across the tongue and not disturb a sensitive tummy.</div><br />
2 cups whole milk<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients until smoothly blended. Pour into individual ramekins and cover tightly with foil. Pour 1/2 water in the pressure cooker and place a steamer tray on the bottom. Arrange the filled ramekins in the tray, stacking a second layer as needed. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. The custard may be served warn, but for the best taste and consistancy, refrigerate for several hours or until the custard is well chilled and firmly set. </div><div></div><div></div><div><br />
<br />
<strong>While this recipe is not sweet enough to really be called a dessert, you can easily make it so by using more sugar. Depending on the sweetness desired, use 1/2 to 2/3 cup white or brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make this into a real old-fashioned custard dessert. You can also include additional flavors like real maple syrup or molasses, and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. Some of those little chocolate sprinkles on top wouldn't hurt...</strong><br />
<br />
</div>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-18639345301858223862008-01-21T00:51:00.000-08:002010-04-05T10:02:47.761-07:00Pork Chops and Baked Potatoes with Salsa Sauce<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=pressurecooke-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0009MGNO6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Costco. I love it... I hate it; don't you? <br />
<br />
I try not to go too often, and the fact that the huge warehouse store is located w-a-a-a-y over on the other side of town, keeps my trips down to about once a month. All right, truth be told, I'm a Costco addict and when the urge strikes a pack of saber-toothed tigers couldn't keep me away! <br />
<br />
There, happy now? <br />
<br />
Back to my trek through the hallowed aisles of the mega-giant store where I joined the milling masses of wide-eyed shoppers eager to part with cash, checks and credit cards. There I was, weaving my way past shelves that were just chock full of everything from the mundane and practical, the strange and the wonderfully bizarre. I'm on a mission, so I passed by everything with great determination not the browse... I want <strong>FOOD</strong>! <br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/chops/P1000020lg.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="252" hspace="6" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/chops/P1000020lg.jpg" style="float: left; height: 178px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 217px;" width="332" /></a>My destination is the meat section, where the mad butchers of Costco have gleefully laid out their bloody trays of raw flesh to tempt carnivores and cooks of every sort. Ah-ha! There's what I want... that huge, battalion-sized flat of extra thick, boneless, center loin pork chops. Mine... all mine!</div><div align="left"></div>Since many of my readers have been asking for recipes that only serve one or two portions, I decided that would be the goal of today's recipe. You can easily double the quantity or even substitute another cut of pork chops as long it is similar in thickness, which would be about 1 1/2 inches. <br />
Okay, let's get cookin'! Here's our ingredients,<br />
all prepped and measured -- a good thing todo so you don't leave out anything -- now we're ready to go. Oh boy, just look at those thick, yummy pork chops!<br />
Not too complicated in the prep department, just some herbs and spices for a flavor boost, and some prepared salsa... c'mon, you can do this, so let's get cookin'!<br />
<a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/chops/P1000023lg.jpg"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="307" hspace="6" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/chops/P1000023lg.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 230px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 223px;" width="329" /></a><br />
Here's my lovely thick chops, well seasoned and nicely browned. The pile of caramelized onions and herbs that will form the base of the flavorful sauce. Oh, did I mention the <strong>flavor</strong>!<br />
<em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #990000;"></span></span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #990000;">You can find out more about how to do browning and sauteing on the </span><a href="http://missvickie.com/"><span style="color: #3333ff;">website</span></a>.</span></em> <br />
<span style="color: black;">Add all the ingredients all the ingredients exept the potatoes to the pressure cooker so the chops are nestled all comfy like in the flavorful sauce. This is a good example of how to use the Infusion Cooking method to make a rich and flavorful braise in the pressure cooker. To braise the chops the salsa, onions and the herb screate a delicious, flavorful and aromatic sauce using the <strong>Infusion Cooking method</strong>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;">You can find out more about how to do all the different pressure cooking techniques used in this recipe, as well as other </span><a href="http://missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/lessonframe.html"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #3333ff;">advanced pressure<br />
cooking</span> methods</span></a><span style="color: #990000;"> on the website.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/chops/P1000028lg.jpg"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="227" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/chops/P1000028lg.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 161px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 223px;" width="355" /></a></span><br />
This<span style="color: black;"> recipe also uses Tiered Cooking technique, stacking several foods so they cook separately to make a complete meal that cooks in one pot with no stirring. I'm placing the cooking rack on <strong>TOP</strong> of the chops to form a platform for the potatoes because I want them steam roasted, not braised. </span><span style="color: black;">What... you thought the rack <em>only</em> works on the bottom? </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">See how the <strong>Tiered Cooking </strong>method is used in this recipe to allow me to use two different cooking techniques at the same time and in the same pot: I'm also using <strong>Steam Roasting</strong> to bake the potatoes. </span><br />
<br />
Hungry? All right, here's my plate... where's yours?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/chops/chops.jpg"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="440" hspace="4" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/food/chops/chops.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 231px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" width="372" /></a><br />
<strong>Pork Chops and Baked Potatoes with Salsa Sauce</strong> <br />
<dl><dt>1 T olive oil</dt>
<dt>salt and coarse ground black pepper</dt>
<dt>2 extra thick cut boneless pork chops</dt>
<dt>1/3 c chopped cilantro</dt>
<dt>1/2 c chopped onions</dt>
<dt>2 T minced garlic</dt>
<dt>1 T dried oregano</dt>
<dt>1 cup chunky salsa</dt>
<dt>4 medium potatoes</dt>
<dt>1/2 c water </dt>
</dl>Heat the oil in the pressure cooker. Rub salt and pepper into the chops and brown them on both sides. Saute the onions and garlic until soft and caramelized to a golden brown. Set aside. Add the water to the not cooker and deglaze, scraping up any stuck-on browned bits. Stir in the salsa, cilantro and oregano, and place the chops in the sauce. Place a rack or steamer tray on top of the chops and arrange the potatoes. Lock the<br />
lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 12<br />
minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Transfer the chops to individual serving plates. Make 2-3 cuts in each potato to open them up and spoon some of that spicy salsa sauce over the top.Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-10324361119194730392007-10-25T10:20:00.000-07:002007-11-04T06:30:40.015-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1zGEOkf1rOTlJZl3u8wwekzKev9QHVg01x7iv77dyRL9rtQxPUQoaEUgGbc2MaZj3BfIyFEWDFelaBzNoZpQmeaMZEDyqeMUFC-1vZIYvUT4HvvmOziiymjTwY-hhGqwkNDuvzEdvUw/s1600-h/cover-sm.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125331102869785234" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1zGEOkf1rOTlJZl3u8wwekzKev9QHVg01x7iv77dyRL9rtQxPUQoaEUgGbc2MaZj3BfIyFEWDFelaBzNoZpQmeaMZEDyqeMUFC-1vZIYvUT4HvvmOziiymjTwY-hhGqwkNDuvzEdvUw/s200/cover-sm.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Good news! The publisher has approved the new cover for the cookbook. Its dramatically different for the first cover design, and I think it looks spectacular! A <a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/smith_miss_v.pdf">larger view </a>is available in PDF format.<br /><br />I'm happy! Of the half dozen or so different designs presented, I liked this one the best from the first time I saw it. Lucky for me, the publisher and their focus group were in agreement, so this should be the final version... barring any last minute resersal, of course<br /><br />Follow this <a href="http://missvickie.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html">link </a>to see the original cover concept art, and you'll see just how dramatically the design has changed and morphed into the end product. Take a look and then post your comments here, I want to know what you think.<br /><br />I'm extremely happy with my editor -- yes, shameless pandering on my part! -- but he really listened to my concerns and then worked hard to accomodate my suggestions in the finished design.<br /><br />As for what's happening with the cookbook now; a "professional indexer" is putting together the index. Did you know there was such a job? I didn't, but I'm extremely grateful that I don't have to do that work myself. Been there! Done that! Never want to do it again!<br /><br />Also, it looks like the publishing date is holding for early February, so keep that in mind. Preliminary placeholders (still showing an earlier cover art) are now up at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Vickies-Pressure-Cooker-Recipes/dp/0764597264/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-4635626-9649713?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193335682&sr=8-1">Amazon US </a>($15.61) and the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764597264/classiclitera-21/202-8345156-6767843?dev-t=D3E49ECS9E0KO%26camp=2025%26link_code=xm2">Amazon UK</a> (£10.09), and soon on other online book sellers too.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">UPDATE</span></strong><br /><br /><em>The book is moving along very well, and the publisher has decided to release it to bookstores a little earlier than first planned. The official release date will now be <strong>January 21, 2008</strong>, so it will be available to consumers on Amazon shortly there after, and in stores throughout the country and overseas within 3 weeks after that.</em>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-44818253678765645502007-08-17T06:22:00.000-07:002007-08-18T08:10:31.557-07:00I Get Mail...To help canners get up to date, I thought I'd sum up some of the most frequently asked email questions about canning:<br /><br /><br />1. Can I use either my stovetop or electric pressure cooker for canning if it reaches 15PSI?<br /><br />2. The house gets so hot when I'm canning. Can I use my canner on a propane camp stove outside?<br /><br />3. Why do I have to vent the canner?<br /><br />4. Does a pressure canner have to be a certain size?<br /><br />5. Can I use my pressure cooker or pressure canner as a regular waterbath canner?<br /><br />6. Is it safe to process low acid foods in a waterbath kettle if I let it boil for several hours?<br /><br />7. What's the best way to store my canner?<br /><br /><br /><strong><a href="http://missvickie.com/canning/I%20Get%20Mail.htm">Want the answers? Read the rest of this article</a>.</strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBduDL0pT-O23BjNAPyYewrKtcgXoMLQW6Q1Zzaujq1ymqh1NW21EcCZ_XdwV-UhI7fA6LPfIpQByF0aSaX-07v7W8pGbgl5rB-eSDgcN4A_9dxmgcOA1DPtE7tjZ6zkXdD9M1faLYx20/s1600-h/carrotbar.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099646584119740514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBduDL0pT-O23BjNAPyYewrKtcgXoMLQW6Q1Zzaujq1ymqh1NW21EcCZ_XdwV-UhI7fA6LPfIpQByF0aSaX-07v7W8pGbgl5rB-eSDgcN4A_9dxmgcOA1DPtE7tjZ6zkXdD9M1faLYx20/s320/carrotbar.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Several email questions tcame in this week about faulty information found on other websites. So let me send out a word of caution to everyone to be <strong>very </strong>cautious about accepting canning advice from self-styled Internet "experts". </p><p>Yes, I know there are many websites that give incorrect -- if not down right dangerous -- canning info, but that's the nature of the Internet. Just be safe and be aware that a wealth of fact-based and up-to-date articles are available FREE through online state extension services. That's why the <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>only</strong></span> canning directions I link to are from USDA, scientifically tested extension websites.</p><p>My advice is to play it safe and not risk the potential of foodborne illnesses. Pass up any online canning info that is not based on the current USDA guidelines. This will also include all those well-meaning friends who want to loan you canning books from the 70s, and the elderly relatives who want to tell you how they canned a 100 quarts of green beans in a number 10 wash tub over a wood fire back in the 30s.<br /><br />Some of my readers are asking about pressure cooker manufacturers who advertise that their <em>cooker</em> can be substituted for a pressure <em>canner</em>. The latest USDA recommendations <strong>DOES NOT </strong>support their claim, so let the buyer beware. Remember, your family's health and safety always comes first so lets err on the side of caution and follow the scientific guidelines when it comes to canning. </p><p> </p>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-86005365725790498342007-07-26T09:53:00.000-07:002007-08-17T06:22:04.016-07:00Canning SeasonAbout this time of year, I start getting lots of emails about canning, so its time for a little trip down memory lane. When I was a girl, we canned about 200 quarts of peaches and pears and snap beans, corn and tomatoes during the late Indian summers. <br /><br />As I sit in my kitchen today, listening to the summer breeze rustling through the leaves outside my window, I recall the memories of fifty years ago... I can almost smell the pungent aroma of vinegar and spices from the pickling crocks under the back stairs at grandma's old farm house. Memory stirs and I am reminded of far removed apple trees south of the hay barn, and the tangled blackberry brambles racing up the hillside.<br /><br /><a href="http://homecookhost.homestead.com/files/images/successfulcanning.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://homecookhost.homestead.com/files/images/successfulcanning.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> We kids would sit on the old back porch with grandma and peel, and pare, and pit until our hands were stained with a rainbow of pinks, yellows, greens and reds from a bountiful harvest. All through those crisp fall days of long ago, the canners bubbled and hissed on the stove, churning out jar after jar of jar of garden produce.<br /><br />It was a lot of work, but eating grandma's peach cobbler on a cold and blustery winter day made it all worth while. Well that's my blast from the past... do you all have similar stories from years gone by?Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-76107750363926710252007-07-17T22:48:00.000-07:002007-07-22T22:42:37.102-07:00Update on the Book CoverMy editor is a doll! He really listened to my concerns, as well as all the feedback you provided here on the blog. That was very important, and thanks to everyone who took the time to add a comment.<br /><br />I have seen the first draft of a totally new cover design, and its a winner! I can't share it with anyone just yet -- hopefully I'll get the OK soon -- but I will say that the <strong>PHOTO </strong>is yummy!<br /><br />Oh, and as long as you're here... take the little poll over there <a href="http://missvickie.com/images/anired06_next.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 16px;" src="http://missvickie.com/images/anired06_next.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-31060184116757554232007-06-14T23:04:00.000-07:002007-07-22T22:47:10.609-07:00Cover Art<a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/bookart-sm.GIF"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 193px; CURSOR: hand" height="272" alt="" src="http://missvickie.com/blogger/bookart-sm.GIF" border="0" /></a>This is a possible cover design for my new cookbook. You can pull up the larger PDF version <a href="http://missvickie.com/blogger/smith_msv2_9780764597268.pdf"><strong>here</strong></a>.<br /><br />I want to do a little market research here, get the first impressions of consumers who might see this book on a store shelf.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />What do you think about the overall layout, the color scheme, the graphics, the text fonts, etc.?<br /><br />Does the bookcover attract your attention in a favorable way?<br /><br />What do you like about it?<br /><br />What do you dislike about it?<br /><br />Any suggestions, ideas, or changes?<br /><br />Please leave your comments and let me know what you think.<br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><strong>Comments Are Closed</strong><br />A big THANKS to everyone who shared their ideas, the feedback was very useful.Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8569532100787848960.post-63755987360646763102007-02-16T12:38:00.000-08:002010-03-13T07:55:35.594-08:00Mexican Pork Stew with Tomatillos<div><strong><span id="google-navclient-hilite" style="color: #990000;">Guisado de Puerco con Tomatillos</span> (Mexican Pork Stew with Tomatillos)</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.texmex.net/Graphics/tomatillos.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.texmex.net/Graphics/tomatillos.gif" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
Use your food processor to cut the prep time and serve this popular Mexican dish to the hungry crowd at your house. This is a good opportunity to try the interesting additions of tomatillos, and some mild Mexican chili peppers that will add flavor but only a touch of heat.<br />
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2 1/2 lb boneless pork, cut into large 2 inch cubes<br />
2 tablespoons oil<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
2 garlic cloves, minced<br />
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained<br />
6 tomatillos, chopped<br />
2 mild chili peppers (Anaheim, poblano, pasilla), seeded and chopped</div><div>2 garlic cloves, minced<br />
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems<br />
1 tablespoon chili powder<br />
1 teaspoon ground cumin<br />
1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer<br />
1 (16-ounce) container salsa,<br />
Heat the oil in the pressure cooker, brown the meat on all sides in small batches over medium-high heat. Once each batch is browned, set aside in a bowl to reserve the drippings. Saute onion, stirring until soft, add the tomatillos and peppers. Add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return meat to pan and stir in the salsa, garlic, cilantro, chili powder. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Serve over mashed potatoes, cooked egg-noodles, fluffy white rice, or try is spooned over crushed corn chips. As a garnish, I like a spoonful of sour cream and some extra salsa. Makes about 4-5 servings.</div><br />
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Did you try it?Miss Vickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230900241761723727noreply@blogger.com2