Cooking Under Pressure

 

Cooking Under Pressure

I recently attended a Pressure Cooking Class and was impressed with the advancements in this time-honored way of cooking.

The seal has improved and is less likely to cause problems.

There is even an electric cooker with digital dial that lets you set it and almost forget it. Pressure Cookers cook the food under pressure in a short amount of time and are great for beans, meats like Pot Roast and Stew tenderize in them and various soups blend flavors like they were simmered for hours.

Our wonderful teacher had 3 cookers that morning with which she demonstrated 4 different recipes.She is showing us here how to use a portable butane stove with one as you might have to during a disaster with a power failure.

  She made a wonderful Lentil Soup in 20 minutes, 

Smashed/roasted potatoes in 7 minutes,  

 

Rigatoni in Sausage Sauce in 6 minutes, and Black Beans with Chorizo in 7 minutes.

She even made an amazing Artisan Parmesan Bread to eat with these foods. (The bread was not pressure cooked!) We were able to sample all of the dishes and they were each so delicious and cooked in just minutes.  It was nice getting a first hand look at and learn how to use these cookers.  I used my pressure cooker many years ago and remember making great soup with it and it cooking meat quickly.  I donated it when I moved two years ago but after attending this class I am seriously considering getting one of these new improved models.  Do any of you have and use a pressure cooker?  What is your favorite thing to make using one?
I am linking to Foodie Friday with this post.  To read wonderful recipes click here.

Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs. stew meat, cut into cubes
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp oil
6 cups hot beef broth
1 chopped onion
8 carrots cut into pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into pieces
4 peeled and cubed potatoes
1 tsp Lawry Seasoning salt
1/4 tsp pepper1 (20 oz) can diced tomatoes
Coat meat with flour.  Heat oil in pressure cooker.  Brown meat in oil; stirring occasionally, Add hot beef broth, onion, and then stir.  Bring to boil. Put lid on and bring to high pressure for 15 minutes.  Quick release pressure.  Add rest of ingredients and bring to high pressure again for 5 more minutes. Release pressure. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

A Warm and Filling Recipe

I had planned on a tutorial of making Homemade Noodles today but sickness (children of another woman who was also going to learn with me) got in the way. So, I will give you an easy Tortilla Casserole that I made for the first time Monday. Because it got all eaten, I don't have pictures of it. But, it is very similar to regular Chicken Tortillas baked in a 9X12 pan except this is all layers in the casserole dish instead of each tortilla wrapped up with filling.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole
4 Chicken breast halves (split, with bones gives more flavor)

Let a pan of water come to a boil, then add chicken and cover. Turn off the stove and let them cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes take them out of the water and when they cool enough to handle, skin, bone and shred them.

Make a sauce with about 1/2-1 cup of the chicken juice, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of milk.

Spray casserole dish with cooking spray like Pam. Then layer enough corn tortillas that you tear up into about 2" squares to cover the bottom of the dish. Next layer 1/3 of the chicken. Next layer 1/3 of a green pepper cubed. Then a layer of sauce. Make 2 more layers with the tortillas, chicken, green pepper and sauce. On the top sprinkle shredded monterey jack cheese (about 8 oz or to your liking). Bake 15 minutes in oven at 350 degrees. At that point open oven door and add whole, pitted black olives in rows on top. Put back into oven for another 15 minutes or until it is all bubbly and smells great. Serve it with a little salsa drizzled over it.

This is not a gourmet recipe. Just a really yummy one. I use fat-free sour cream and healthier soup to make myself think it is good for me! I hope you enjoy it too.

Chicken Soup and Quilts

There has been a lot of this in my family so far this year-hanging around with coughs, colds and strep throat.

We have been using a lot of these products as a result.

So today I decided to make Chicken Soup to help. This is the best Chicken Soup that I have tasted. It is fast and simple to make and just what the doctor ordered (well, at least I think he should have.)

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

4 Chicken Breasts

Boil water, put in chicken breasts. Bring water to boil again then turn off stove and leave for 20 mins. Take out breast and cool enough to handle then cut up or shred.

5 carrots, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 qt. water

4 chicken bouillon cubes (or use 2 qts chicken broth instead of water and bouillon.)

Boil veggies, bouillon and water together for 15-20 minutes. Add cup up chicken.

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 tsp basil

pepper to taste

1 c. frozen peas

1/2 (ll oz.) pkg Grandma's homemade noodles, thawed

Add cream of chicken soup,basil, and pepper and bring to boil again before adding defrosted noodles and peas. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Enjoy! Yumm!