The Everything Pressure Cooker Cookbook (24 page)

1. Rinse and drain the turnip greens. Add to the pressure cooker along with the broth or water, garlic, and salt.
   

2. Lock the lid into place and bring to low pressure; maintain pressure for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure and remove the lid.
   

3. Drain the turnip greens and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with the oil. Add the pepper. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt if needed. Stir in the toasted nuts. Serve.
   

Unlike many mashed root vegetable dishes where you can substitute milk for the cream or sour cream, this dish needs the added fat to offset the strong flavors of the vegetables.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4

1 fl-pound rutabaga, peeled, quartered, and sliced

2 parsnips, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons butter

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ water

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ cup sour cream

Nutmeg, freshly grated

1. Add the rutabaga, parsnips, butter, salt, and water to the pressure cooker. Lock the lid into place and bring to low pressure; maintain pressure for 8 minutes.
   

2. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure and remove the lid.
   

3. Drain any excess moisture from the vegetables. Transfer to a food processor; pulse to puree the vegetables. Gradually add the cream as you pulse the vegetables until they reach their desired consistency. Once the vegetables are pureed, transfer them to a serving bowl and stir in the sour cream. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and sour cream if desired. Garnish with the nutmeg. Serve.
   

There's no need to core the apples to remove the seeds when you'll be using a food mill to process the cooked apples. For chunky applesauce, quarter the apples before you cook them. Once they're cooked, slightly mash the apples into the cooking liquid rather than processing them.

Ingredients | YIELD: 5 CUPS

1 cup water

12 medium apples (about 3 pounds)

Applesauce Notes

Instructions are for a 6-quart pressure cooker. For a yield of 3 cups in a 4-quart pressure cooker, reduce the apples to 2 pounds and the water to 2/3 cup. For a yield of 6½ cups of applesauce in an 8-quart pressure cooker, increase the apples to 5 pounds and the water to 12/3 cups.

1. Add the water to the pressure cooker. If using organic apples, rinse and quarter the apples. If not, rinse, peel, and quarter the apples. Add to the pressure cooker.
   

2. Lock the lid into place, bring to high pressure, and immediately remove from the heat; let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure.
   

   Once the apples have cooled slightly, pass the apples and cooking liquid through a food mill. If you do not have a food mill, add the apples and cooking liquid in batches to a food processor or blender. Refrigerate covered for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
   

To make spiced peach butter, after Step 2, process the peaches and liquid in a blender or food processor until smooth and return to the pressure cooker. Simmer and stir over low heat for 30 minutes or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Ingredients | SERVES 6

2 15-ounce cans sliced peaches in syrup

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch cayenne pepper

Optional: 1 tablespoon candied ginger, minced

Optional: 3 whole black peppercorns

1. Add all of the ingredients to the pressure cooker. Stir to mix. Lock the lid into place and bring to low pressure; maintain pressure for 3 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, quick-release the pressure, and remove the lid.
   

2. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, cloves, and peppercorns if used.
   

3. Return the pressure cooker to medium heat. Simmer and stir for 5 minutes to thicken the syrup.
   

4. Serve warm or chilled. To store, allow to cool and then refrigerate for up to a week.
   

This sauce uses fruit instead of the tomatoes traditionally associated with barbeque sauce.

Use it as a glaze the next time you grill steaks or chicken, or add some to pulled pork.

INGREDIENTS | YIELD: ABOUT 2 CUPS

1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced

1 small onion, peeled and quartered

1 16-ounce can pitted tart cherries, drained

1 16-ounce can pitted plums, drained

¼ cup honey

3 tablespoons rice wine or white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 whole allspice berries

2 whole cloves

1 3-inch cinnamon stick

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Add the garlic, jalapeño pepper, ginger, onion, cherries, plums, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar to a food processor. Pulse until chopped and mixed. Transfer to the pressure cooker.
   

2. Wrap the allspice berries, whole cloves, and cinnamon stick in a piece of cheesecloth, stir to secure, and add to the fruit mixture in the pressure cooker. Lock the lid into place. Bring to low pressure; maintain pressure for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally.
   

3. Remove the lid. Remove and discard the cheesecloth bundle. Stir the sauce. Taste for seasoning. Add additional honey, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, if needed. Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a covered container; refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze until needed.
   

To sweeten the applesauce, stir in sugar, maple syrup, or honey to taste after you remove the lid from the pressure cooker. This applesauce adds a special flair to just about any pork meal.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

8 Granny Smith apples

1 cup apple juice or cider

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup cinnamon hearts candy

1. Rinse, peel, core, and dice the apples. Add to the pressure cooker with apple juice or cider, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir well. Lock the lid into place and bring to low pressure; maintain for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
   

2. Quick-release any remaining pressure. Stir in the candy until it's melted and blended into the sauce, mashing the apples slightly as you do so. Serve warm or chilled. Can be stored for several days in the refrigerator.
   

You can make this cranberry sauce several days in advance, store it in the refrigerator, and then bring it back to temperature on the stove. For additional flavor, stir in some orange liqueur, bourbon, or brandy.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

½ cup water, apple juice, or pineapple juice

Pinch salt

1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate

Optional: Cinnamon and ground cloves, to taste

1. Rinse and drain the cranberries. Remove and discard any stems or blemished cranberries.
   

2. Add the cranberries to the pressure cooker along with the sugar, water or juice, and salt. Lock the lid into place and bring to high pressure; maintain for 6 minutes.
   

3. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Remove the lid. Stir in the orange juice concentrate. Stir well, breaking the cranberries apart with a spoon or mashing them slightly with a potato masher.
   

4. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary, stirring in additional sugar if needed and the cinnamon and cloves if desired. Serve warm or chilled.
   

To make red-hot apple butter, mix the cinnamon and allspice. Thirty minutes into the simmering time, stir in ¼ teaspoon ground cloves and 3–4 tablespoons Red Hots cinnamon candy.

Ingredients | YIELD: ABOUT 2 CUPS

1 cup apple juice or cider

12 medium apples (about 3 pounds)

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1½ cups sugar

Optional: 1 or 2 drops oil of cinnamon

1. Add the apple juice or cider to the pressure cooker. Wash, peel, core, and dice the apples. Lock the lid into place, bring to high pressure, and immediately remove from heat; let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure.
   

2. Press cooled apples through a fine sieve or food mill, or process in a food processor or blender. Return apples and liquids to pressure cooker, add the cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and sugar.
   

3. Return the pan to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat, simmer, and stir for 1 hour. Note that it's important that you frequently stir the apple butter from the bottom of the pan to prevent it from burning.
   

If you plan to add sugar to the dried fruit compote, do so before the fruit has cooled so that it can be stirred into the fruit mixture until it dissolves. Honey can be served at the table.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

1 8-ounce package dried apricots

1 8-ounce package dried peaches

1 cup golden raisins

1½ cups orange juice

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

Optional: Sugar or honey

1. Cut the dried apricots and peaches into quarters and add them to the pressure cooker along with the raisins, orange juice, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Lock the lid into place and bring to high pressure; maintain pressure for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally. Remove the lid.
   

2. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves. Return to medium heat and simmer for several minutes. Serve warm or allow to cool, and then cover and store in the refrigerator until needed. Use within a week.
   

You can also prepare the lemon custard by fixing it in a 5-cup heatproof casserole dish that will fit on the rack inside the pressure cooker. Increase the pressure time to 20 minutes. Serve these custards dusted with powdered sugar or topped with fresh or cooked fruit.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1½ cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 medium lemons

2 cups water

1. Add the sugar and cornstarch to a bowl. Stir to combine well. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolks. Stir in the milk and cream. Grate the zest from one of the lemons and add it to the batter along with the juice from both lemons (about ¼ cup). Evenly divide between six ½-cup custard cups. Tightly cover the top of each custard cup with aluminum foil to prevent any water from getting into the cups.
   

2. Set the rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker and pour in the water. Place the custard cups on the rack, stacking them if you need to.
   

3. Lock the lid into place and bring to high pressure; maintain pressure for 12 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, quick-release the pressure, and remove the lid.
   

4. Carefully lift the custard cups from the pressure cooker and place them on a wire rack. Remove the foil.
   

5. Let custard cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover each cup with plastic wrap and chill overnight in refrigerator.
   

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or increase the number of servings by using it as a topping for plain or lemon yogurt.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

1 cup apple juice

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons honey

1 cinnamon stick

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 orange

3 apples

3 pears

½ cup dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins

1. Add the apple juice and wine to the pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Stir in the honey until dissolved. Add the cinnamon stick, nutmeg, lemon zest, and orange zest. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer.
   

2. Wash, peel, core, and chop the apples and pears. Add to the pressure cooker. Stir. Lock the lid into place and bring to high pressure; maintain pressure for 1 minute. Remove the pressure cooker from heat, quick-release the pressure, and remove the lid.
   

3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked fruit to a serving bowl. Return the pressure cooker to the heat and bring to a boil; boil and stir until reduced to a syrup that will coat the back of a spoon. Stir the dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins in with the cooked fruit in the bowl and pour the syrup over the fruit mixture. Stir to mix. Allow to cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator.
   

Dark rum bumps up the flavor of this recipe, making it a rich, delicious way to use up ripe bananas. Think of this dessert as like a banana eggnog pudding.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

Butter

2 slices bread, crusts removed

2 ripe bananas

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs

½ cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup water

1. Butter the inside of a 5-cup casserole dish that will fit inside the pressure cooker on the rack; set aside. Add the bread to a blender or food processor; pulse to create soft bread crumbs. Remove and set aside.
   

2. Add the bananas and lemon juice to the blender or food processor; puree while gradually adding in the cream. Add the eggs; pulse to mix.
   

3. Add the brown sugar, nutmeg, rum, and vanilla; pulse until mixed. Stir in the reserved bread crumbs.
   

4. Pour the banana mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Cover and wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
   

5. Pour the water into the pressure cooker. Place the rack in the cooker. Set the foil-covered casserole dish on the rack. Lock the lid into place and bring to low pressure; maintain pressure for 22 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow pressure to release naturally.
   

6. Transfer the casserole dish to a cooking rack and remove the foil. Serve warm or chilled.
   

You can replace the sugar with maple syrup or brown sugar if desired. Serve as dessert, with a scoop of vanilla or caramel swirl ice cream.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4

½ cup apple juice

¼ cup golden raisins