Instant Pot recipes

[applestar]

I tried the meatloaf cooked pot-in-pot method on top of veg in the Instant Pot.

I found two suitable “in” containers — one is a stray stainless steel camping pot (no handle — lost the detacheable handle and lid) that I use as a prep bowl sometimes, and another one is a biggest Pyrex glass storage bowl (I think 7 cup?)

It turned out that even though these were biggest that would fit, neither of them were big enough to hold the usual amount of meatloaf I make, but they were exactly right size for 1/2.

So I mixed up the ingredients (today’s was made with ground beef, pork, and turkey thigh, leftover whole grain and wild rice mix and corn meal + rolled oats, onions, celery, carrots, beaten eggs. pasta sauce, garlic sauce, teriyaki sauce, ketchup. Dill, smoked paprika, chili powder.) — then made the camp pot meatloaf first, with “mashed potatoes” which seemed to be the standard — except I only had 3 potatoes so added 1/2 head of cauliflower, cooked under the meatloaf, and mashed them together when the meatloaf was done and removed.

The glass storage bowl filled with 2nd 1/2 of the mixed meatloaf recipe waited covered in the fridge, then I made more after all the mashed potatoes/cauliflower was gone. This time with some of my Greek Sweet Red squash in the bottom under the glass bowl of meatloaf. These were not mashed.

Great hit with my family.

[pepperhead212]

I made another one of those jambalaya type dishes I made a few weeks ago with canned salmon, but this time I cut up some frozen whiting, I cut a few cubes of, and steamed, for the first serving. I'll do same when I re-heat each time. It was almost as good as shrimp would have been in it! This could be done in a heavy Dutch oven, on the stovetop, but I do it easier in the Instant Pot.

I started by soaking a little over an oz of dried tomatoes (equivalent of a lb) in some hot water, and a little under a cup of oat groats (the end of the jar), and 2/3 c brown basmati rice in some warm water, while I was cutting everything, and starting the cooking. I started with a large diced onion in a few tb olive oil, on sauté mode, and cut up a half lb of diced ham and added that, then 2 huge cloves minced garlic, then added 1 large diced bell pepper, then I added the herbs and spices - ¼ tsp ground bay, 3/4 tsp Syrian oregano (think Thyme), 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano, and 1/2 tsp ground cloves, plus the heat - about a tsp of "green powder" (my misc. dried green chilis), and a tsp of morita flakes (also adds more smokiness). Cooked that about a minute, then added 1/2 c white vermouth, and cooked about a minute. Then added all the last of the small celery stalks and leaves, plus one large diced stalk (maybe 2 cups). The last thing cut up, and added were all the extra bok choy stalks I had (saved the greens for other dishes). While this was cooking down, I ground up the soaked tomatoes in some of the water, then washed the Vitamix out with the rest of the water - about 4 c total. Then I rinsed the oats and rice off (soaked about 25 min total), and stirred in, and salted to taste, about 1½ tsp. I set it to wholegrain mode, on low (this is slower, but keeps the IP from boiling quickly, and breaking apart the grains), and 25 min., and put the lid on, and sealed. Then prepared that whiting - my substitute for the shrimp. When the dish was ready (turned out perfect - no water on the bottom, and nothing sticking!), I put the fish on the surface, put the lid on, but left the valve off, and set it to slow cook/high, for steaming it 3 minutes (same thing I do with shrimp). I ate all the whiting in the first serving, and it was delicious. I learned to like that fish in my early days, when I bought it because it was cheap, and being at the shore, it was incredibly fresh, along with other fish there.
About 2/3 oat groats and 1/3 brown basmati, soaked about 25 minutes, to cook in the jambalaya type dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The oats and rice, added to the Instant Pot, with the other sautéed ingredients, to pressure cook. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Just a small amount of whiting, to add to steam at the end, like I do with shrimp, in jambalaya. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The finished "jambalaya", with the whiting steamed 3 minutes, on slow cook high. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A serving of the jambalaya dish, serving all of the whiting chunks. I'll add more, when re-heating. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[applestar]

Looks good! Making notes about using Slow Cook HIGH 3 minutes for steaming seafood on top

[imafan26]

Looks great.

[pepperhead212]

The leftovers were just as good! Still 2 more left, with a little of the fish left for both.

[pepperhead212]

I made some butter chicken, but I made it with skinned legs, not boneless, as it is usually done. I pulled the cooked chicken off the bones, cut some smaller, then put it back in the finished sauce. Most call for heavy cream at the end, some for "hung" curd, which is like Greek yogurt, but not quite as thick. What I did, since I had it on hand, was used creme fraiche, which turned out great! This was served with some jeera rice. Absolutely delicious, and I almost went to get a silicone spatula to scrape the last bit out of the bowl!

Jeera rice, with a tarka cooked in ghee, of mostly cumin, plus a few cardamom pods, whole cloves, an Indian bay leaf, a star anise, and some minced up green chilies. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



The butter chicken sauce about 3/4 finished, with the chicken added, to cook 14 minutes under pressure, and release 15 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Chicken removed, to cool some, then added a little more salt, and garam masala, and some methi leaves and creme fraiche. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Finished butter sauce, before adding the "pulled" chicken back into it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Butter chicken, served with the jeera rice. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[imafan26]

It looks really rich and creamy

[pepperhead212]

I had some more of that butter chicken and that jeera rice, and it was just as good leftover! And just as hot! The shrimp was a little hotter, but I wasn't expecting this to be as hot as it is. I think this batch of Kashmiri pepper powder was much hotter than the regular. Usually it's like a mild Numex, as far as heat. I'll have to make some of my own, from the whole Kashmiri peppers, which are barely hot at all, when chewed up whole. I added some vegetable to it, by dicing up a couple of those bok choy stems, and heating that up in the sauce with some chicken.

[pepperhead212]

I made an unusual dish for a late lunch, or snack - some 1,2,3,4,5 chicken gizzards, or 5 spice chicken gizzards, for a name most would know better. The 1,2,3,4,5 name is from a dish I've been making since the 80s, which is for spareribs, chopped into 1 to 1½" pieces (I have a large, heavy chopping board that one side is all hacked up, from chopping hundreds of those things, through the years), and 1½ lbs gets put in a 9½" sauté pan (or the 12" sauté pan for a double recipe), to which I add 1 tb Chinese cooking wine, 2 tb soy sauce (I always do 1 light and 1 dark), 3 tb white vinegar, 4 tb sugar, and 5 tb water, and just an option, but delicious, about a tsp of Chinese 5 spice powder. This is brought to a boil, and cooked 45 min. over medium low heat, stirring a couple times. Then the liquid is boiled down to a syrup (sometimes not much is left!), then served, with all that syrup scraped from the pan. This is a favorite among my friends, and I have used the method and numbers for many other dishes - usually 1 lb, if boneless, and for things like boneless chicken thighs, I'll remove the thighs after 20 min, then boil down the liquid by itself, then put the chicken back into the syrup.

In this case, I cooked the 2 lbs of gizzards in the Instant Pot, under pressure for 75 (would have taken about 3 hours on the stovetop!), and it released after 13 minutes, then I hit Off, then Sauté, and adjust once, to cook on high, until syrupy - maybe 15 min, or a little less. They were super tender, and had that "irony" taste gizzards have, even more so.
The gizzards in the Instant Pot, showing the syrup after boiling down on High Sauté mode, from about an inch deep. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

About a quarter of the finished 5 spice chicken gizzards, pressure cooked 75 minutes, then boiled down to a syrup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[imafan26]

A unique way to use gizzards.

[pepperhead212]

For dinner, I made a batch of mushroom, barley, and lentil soup, with some unusual purple barley, plus some mung beans - in this case, some split, but not hulled, available in Indian markets, and I often use to thicken things like this. I started it by soaking 3/4 oz of boletus mushrooms, washed them out very well, and used the strained soaking water in the soup. I made a mirepoix of a large onion, medium carrot, and a stalk of celery, cooked on Sauté medium in the Instant Pot about 5 minutes in some olive oil, then for about a minute cooked about a tb of minced garlic, and a couple of tsp each of rosemary and marjoram, minced with the garlic. Then I put the finely chopped boletus, and the soaking and washing water (about 2 c), switched the IP to Sauté High, and boiled almost all that off, then added 8 c chicken broth, and let it come back to a boil. Then I added 1/2 c each purple barley, and the split, but not hulled mung beans, and about 1½ tb soy sauce, for the salt. I set that for 30 min on Manual, let it release 15 min, and the barley still needed some more cooking! I also added about 1/3 c more of those moong dal, as it needed more thickening, and set for 10 minutes more cooking, and released 12 minutes (hard to believe that barley was still visible!), and after this, put the browned mushrooms in (cooked separately, while doing these other things), and just simmered another 5 min. This way, the mushrooms keep some flavor and "bite" to them, instead of getting overcooked, and the boletus give most of the flavor to the soup.
I made a batch of mushroom, barley, and lentil soup, with some unusual purple barley, plus some mung beans - in this case, some split, but not hulled, available in Indian markets, and I often use to thicken things like this. I started it by soaking 3/4 oz of boletus mushrooms, washed them out very well, and used the strained soaking water in the soup. I made a mirepoix of a large onion, medium carrot, and a stalk of celery, cooked on Sauté medium in the Instant Pot about 5 minutes in some olive oil, then for about a minute cooked about a tb of minced garlic, and a couple of tsp each of rosemary and marjoram, minced with the garlic. Then I put the finely chopped boletus, and the soaking and washing water (about 2 c), switched the IP to Sauté High, and boiled almost all that off, then added 8 c chicken broth, and let it come back to a boil. Then I added 1/2 c each purple barley, and the split, but not hulled mung beans, and about 1½ tb soy sauce, for the salt. I set that for 30 min on Manual, let it release 15 min, and the barley still needed some more cooking! I also added about 1/3 c more of those moong dal, as it needed more thickening, and set for 10 minutes more cooking, and released 12 minutes (hard to believe that barley was still visible!), and after this, put the browned mushrooms in (cooked separately, while doing these other things), and just simmered another 5 min. This way, the mushrooms keep some flavor and "bite" to them, instead of getting overcooked, and the boletus give most of the flavor to the soup.
Mushroom barley soup, with the boletus and cooking down, with the mirepoix and soaking water. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

1/2 c each of purple barley and split, but not hulled, mung beans, for the mushroom soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A pound of creminis, cooked separately, while the barley and lentils are cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The mushroom, barley,, lentil soup, almost finished. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished mushroom, barley, and lentil soup, topped with a little reggiano. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I made a chole masala today, with green chickpeas, I soaked overnight. I then just pressure cooked those for an hour in the Instant Pot, and let it release, and it was barely cooked! I drained the chana, and started the generous cup of onions in the IP in Sauté mode in a little olive oil, and in about 5 minutes added 4 large minced cloves of garlic, and about 3 tb of that chana masala powder I made up, stirred about 30 seconds, then added a pint of tomato purée, and simmered, while adding 3/4 tsp turmeric, and a tsp of garam masala, and added the chana, plus about half the liquid, and a generous 4 cups of chopped kale and bok choy, brought to a simmer, then cooked about 30 min. Not quite thick enough, so I also added about a half cup of steel cut oats, set it to pressure cook 3 minutes, then let it release naturally. Turned out great!

Meanwhile, I cooked some flatbread to eat with it - some jowar roti, which I pressed out in a tortilla press, since the sorghum flour has no gluten, like masa.
A jowar roti, pressed out in a tortilla press - works well because there is no gluten. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A jowar roti, to serve with the chole masala, cooked in a CI pan I use for a lot of small flatbreads. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The finished chole masala, made with some green chickpeas, a bunch of greens, a small amount of red lentils, and some steel cut oats. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I haven't cooked much lately - been eating a lot of leftovers from the freezer, since I've been busy with the garden. Today was the first time I cooked anything for a while, and I had a pound of mushrooms I had to use soon, so I made some soup, since it's cool these days. I started with browning a minced onion in some EVOO, then add some minced garlic, rosemary, and thyme scented oregano, cooking a minute, then added some soaked, dried tomatoes (about 3/4 lb equivalent), puréed. I cooked that down, while preparing the mushrooms in the food processor, then put the chopped mushrooms, and a tsp of boletus powder (the end of the jar - gotta grind more of this) in the IP, and switched to Sauté/High, and cooked until most of the moisture out, and they started browning. Then I rinsed all of the mushrooms out of the FP and the bowl they were in, plus the tomato purée left in the VM. Then I added 1 c moth dal (technically not dal, but a whole bean) and 3/4 c barley (my favorite grain to eat with mushrooms), and 1/4 c red lentils, then added some light (colored) soy, for some salt, a generous amount of black pepper, and set it to Bean/25 min, and let the pressure release naturally. About 3/4 of the way through, the soup was smelling incredibly good! The masoor dal thickened the soup just enough - something I often use a small amount of, to thicken soups of all types. I finished this with some Reggiano.
Finished soup in the Instant Pot, with 1 lb mushrooms, 1 c moth dal, and 3/4 c barley. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished mushroom soup, with some crumbled Reggiano on top. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[Gary350]

My recollection of early 'instant pots' - I.e. pressure cookers - involves hot jam all over the kitchen ceiling. The pressure relief must have got clogged and the safety valve blew out.

My first memory of the pressure cooker I was about 5 years old my mother had a pressure cooker and was very careful with it, it scared her to use it. One day I was in the kitchen mom yelled something about the cooker being clogged she bend down to get me and the cooker exploded. The kitchen was suddenly so white with steam we could not see anything, can't see the windows or door or the floor. Mom got us out of there and 5 minutes later steam was gone and no one was hurt. Everyone it our family owned a pressure cooker.

When instant pot first came out about 10 years age we were camping with groups of 60 to 140 people in state parks about once a month March to Nov. Several people had stories to tell about there instant pot explosion. I remember 3 people with burns on there face and arms. Craig Hardwick gave me the remains of his instant pot he said, the aluminum pot is still good all the plastic parts are broken or gone.

My wife refuses to own an instant pot. The slow cooker also known as, crock pot is just an electric cook pot with a lid put in some meat and vegetables return 4 hours later dinner is ready to eat. 55 years ago I use to put meat and vegetables in my slow cooker then leave for work, when I returned home later that day dinner was ready to eat. Cooking does not get easier than that.

[pepperhead212]

I went to the Asian market today when I went to visit a friend that lives nearby. I was low on a couple of things, and I always have to get some chicken hearts and gizzards. I made that 1,2,3,4,5 dish with a third of each - a little over 1½ lbs total. And I made that Szechwan eggplant dish I am always making, this time w/o meat. Served with the millet/jasmine rice mix I like to make, to reduce the white rice, but the jasmine is still the main flavor. And now, even after all those intense aromas being cooked earlier, the jasmine rice is the main thing I smell!
Szechwan eggplant, w/o the pork this time. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

1,2,3,4,5 chicken hearts and gizzards, with some 5 spice powder added, cooked in the instant pot. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Szechwan eggplant, 1,2,3,4,5 hearts and gizzards, with some of that rice and millet I cook together. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I made another one of those one dish meals in the Instant Pot, and another one of those Italian style dishes, to use up a bunch of that basil from the hydroponics, and use up a bunch of things from the fridge - a couple bell peppers, a generous cup of celery, chopped up, that cooked rice/millet mix, leftover from that Szechwan eggplant meal, and some kielbasa, I wanted to use. I started it by cooking a generous cup of dried red kidney beans with 1.75 oz dried eggplant (about 1¼ lbs fresh), with 3 c water and a little salt - pressure cooked those 20 min, letting it release naturally. I cut up a large onion, 2 bell peppers, and a generous cup of celery, and minced 5 cloves garlic, with about 3 tb fresh marjoram and 2 tb rosemary, some of the basil, and cut 10 oz turkey kielbasa into pieces. I fluffed up that cooked rice - had a little under 3 c. (looks like a lot more in the end!). And opened two 28 oz cans tomatoes - one diced, and one crushed. Everything ready by the time the pressure dropped.

Drained the beans and eggplant, rinsed the pot, then added the onion and about 3 tb olive oil, and cooked on Sauté about 5 min, added the bell peppers, celery, and kielbasa, and cooked another 5 min, then added the garlic and herbs, and about 2 tb tomato paste, and cooked about 3 minutes longer. Then I stirred in the tomatoes, beans and eggplant, a tsp of hot pepper flakes and the first bit of basil, plus about 1/2 c white vermouth. I then pressure cooked it 5 more min, letting it release naturally. Then I stirred in the cooked rice/millet mix, salted to taste, let it simmer another 10 minutes, to thicken it, stirred in a generous chopped cup of basil, and it was ready. I served it with some grated Asiago cheese. About 3½ qts leftover!
Finished Italian type dish, again, this with some rosemary, marjoram, and garlic minced together, with a lot of basil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr


Finished Italian style dish, before topping with a little grated Asiago cheese. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[imafan26]

Interesting notes about instant pots. Pepperhead, you use your instant pot a lot. For me, I don't know if I would use it that much. I do have pressure cookers too and unless I am making Portuguese bean soup, I got them mainly for canning. I guess the IP gaskets are like the pressure cookers and you have to inspect them to make sure they are still good. I may still get an IP someday, especially if the price comes down a bit more. I can see using it for some things like stews or crockpot type recipes. Do you find a difference in flavor with the IP vs a slow cooking method? I noticed with the pressure cooker, I could get tough meat tender quicker, but slow cooking developed the flavor better.

Apple, interesting thing about the inner rice pot. I have a simple Aroma rice cooker that is probably going on 20 years old. I have never had a coated inner pot. The easiest way to deal with the rice sticking is to just soak the pot in water for an hour and the rice will come off easier.

I do use the microwave oven a lot. The last one I got is multifunction so it is an inverter microwave, convection oven, air fryer. I haven't used all the functions on it either. I use it for reheating left overs, but I use the microwave rather than the convection mode for cooking casseroles. I pretty much do most of the cooking in the microwave except for breakfast which I use a frying pan. I hardly use the oven unless I am making a larger pan or I am roasting. The microwave can steam and cook rice. But cooking rice in the microwave is very messy.

[pepperhead212]

I had a craving for Indian food, so I made a version of Chana Masala, using green chickpeas, and some of that Swiss chard I harvested a while ago. Unbelievable how well that stuff keeps! I started soaking 1½ c green chickpeas about 10 am (these and the black ones take a long time to soak and cook) in 6 c water, and a little baking soda. It soaked 9 hours, before I drained, rinsed, and started cooking it.

Meanwhile, I soaked some dried tomatoes (a 28 oz can was a little too much), and cut up 5 garlic scapes (first ones of the season!), and a couple of "onion scapes" (not traditional, but why not use them?), and with the water and tomatoes I blended them to a very thick purée. I started in the Instant Pot with about 2 tb oil, and a large chopped up onion on Sauté/high, and cooked until the onion began to brown, then I added the purée, along with about 3½ tb chole masala (the last of the jar - need to make more!), and a tsp of garam masala, and stirred for about 90 seconds, then added 4 c of water (used to rinse out the Vitamix). I added the drained chickpeas, another cup of water, and in a teaball I put 2 black cardamoms, 2 Indian bay leaves, a 1½" piece of Sri Lankan cinnamon, broken up, and ½ tb loose black tea. I set this to Manual/30 minutes, and let the pressure release naturally (more to come).

Meanwhile, I took a scant cup of bulgur (another bottom of the jar, I have to refill), and filled the pyrex cup to line two with hot water, and let it sit, while waiting for the cooking chickpeas. It swelled up to over 2 c, with more, when it cooked.

When the pressure released naturally, I removed the teaball, and discarded the spices. I stirred the bulgur into the pot, along with 1/4 c red lentils, to thicken it a little (still very watery), which did it just right, with the bulgur. I pressure cooked this 9 min, letting it release naturally, and while this was cooking, I cut up a bunch of Swiss chard - over 4 c leaves, and about a cup of sliced up stems. I stirred this into the IP, and let it simmer, while preparing the tarka. I left the whole hot peppers out this time, since I'll be sharing this with someone who can't take that heat. The tarka was just a couple tsp of oil, heated up in a small pan, with a tsp each of black mustard seed and cumin, until the seeds have popped, then I added 20 curry leaves and 1/2 tsp asafoetida, and when the crackling dies down it was dumped into the IP, for the "tempering" of the dish - not traditional, but I do this with a lot of dishes, and it adds good flavor, even w/o the heat.

I didn't eat much, since I made it so late, and just tore up a couple of sprigs of cilantro in the bowl - the rest will go in tomorrow. And I'll take a jar of those cumin pickled green beans over, too - something I know they liked before.
5 scapes and some rehydrated dried tomatoes, puréed. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Chopped up Swiss chard, about 4 cups, plus about a cup of cut up stalks. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Almost finished chana masala, made with some black chick peas, bulgur, and Swiss chard. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Ingredients for the tarka - a tsp each of cumin and mustard seed, about 20 curry leaves, and some asafoetida. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The tarka, just before stirring it into the chana masala. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished dish, before adding some chopped cilantro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[applestar]

Not as elaborate but —

I put my garlic scapes in a (very rich) chicken thighs soup along with a bunch of culled napa and blanched dandelion leaves in the Instant Pot.

I used two Japanese dashi packs (all natural tea bag style made with konbu, dried sardine, bonito, mackerel, shiitake, etc.), a couple glugs of mirin, my rice koji sea salt, and myoga spring shoots pickled in soy-free sauce, sake and mirin.

The broth was so flavorful that bread was essential, I was eating with soaked vermicelli noodles, and soaked rice wraps. When chicken meat was nearly gone, I added parboiled, shelled eggs while still in keep warm mode to make ramen-type medium cooked eggs (using a sous-vide eggs recipe as a reference).

And after those were gone, DD2 made some overnight rice (brown rice and wild rice mix) with the remaining broth.

[pepperhead212]

I made a one dish Italian type pasta dish today, in the Instant Pot, something good for this type of weather, since not as much heat goes into the kitchen, both the cooking, and no cooking the pasta separate, then draining the pasta in the sink.

Put together some ingredients, sort of like a putanesca recipe, but I also had a pound of sweet Italian sausage I cooked with it, and I added some lentils, in place of some of the pasta. I cooked a chopped onion in some olive oil, about 5 min, to start on Sauté, then added 4 cloves minced garlic, cooked another minute, then added about 3/4c chopped Kalamata olives, with about 1/4c chopped green olives, and 1/3c salted capers, soaked, drained, and chopped, and 6 anchovies, chopped fine, and a tsp each of dried marjoram and thyme, plus a generous tsp of pepper flakes. After cooking about 5 minutes (while getting the sausage out of the skins), I added the sausage, and cooked, chopping it up, until nothing raw, and left some chunks of sausage. Meanwhile, I got just over 24 oz of tomatoes cut into chunks, to blend into a coarse purée. I poured that into the pot, then rinsed it out with 4 c of water, and put that in the pot, with 1/2 c of toor dal (this is the best one I have found for cooking this long with pasta, in the IP, as it stays a little firm, but not too firm, and doesn't get mushy), at least a tb of chopped basil (much more later), and brought it to a boil, then hit OFF. Then I stirred in 10 oz of those small shells, making sure they were all under the sauce, then put the lid on, and set Manual for 4 minutes. When that finished, I hit OFF, and vented the IP. I stirred in another generous amount of chopped basil - about 4 tb. After about another minute of simmering and stirring, with the residual heat, it is cooked just right, and I took the pot out of the base, to stop the cooking.

With all those olives, capers, anchovies, and sausage with salt in them, this is not for a low salt diet! And I added no more at all.
finished pasta dish, made in the Instant Pot, with some lentils, Italian sausage, and quite a few other ingredients. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Last night I made an Indian dish, that I got a craving for the night before, when I made a batch of sambar masala, since I had run out of that, plus I have all that curry tree that I have to trim. I used about 1/2 c packed leaves, for the masala, then 2 more stems, of stripped leaves in the tarka, for the tempering of the dish. I just made a typical sambar type dish, starting by cooking about 2 c of okra, cut into 1/2-3/4" pieces in the Instant Pot sauté mode about 5 min - this sort of cooks the slime on the okra, and it doesn't get like when put right into the liquid. That is removed to a plate, then an onion in a little oil in the Instant Pot, then a little of that garlic/ginger paste I keep in the freezer and that fresh sambar masala, cooked about a min, then added about a lb of puréed tomatoes, and cooked it down, while I got other things ready. Then, I added about 1/2 c chana dal, and 1/3 c each toor dal and whole oats, plus about 5 c water, some salt, and 1 large potato, diced, and covered the IP, and set to 8 min Manual (more to come). When pressure was down, I removed the lid, stirred a little more water in, as it was thick, and added the 2 diced eggplants, simmered about 5 min, then added the okra back to it, set the IP to 2 min manual - with the heating up time, and the release time, this worked out to be just right, for the legumes, oats, and veggies. I then tempered it, using some mustard seeds and cumin seeds in a little oil (I usually put a good number of dried hot peppers in, but I was sharing this with someone who didn't want those), followed by the asafoetida and curry leaves, until crispened, then poured onto the curry. That's stirred in, with about 1/4c chopped cilantro, to finish the dish.
The tarka added to the dish, with 2 dal and some whole oats, mixed with several veggies, plus some new sambar masala. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished sambar style dish, with a large potato, 2 eggplant, and about 2 cups of cut okra. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I made a longtime favorite of mine - something made with Swiss chard, which I harvested about 15 large leaves from yesterday. It's a recipe from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen - Veracruz-Style Greens And Beans, with Red Chile and Dumplings. It's made by simply cooking a lb of black beans, cooked in salted water until almost totally done (can be pressure cooked, or do what I did - slow cook high, which gave me time do do the rest of it), and preparing the rest, while doing this. This was a seasoning paste, using toasted chiles, blended with garlic and onion, cooked down, and added to cook 30 more minutes with the beans. The dumplings are made with some masa harina, cilantro, oil, crumbled queso fresco, and a little water - I made a note next to recipe that dumplings were a little soft, so I've always used a little less water. I've also used different greens - kohlrabi greens, cauliflower greens, senposai, and others, besides chard. The dumplings are cooked several minutes, the chard is stirred in and cooked about 5 more minutes, another half cup of cilantro is stirred in, and it's finished. Served with some toasted corn tortillas; good, but not necessary, with the dumplings.
Chiles toasted for the Veracruz beans - 5 moritas, and the bottom of the ancho jar. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Sauce from the moritas, anchos, garlic, and onion, ground up with a little water, ready to cook down. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Chile paste, cooked down about 7 minutes, in just a little oil, then added to the cooked black beans, to cook about 30 minutes, while getting the rest ready. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

One of the many Swiss Chard leaves, to be cut up, for the Veracruz black beans. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

About 6 c of Chard leaves, cut up, washed, and spun dry. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Dumplings made of masa, cilantro, and queso fresco, with a little salt and oil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Chard, ready to stir into the Veracruz black beans, after simmering the dumplings briefly. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished Veracruz black beans, with greens and dumplings. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Veracruz black beans, served with two toasted corn tortillas. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[applestar]

Made a really yummy pork and squash stew yesterday.

You know I have many butternut relative squashes harvested. I decided to use a medium sized Greek Sweet Red that had to be harvested while still dark green due to the vine dying from SVB (they can manage to make their way in via leaf stem). It had been harvested in August but didn’t turn all the way buff colored, even though it did develop waxy bloom — indicating it won’t last as long in storage.

It’s a simple method of cutting and lightly salting pork shoulder butt into 1 inch cubes (I used dill infused sea salt), Sauté medium to brown with minced garlic, put lid on so as not to allow steams from cooked out juices to cook away) add chunk cut celery and carrots, add the squash (since it didn’t cure all the way, I kept the rind on but removed seeds, and then cut up into about 2”x2” pieces).

If cutting vege’s while cooking, open lid and add then close lid …and repeat.

Add 1” cubes potatoes, then herbs and spices (I added generous amount of pumpkin pie spices blend; bay laurel leaves, freshly ground black pepper, marjoram, rosemary, a little more dill sea salt). Stir everything in and check amount of liquid that came out of the ingredients (I added 1/2 cup of rice milk). By this time my ipot had been cooking for 2nd cycle of 30 minute medium sauté (about 45 minutes) With 2.5lb pork, I canceled sauté and turned to meat/stew at low pressure for 45 minutes.

After cooking was finished and 20 minutes into keep warm, I force vented and added white button mushrooms cut into quarters and green hulled pepitos, and stirred in a small can of coconut cream, rinsing can with rice milk. Reset to 5 min on meat/stew low.

That’s it.

It was delicious with day-old sourdough starter discard biscuits and a dollop of plant-based sour cream.

Hubby said he added a handful of shelled sunflower seeds.

[imafan26]

I still don't have an instant pot, but I love the recipes. I can still make them in my slow cooker or pressure cooker. I don't have a need to get it done faster. If I do the pressure cooker does that too. Rice cookers are a staple here. Almost every local has one or more and use it daily. It also can be used as a steamer, and I can cook a whole meal in it as well as long as it only takes 30 minutes. I use it to steam fresh beans and boil eggs for a week all of the time.

[pepperhead212]

Nothing spooky here, and the hot peppers and garlic probably kept some of those gremlins away.

I put together what turned out to be a vegan dish (not on purpose), all the way up to the grated Asiago cheese I topped it with, before eating it. It's a one dish Instant Pot dish, I started out like many, cooking on Sauté medium a diced onion (about 1¼ c) in some EVOO - about 3 tb - about 5 min, plus 2 diced green bell peppers, added as I cut them up, and about 2 tb minced garlic, about 1/2 tsp ground cloves, a half tsp ground bay leaves, a generous tsp of Syrian oregano, a generous tsp of cayenne, a tb of smoked paprika, plus 2 tb tomato paste, and this was stirred a little more than a minute, before adding 24 oz of coarsely puréed tomatoes, and stirred until deglazed, then let it cook down, while cutting up the other veggies (I actually started this by soaking about 3/4 lb worth of the dried eggplant, in hot water). I added just under 1/2 c pearled barley (end of the jar), and 1¼ c red chori beans (a type of cowpea), and 4 c water, added some soy sauce, until almost salty enough, added the drained eggplant, then put the lid on, and set to Manual/18 min, and let the pressure release naturally.

I cut up the last of this year's okra - about 1¼ c, cut into about 1/2" pieces. Meanwhile, I cut up the end of the okra into 1/2-3/4" pieces, and the leaves of the choy sum and some Swiss chard, then cut the stems of both into about ¼" pieces.

When the pressure is released, remove the lid, stir in the okra, greens leaves and stems, replace lid, set for Manual/3 min - more cooking before, and when releasing pressure. I tasted for seasoning, adding a little more salt, and a generous half tsp of freshly ground black pepper. I served it with some grated Asiago cheese.
Unnamed one dish meal, a Creole type dish, I put together using a few things left from the garden. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

After cooking the sauce, with some barley and red chori beans, these are the cut up okra, and some of the greens, to mix in, and pressure cook 3 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished dish, before topping with a little Asiago cheese. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[applestar]

I tweaked a Japanese fall classic — rice cooked with cubes of sweet potatoes. Mine was made with 1 cup each white and brown rice plus 1/2 cup pearled barley, and diced and added a large (about 8 inches long x 2 inches diameter purple fleshed sweet potato (this is the very sweet kind that cooks up fluffy like baked potato, not watery/moist) and 1/2 cup frozen cut sweet corn.

Cooked on AUTO RICE setting with a bit of extra water and a strip of kelp (kombu) and sea salt.

Once done and naturally vented 20 minutes, we opened and had some as sweet side dish with pork roast dinner.

With the leftovers, I added rice milk, brown sugar, walnut halves, and my rum-soaked figs and let it cook some more into a creamy rice pudding dessert. Yum!

[pepperhead212]

On Sunday I made a new version of one of my favorites - the mushroom barley soup. The first cooking I did since starting all those cookies! Not a one dish meal, but all ended up in the IP.

I started by soaking some dried boletus, then got to the initial cooking of the barley. Started with a diced onion in some olive oil, in the Instant Pot on Sauté mode, then added 4 cloves of garlic, minced with about a tb of fresh rosemary and a few leaves of sage, and after they cook a minute, I added a qt of beef broth, and 3 c water, and a tb of dark soy sauce ( more later). I added 3/4 c barley, and 1/3 c toor dal, set it on Manual/15 min., and let it reduce naturally.

While cooking, I cleaned up the boletus and chopped it, and strained the soaking and cleaning liquid, and let the two cook quickly, while cleaning and slicing the fresh mushrooms. Then I put them in the pan, covered a few minutes to steam them, then boiled it off, and added a tb of olive oil, and sautéed 6 or 7 min. Got the greens ready in the meantime, and the potato and butternut squash - part of one from 2023, believe it or not! when I uncovered the barley, it was still a little thin, so I added the mushrooms, greens, potato, and squash, and added a couple tb of masoor dal, just to thicken it a little. I adjusted the salt, with another bit of soy, covered, and set to Manual/8 min, and let it reduce naturally. The barley, and the veggies were done perfectly after that. But it thickened greatly when chilled overnight, so I had to thin the leftovers a lot.
The finished mushrooms, to go in with the potatoes and butternut. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Some diced red potatoes, and butternut squash, from '23, ready to go into the soup, with the mushrooms, for the second cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Two kinds of Mizuna, from the hydro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

About 2 cups of Mizuna, to go into the mushroom barley soup, for the last cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished soup, ready to serve. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A bowl of the mushroom, barley, potato, and butternut soup, with a little Asiago grated on it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[applestar]

I made rib “roast” in the Instant Pot using custom temp setting to sous vide (135°F for 4 hours) — Choice not Prime and only 3.5 Lbs … and small enough to fit in the 6qt pot — just big enough for the 4 of us, and still leaving a bit for some sandwiches tomorrow.

Roasted in the toaster oven to sear and finish up along with parboiled potatoes and steamed carrots (440°F 10 minutes each side). I made a separate gravy on the stove with the juices left in the bag added to caramelized minced onions, celery, red Manganji pepper harvested from the Green Room, and garlic plus some store bought beef stock, brandy, balsamic vinegar, butter lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper, (dried dill salt, celery salt, sweet marjoram, parsley, etc.) plus shiitake mushrooms. Slightly thickened with confectioners sugar.

So easy. I love it.

Also served finely shredded daikon and kohlrabi tuna salad mixed with finely shredded Alcosa savoy cabbage coleslaw on the side. Altered the original recipe by adding some Green Goddess Dressing. Yum!


…Now, the iPot is cooking up the buttered potato parboiling water with scraps of celery and daikon, last bit of pan drippings, and the rib bone. I’ll let it keep warm until morning and then embellish it into some soup.

[pepperhead212]

I made a dal for dinner, using up the end of that butternut (about 3/4 c), and the leaves from those 2 kohlrabi, I cut into slices, and salted. I started with a sliced onion in some oil, in the Instant Pot, then added some of that frozen garlic/ginger paste, and cooked briefly, then added the soaked tomatoes, chopped up. Then I added the chopped up kohlrabi leaves, and the rinsed cup of chana dal, plus 3 c water, plus the soaking water from the tomatoes, plus 1/2 tsp turmeric, 3/4 tsp cumin/coriander powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili, and a little salt (more later). I set it on Manual for 15 min, released pressure after 10 min, and stirred in 1/2 c rinsed moong dal, to thicken, plus the chopped up stems of the dil, then I set it for 5 minutes Manual, and let the pressure release naturally. Then I stirred in the chopped up dill - about 1¼ c - and corrected the salt, and simmered 3 or 4 minutes, to soften and distribute the dill flavor.
A dal, with the end of the butternut, and some kohlrabi leaves added, with a lot of dill added for the last few minutes of cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I made a pasta dish with some portabella mushrooms I got today - just used one 8 oz pack of them, and before I started prepping anything, I put the equivalent of a half lb of dried eggplant in the Instant Pot, along with a half cup of chana dal, plus 3 c water, and set them to pressure cook 10 min, then release naturally, while cutting everything else up, then strained it, saving the liquid (using all of it). I also had 1/2 oz dried boletus mushrooms soaking, from the beginning, and minced those cleaned up boletus up with 4 garlic cloves, and about a tb each of Thyme scented Oregano and rosemary. Chopped up one medium onion, then in the rinsed out pot, cooked in medium sauté mode, for about 5 minutes, then added the herbs and boletus, and cooked one minute, then added the chopped up portabella mushrooms. I turned the IP off, then back on to Sauté/high, and cooked, stirring frequently, until much of the liquid has cooked out, and they have browned a little. Then I added 2½ c cooking water (had to add about 1/2 c more), the cooked eggplant and chana dal, plus 10 oz dried spiral pasta, and got it all under the water, and started boiling. Then I turned it off, then set to pressure cook, and set to 3 min. When the 3 minutes was up, I released the pressure quickly, then stirred for a minute, and it thickened quickly, and was ready to serve. I topped with some Reggiano, and it turned out great!
Pasta, with a portobella sauce, with some boletus, thyme and rosemary added, and made in the Instant Pot. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The finished pasta dish, before topping with the Reggiano cheese. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished pasta dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr