Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 1)

[AnneN]

Any suggestions for converting this recipe to the Instant Pot?

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013280-pork-ragu-al-maialino?smid=fb-nytdining&smtyp=cur

[palo]

For actually cooking the meat you could probably use this recipe:

 

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/carnitas-pulled-pork-mexican-pressure-cooker-recipes/

 

Just jump back and forth between the NY Times recipe and this one to get the seasonings and finish you want or are you looking to do it in one pot start to finish.

 

p

[Anna N]

Any suggestions for converting this recipe to the Instant Pot?

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013280-pork-ragu-al-maialino?smid=fb-nytdining&smtyp=cur

I don't think there is much converting to be done quite frankly. Instead of putting it in the oven put it in the Instant Pot or a pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 45 mins to an hour. Let the pressure drop on its own. Seems to me you would follow the recipe as it stands for all other steps. First time you try it you may have to return the pressure cooker to high-pressure for another 10 or 15 minutes but you will soon learn what is the appropriate time. Love to hear how it turns out if you do try it.

[Mmmpomps]

Todays Adventure BEANS. I get nice dry beans from my Butcher Shop. Soaked overnight. Added to the IP with chopped garlic and a bay leaf.

 

 

First bowl added olive oil, lemon juice and chopped mint and flakey salt:

 

Made a fast soup out of half of the beans: Bean, Kale and Portuguese Sausage Soup:

 

Boyfriend that thinks he doesn't really like beans...so I packed up this soup for myself and friends and he came over exclaiming OH GAWD I'M STARVING. Gave him a bowl of this hot from the pot and he loved it. Good beans make a huge diff, I used to make it with canned beans.

 

I also made some plum chutney the other day, nice and spicy:

 

[Anna N]

Your soup looks great, Mmmpomps. Not that you'd convinced me to eat it!

[Anna N]

rotuts,

You might want to check your very helpful library for a book called The Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Catherine Phipps. Not only does it have a recipe using pigs cheeks but also a recipe using ox cheeks. It is British so a bit more adventurous.

[andiesenji]

I went to Stater Brothers market, where they have real live butchers and asked for a "boneless shoulder clod roast" - which used to be available in every butcher shop.

They don't carry them now.  Nor a "7-bone roast" which also used to be a universal item - like a "round-bone" roast or steak, again, no longer in sight.  No, they couldn't get one for me.

 

So I left and went down the road a mile or so to the Vallarta Mexican supermarket, which also has live butchers.

No boneless shoulder clod showing but I explained to the butcher what I wanted and he said, "no problem!"  Went in the back, came back with a large piece of cow forequarter,  chopped, cut and tied it up and by golly there was the familiar shoulder clod, no bones. a bit over 3 pounds.

 

So there are some butchers who know the product and are willing to satisfy the customer.  3.48 a pound...

 

It is currently in the PC, along with a package of Lipton Onion soup mix and a cup of water.  Later I will add some potatoes and carrots and reset the PC for the additional cooking time.

Edited September 20, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[rotuts]

yep.  the 7-bone is a relic,  

 

and nope :  no Phipps  Pressure Cooker Cookbook

 

BTW no cheeks either.

 

no Mexican Market.

 

[Anna N]

Andie,

You are so lucky you can still find a butcher who knows bovine anatomy!

Looks sort of like a dogs dinner but it was quite nice. Based on the recipe for African stew on the Simply Recipes site. No sweet potatoes left in the house but a little research suggests that they are not particularly common in Africa and that white potatoes will do the job.

[AnneN]

I don't think there is much converting to be done quite frankly. Instead of putting it in the oven put it in the Instant Pot or a pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 45 mins to an hour. Let the pressure drop on its own. Seems to me you would follow the recipe as it stands for all other steps. First time you try it you may have to return the pressure cooker to high-pressure for another 10 or 15 minutes but you will soon learn what is the appropriate time. Love to hear how it turns out if you do try it.

I ended up following the recipe exactly and not using the IP since the recipe called for so much liquid. I wasn't sure how I could cook with that much liquid in the IP. It was delicious by the way.

[Anna N]

I ended up following the recipe exactly and not using the IP since the recipe called for so much liquid. I wasn't sure how I could cook with that much liquid in the IP. It was delicious by the way.

I am glad it worked out for you but would've loved to have known how it did in the IP. I'll be looking for a piece of pork to try it myself. You probably could reduce the liquid by about half without doing too much damage. The only way to find out is to do it so I will give it a shot perhaps next week. Thank you for sharing the recipe and your results.

[Anna N]

Eggs en cocotte in the IP. I have to tell you these eggs were way overcooked! Some of that I will attribute to operator error. The recipe called for the ramekins to be covered with foil which I forgot to do. These were cooked at low-pressure for five minutes with quick release of the steam. The recipe I used is adapted from the book by Catherine Phipps. Her method assumes a stovetop pressure cooker and suggests four minutes. I increased it to five minutes for the IP but then failed to cover the ramekins with foil. Tomorrow morning all being well I will repeat the experiment but try to remember the foil!

In the meantime for anyone who would like to make their own attempt you will need a steamer basket up ended in the IP, about an inch of water in the bottom brought to the boil using the saute function and buttered ramekins that will fit without going over the maximum fill line on the IP. Use your own recipe for the cocotte. I used mushrooms, scallions, a grating of Gruyere and about a tablespoon of whipping cream. Put your fillings into the ramekin along with the egg, cover with foil, Bring the IP to low-pressure after the water boils and cook for the appropriate time followed by rapid release of the steam.

[gfweb]

I've been following this thread with interest and the food looks great, but can't see what this would add to my kitchen. What does the IP do that my stove and regular PC can't do?

[andiesenji]

I've been following this thread with interest and the food looks great, but can't see what this would add to my kitchen. What does the IP do that my stove and regular PC can't do?

You can set it and walk away  and not think about it again until the signal sounds.

With the "Keep Warm" feature you can set something to pressure cook, start the process and go away for the entire day and come home and whatever you cooked is still hot and ready to serve. 

Mine keeps the vessel warm for 12 hours after the cooking process has ended. 

 

I have a gas cooktop and I simply will not go far from it when anything is cooking on it, even with my copper plates over the burners.

[rotuts]

I made a stew in the IP :

 

 

some of the ingredients  mushrooms, red onion, slab bacon, meat   ( Chuck Roast 3.99/lb )

 

 

mushrooms and onions 'processed' in the  11 + Prep Cuisinart

 

 

 

the Edward's slab bacon trimmed and sliced

 

the meat   each side :

 

 

 

fat removed

 

 

now its 'stew meat '  but i know where it came from :

 

 

carefully browned in CopperWare !  From FR !

 

 

wine reducing in the background   Vinfandel from TJ's   ( see Tj's thread   I got two to compare )

 

you say :  'Not so Instant looking so far '   Correct.  I had not done this sort of thing for a while and forgot how enjoyable it

 

can be, with nice stuff to work with.

 

ready for the Pot :

 

 

everything carefully browned in the pan.   Plenty of time for a few sips of a Personal Beverage, from time to time.

 

 

the above in the pot w sliced yellow potatoes.   I was going to split up the ingredients and do a version in the IP and a

 

version traditionally slow simmered.  the second version was not going to have potatoes, as I planed that for mashed potatoes

 

it turned out to not be as much as I thought so all went into the IP w potatoes on the top

 

15 minutes  full pressure, natural release.  Time for some Red.

 

 

done in the pot.  meat tender, potatoes just right

 

on the plate :

 

 

it was delicious.  as one would expect w all those ingredients.

 

the meat was tender, very nice meaty flavor, same to me as a braise.

 

as in a braise the meat, although very tender was ' dry '

 

Dry in this case means not terribly juicy, or full-fat flavored.  but this is how a braise is right after its done.

 

Ive studied the SV thread and Im sure this is because the meat contracted while cooking squeezing out fat and jus.

 

I hope to eventually get back to SV stew and use the various times and temps that slowly degrade the connective tissue

 

at several different temps so that at the final temp the meat does not contract.  This is all in the SV thread.

 

but is was delicious.

 

my take :  same as a braise that braised away either on top of the stove or the oven for several hours.

 

Meat was very tasty.  Wine-ey  etc

 

I tried it the next day  ( today ) and indeed as with a braise/stew  " its better the next day ' for the reasons we all

 

are aware of :  some of the jus etc moves back into the meat.

 

so you say again   " Not too Instant-ty, no ? "    correct.   but the actual cooking time was 15 min + natural release.

 

as close to a braise as you can get I think re: taste.  then again the house doesn't get that aroma for a few hours ........

 

next Im going to automate the prep   do the onion/mushrooms/wine/bacon some how in bulk in the oven

 

save and bag and freeze.  next time this meat is on sale, ill do the same trim, and SV in a step wise fashion and

 

then brown and add that meat to the IP w portions of the pre-done onion etc.

 

so my conclusion  you can IP a very nice beef stew and it will taste the same as a braise and reflect

 

what you've started with.

 

I was nicely surprised.

Edited September 22, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

for completeness sake :  I bagged the trimmings you see above , and froze them :

 

 

its mostly fat, but there are a few bits of meat in there.

 

its 13 0z or a little over 1/4 of the meat's weight  the meat was the best looking pack in the beef case

 

at the time I bought it.  I was looking for intra-muscular marbling 

 

as a further exp.  Ill do a cuisinart grind of this, brown it in the IP, add a few aromatics and try making

 

beef stock.   Ill defat and freeze the stock for future IP Stew.

 

Its very difficult to find good flavored low salt beef stock

 

i use Minors low salt, but its not so low-salty.  more salt than the Minors  low salt roasted chicken stock

 

which I like.

[rotuts]

Friend gfweb :

 

lets review, shall we ?

 

1 ) CSB

 

2 ) IP

 

sorry the CSB is not discounted as it was initially.

 

both at the same time is Mighty Fine too.

 

just saying.

[cta]

I've been following this thread with interest and the food looks great, but can't see what this would add to my kitchen. What does the IP do that my stove and regular PC can't do?

 

I own a 6.5 litres stove top pressure cooker (WMF) and washing it in my little kitchen sink is not easy. The cooking vessel of the IP it's smaller, lighter and much easier to handle and wash. So, to me it's convenience the added value of the IP.

 

I'm new to the IP world yet, but I'm pretty sure that my regular pressure cooker it's going to spend some time in the basement storage soon.

[Anna N]

Much of what I wanted to accomplish today did not happen. Life intruded rather rudely. But by dinner time I was mighty hungry. In the refrigerator were two chicken thighs that has been thawed out a day or so ago. Still had a few white potatoes that needed using up so I scoured my latest acquisition, the Catherine Phipps book and found a recipe called Quick Chicken Dinner for Two or something similar. It called for some wine, some lemon juice and some capers all of which were in house. It suggested serving it over sturdy lettuce. My missing ingredient was some fresh basil. Still it was a very nice dinner. Just one dirty pot to clean and just enough left over for tomorrow's dinner.

[Anna N]

Now we all know why I was routed into the Arts stream and away from the Science stream! You can't really tell from the photographs but the egg is uncooked.

I did what any competent scientist will tell you is wrong – – I changed two variables. Not only did I add the foil which I missed yesterday but I also reduced the cooking time from 5 to 3 minutes. Overcorrected.

Foil lid -- 4 minutes should nail it. Stay tuned.

[lindag]

One of my favorite pressure cooker dishes is Hoppin' John.  In fact, while rooting around in my freezer yesterday looking for Italian sausages I found a couple packages of Andouille, I think I'm in business!  The weather is cooling nicely again for the weekend, I think I'll put that on my menu.

[Mmmpomps]

Seriously this Instant Pot is the Shiz! I made in like 25 minutes the most righteous, delicious cream of mushroom soup with only WHITE BUTTON MUSHROOMS! Of course copious amounts of butter and red wine assisted in the velvety texture and the intense flavour. New potatoes from my sisters garden helped with the creaminess. All this needed was a toasted slice of crusty bread and truffle oil drizzled on top.......

 

[Smithy]

OK, Mmmpomps...mmmore details, please? What were the steps you followed, approximate timing, and so on?

I am still peering over the brink and considering buying this gizmo. I'm suffering experimentation fatigue and not sure I want to take on learning how to work a new piece of equipment at the moment, but...you lot are producing some mighty fine-looking, apparently quick meals...maybe, once I was past the learning curve, this would be a valuable addition to our kitchen. *Oh, my duxelles! Oh, my dollars!*

[Mmmpomps]

OK, Mmmpomps...mmmore details, please? What were the steps you followed, approximate timing, and so on?

I am still peering over the brink and considering buying this gizmo. I'm suffering experimentation fatigue and not sure I want to take on learning how to work a new piece of equipment at the moment, but...you lot are producing some mighty fine-looking, apparently quick meals...maybe, once I was past the learning curve, this would be a valuable addition to our kitchen. *Oh, my duxelles! Oh, my dollars!*

 

Hey Smithy let me help you step over the edge... This was super easy to make, quick to clean the pot out and toss some ribs with a rub in the pot while we ate the soup. Oh the leftovers were great..OH WAIT we didn't have any

 

I played off of this recipe because I totally trust her cooking and taste http://www.hippressurecooking.com/cozy-cream-of-mushroom-s…/

I sauteed onion and mushroom and garlic in olive oil and butter with salt and pepper, I really browned the mushrooms up well. Then added 1/4 cup of good red wine to scrape up the brown bits of goodness. Add 3 to 4 cups of chicken stock, parsley, glug of worsteshire sauce and a pinch of basil as I couldn't find my thyme! 2 fresh potatoes from my sister's garden diced, about 3/4 cup. Adjust salt and pepper seasonings. High pressure for 6 minutes right now ,slow release 8 minutes. Immersion blend it and add cream .

 

 

I imagine with more of a variety of mushrooms fresh and dried this little base soup has many possibilities!

 

 

Here's a pic of those ribs I mentioned. While they were brushed with bbq sauce and my hot sauce (via the IP) I made Champ that I got hooked on from Anna:

 

 

Mine:

 

 

His deboned and with a pool of butter:

 

 

 

 

Edited for a time warp in a sentence and to mention there were no leftovers of soup but plenty of ribs and spuds!

Edited September 24, 2015 by Mmmpomps (log)

[cta]

The other day, browsing the 'Dinner' thread I found a link to a Somali Food blog and this lentil soup recipe caught my eye: Shurbat Cadas

 

After preparing the Xawaash spice mix , I followed the recipe adapting the time to the Instant Pot: (12 min, pressure High, natural release) and it turned out wonderful. Very strong (in a good way) flavours, I assume that tomorrow it will be mellower and even better.

 

Sorry, no photos.