2010 The Year of the Pressure Cooker Declares Lorna Sass

My friend, colleague and pressure cooking mentor, Lorna Sass, the Queen of pressure cooking, shared the following blog post for me to share with you. I hope that you will agree that the time has come for the pressure cooker to make its comeback. As I told Lorna, sometimes it takes 20 years for something to become an "overnight" success. This year Lorna has a newly revised and updated version of her seminal book, Cooking Under Pressure. Please read on for what Lorna has to say...

For the Chinese, February 14 will begin the Year of the Tiger. For Mac users, it’s the Year of the Snow Leopard. For me, it’s the Year of the Pressure Cooker.

Just when I was about to give up hope that American cooks would ever give up their paranoia about the dangers of pressure cooking, some very good things began to happen.


Carolyn Russock pressure-cooked her way through the 20th anniversary edition of COOKING UNDER PRESSURE and wrote rave reviews of the 30-minute chicken broth and French-style beef stew, the 4-minute risotto, and the ultra-fast baked beans in a 5-day series for the very popular foodie blog, Serious Eats. Dozens of comments document the growing number of the people who are pressure cooking on a daily basis and understand that today’s cookers are 100% safe.

The same week, Paula Crossfield wrote an enthusiastic column for popular online blog, Bitten about how she became a pressure cooker convert. Again lots of enthusiastic cooks wrote in to sing their praises of pressure cooking.

An NPR piece on pressure cooking is soon to hit the national airwaves, and a few other major voices are about to get the word out that pressure cooking is not only safe, but terrific for what I call the four P’s: planet, palate, person, and purse.

Great for the planet because it’s so fuel efficient.

Great for the palate because the pressure-cooker mingles flavors quickly, giving food the soul-satisfying appeal of a long-cooked meal.

Great for the person because even the hurried or impatient cook can prepare healthy food in a flash.

Great for the purse because the pressure cooker is ace at tenderizing tough cuts of meat and cooking whole grains, beans and other inexpensive ingredients in record time.

How does the pressure cooker work its magic? In the vacuum-sealed cooker, water boils at 242 degrees Fahrenheit instead of the standard 212 degrees. At this higher-than-normal boiling point temperature, food cooks in one-third or less the normal time. That’s why many Top Chefs are relying on the pressure cooker to help them win.

I’m no Top Chef in any kind of competition, but last Sunday was so cold out that I was tempted to stay in bed and read. Then hunger struck. I didn’t want to go out and shop, so I decided to devise a hearty pressure-cooked soup from ingredients in my pantry.

In celebration of the Year of the Pressure Cooker, I put on my chef’s jacket and asked The Sweetie to make a video of the process. About 30 minutes later we were eating a mighty fine Curried Split Pea Soup that cost under $8 and made 4 hearty portions.

Take a look at the video and then let me know if you decide to help make 2010 the Year of the Pressure Cooker, all the while eating better, faster, cheaper, and more eco-friendly than you ever have before.

In the first video, I show you how to assemble the ingredients in the pressure cooker and lock on the lid. In the second, I show you how to release the pressure and stir in some last-minute ingredients for a punch for flavor and a fresh finish.

NOTE: Due to my technological inability to put videos on this site, I will refer you to Lorna's original post on her site so that you can see the videos or you can look at the You Tube video directly.

I hope that you'll help convert more people to the joys of pressure cooking. Please leave a comment on this blog if you love pressure cooking and tell me about your favorite dish.

Veggie Queen Cooks Under Pressure with John Ash

I am rushing off to the farmer's market to buy ingredients so that I can appear on the radio this morning. I will be demonstrating live, how to use a pressure cooker to make 2 of the recipes on my DVD Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes. I will be on KSRO, 1350 am here in Sonoma County, on the Good Food Hour with John Ash and Steve Garner at 11 am PST.

I will be making Shane's Fabulous Lentil Soup and Market Fresh Breakfast Tofu, Potatoes and Vegetables. I have not yet done live radio pressure cooking but I am sure that all will go just fine. It's a beautiful day and we will be out at Bassignani's Nursery in Sebastopol on a live broadcast.

I am really excited to see what gems appear at the market this morning to go into my vegetable dish. That surely will help relieve the pressure.

Pressure Cooked Hoppin' John to Start the New Year

Take a look at my blog post on my other blog (http://www.theveggiequeen.blogspot.com) for my version of Hoppin' John which I call Jumpin' John because I obviously do a vegan (no ham bone) version. It tastes great.

Happy New year to y'all.

The Veggie Queen's Black Lentil, Winter Vegetable and Wild Rice Soup

For many people, including me, yesterday was a cold day. I am not complaining but 40 degrees F. for us Northern California weather weenies is cold. But it's perfect soup weather. And if you've read any of my blog posts, you know that it's likely that I will pull out my pressure cooker and get to work making a fast soup.

I actually spent a bit more time (maybe 2 more minutes) thinking about this soup because I would have preferred barley but my husband doesn't really like it, or at least he doesn't think that he does. He actually prefers white rice but I'm not using that so...

Wild rice seemed like a happy compromise. I also wanted to use lentils and the black ones called to me. They are called Beluga black lentils because they look like caviar. I realized that my soup was going to be awfully dark, so I also added carrot, parsnip, celery and celery root, along with purple potatoes. After the initiail cooking, a peeled and ready to use kabocha squash showed up on my doorstep (you ought to see what shows up here -- usually edible, delicious and free) and that also got added.

Here is my best stab at the recipe. It's a highly adaptable soup so take what you like and leave the rest.

Takes 20 minutes at high pressure with a natural pressure release.

Black Lentil, Winter Vegetable and Wild Rice Soup

Makes about 2 quarts

1 tablespoon oil (optional)

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 bay leaf

2 medium purple potatoes, diced

1 small parsnip, diced

1/2 cup diced celery root (also called celeriac)

1 medium carrot, diced

1/3 cup black beluga, or other, lentils

2/3 cup wild rice

6 cups homemade vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups diced squash

Salt, pepper and herbs to taste

Add the oil to the cooker over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for a minute or 2. Add the garlic and celery and saute another minute. Add the remaining ingredients except squash,salt, pepper and herbs and lock on the pressure cooker lid. Bring to high pressure, then lower the heat to maintain high pressure. Cook for 20 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally.

Open the lid carefully and add the squash, salt, pepper and your favorite herb blend. I used organic vegetable rub but Italian or your favorite seasoning would be good, too. This is a blank canvas, waiting for you to add color.

Lock the lid back on and bring to high pressure for another 3 minutes, or simmer on the stove top until the squash is done. Quick release the pressure. Serve hot. If you have any fresh green herbs such as parsley, cilantro or chives, they would make this soup look and taste even better (than it already is).

Do NOT do what I did, which was stir the soup and then put it back on the heat. The cooked lentils will sink to the bottom and burn.

Add more stock or water, if the soup is too thick. I like mine thick. It's a meal in a bowl. Serve with salad and/or bread.

Enjoy.

Lots of Pressure and it All Goes Well

I have been pressure cooking up a storm lately at many different public venues -- and always making incredibly tasty dishes that people love. But I don't do what I do to make great food (although that's certainly the bonus), but to get people thinking about how easily they can do the same themselves,while being energy efficient.

At Solfest in Hopland, CA last week, I had one of my best audiences ever. I think that it's because they knew that they would be learning about pressure cooking, and that's what they came for. Often people think that they will learn about cooking and I spring the scary (NOT) PC on them. They're still waiting for it to blow up, which it will not do.

I tried to put in the Google link to the info with my handouts from Sol Fest but it didn't work. So, below is the recipe that I made.

I, of course, recommend that you only use an old, noisy, jiggle-top cooker if you like it and have experience. Remember, I don't touch that kind -- for the fear that it will blow up. I'm not into explosions of any kind when it comes to food.

White Bean Soup with Garlic, Tomato and Herbs
Makes 8 1 cup servings
7 minutes high pressure, 10 minute natural pressure release; 2 minutes stovetop
This soup tastes so fresh and the colors are attractive. It’s more energy efficient and way less expensive than going to the store for a can of soup, and you can season it however you want.

2 cups Cannellini (Italian white kidney) or Great Northern beans, presoaked or quick soaked
2 teaspoons oil
1 medium onion, diced to equal 1 cup
3 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic, divided
1 cup diced potatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
3 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped plus some sprigs for garnish
1 tablespoon lemon juice or white balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons grated dairy or soy Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Add the oil to the cooker over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
2. Add the beans, potatoes, broth and bay leaves. Lock on lid. Turn heat to high and bring to high pressure. Set timer for 7 minutes. Turn heat to low to maintain high pressure.
3. When the timer sounds, turn off heat and move pot to a cool spot on the stove. Let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
4. Carefully remove the lid, tilting it away from you. Remove the bay leaves. Using a hand blender, carefully mix the hot soup until it is mostly creamy, with a few whole beans left in for texture.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until they start to soften. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, basil and remaining garlic. Taste and add lemon juice or vinegar and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle with the cheese and additional chopped parsley and basil, if desired.

© 2008, The Veggie Queen™, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, http://www.theveggiequeen.com/ or http://www.pressurecookingonline.com/

The Veggie Queen Cooks Under Pressure on the East Coast

Last week I taught pressure cooking at Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA and also at Warren Kitchen and Cutlery in Rhinebeck, New York. Both classes were well received.

I made some amazing Moroccan Chickpeas in Rhinebeck with could become a staple dish for me, along with the quinoa pilaf that I have demonstrated probably 100 times (and this not likely an exaggeration). I also made a 2-minute Vegetable Melange which included fennel which is not usually part of my repertoire (except for occasionally in my roasted vegetables). It turned out perfectly, as I predicted.

I tell everyone to be sure that they use the minimum amount of liquid that the manufacturer recommends, unless they experiment and find out that they can use less which is often the case with the new, spring-valve pressure cookers. I use just enough to bring the cooker up to pressure.

Now, a good number more vegetarians and vegans attending Vegetarian Summerfest are getting on the PC bandwagon, and some of the staff at Warren Kitchen and Cutlery know more about the benefits of pressure cooking. Thanks to those who participated, and may you spread the PC word.

Save Money with Your Pressure Cooker and Vegan Cooking

Having just paid $4.99 per gallon for diesel for my car, I am looking for ways to save money. Luckily I am already happily ensconced in pressure cooking.

I think that most people don't realize the many ways that the sky-rocketing fuel costs are going to impact them. It is going to mean rising food costs. So, to save money, you may have to go with my eating beans and grains once a week (or more) plan.

I'd like to see everyone adopt vegetarian or, even better, vegan eating at least once a week. OK. This may mean eating rice and beans but they don't have to be ordinary rice and beans.

Did you know that it only takes about 5 minutes at pressure to cook pinto or black beans (if they aren't really old)? More recently harvested beans cook more quickly but if you don't have the luxury of buying beans from a local farm or heirloom bean grower such as Rancho Gordo or Tierra Vegetables, you won't likely know the age of your beans.

Last week I demonstrated how to prepare red rice and beans (instead of red beans and rice) in the pressure cooker. The rice (which is whole grain) took 9 minutes at pressure and the beans took 4 minutes at pressure. You can season either any way that you like.

I also made a quick vegetable dish that included scarlet turnips, watermelon daikon, spring onion, garlic and yellow squash which took just one minute at pressure.

My complete meal hardly used any fuel at all, except for the cost of getting the vegetables. But these days I am on my bicycle so the energy that I burn is my own, therefore I am using my fuel well.

I encourage you to do the same -- get a pressure cooker, play with it and enjoy many meat-free days, saving time, money, energy and maybe even your health. And if you feel like it, ride your bicycle.