So Fast, So Easy Pressure Cooker Cookbook: More Than 725 Fresh, Delicious Recipes for Electric and Stovetop Pressure Cookers

1116 Pages·2016·4.22 MB·English

by  Hensperger

In Memory of Isabel Fischer Kaufmann February 11,
1920–October 8, 2012
Gracious, kind, and hospitable, a passionate cook who
believed in the power of good food to bring people
together.
Copyright © 2015 by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann Published by
STACKPOLE BOOKS
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
www.stackpolebooks.com
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to
Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First edition
Cover design by Wendy A. Reynolds
Cover photograph by Fred Thompson
Recipes shown: Char Siu Pork Ribs (page 286), Summer Potato Salad with
Olive Oil and Green Onions (page 458), and Bok Choy with Ginger (page 481).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hensperger, Beth,
author.
So fast, so easy pressure cooker cookbook : more than 500 fresh, delicious
recipes ready in minutes / Beth Hensperger with Julie Kaufmann. — First
edition.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-8117-1477-8
1. Pressure cooking. I. Kaufmann, Julie, author. II. Title.
TX840.P7H36 2015
641.5'87—dc23
2015032261
eBook ISBN: 978-0-8117-6320-2
Contents
Acknowledgments
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pressure Cooking!
Chapter 1 Pressure Cooker 101
Chapter 2 Liquid Gold: Homemade Stocks and Broths
Chapter 3 The Soup Master
Chapter 4 Bold Tomato Sauces
Chapter 5 Seafood
Chapter 6 Poultry, Game Birds, and Rabbit
Chapter 7 Beef, Veal, and Bison
Chapter 8 Lamb, Goat, and Venison
Chapter 9 Pork
Chapter 10 Cha Cha Chilis
Chapter 11 Rice East and West
Chapter 12 Global Grains and Pasta
Chapter 13 The Bean Eater: Dried Beans and Lentils
Chapter 14 Everyday to Gourmet Potatoes
Chapter 15 Garden Variety: Vegetables
Chapter 16 Fantastic Desserts
Chapter 17 Little Foodie: Baby Food
Pressure Cooker Manufacturer Contact Information
Metric Equivalents
Index
Acknowledgments
T
hank you for the culinary insights, generosity, and encouragement of the
editors, designers, and recipe contributors used in the production of this
book: fellow food writers and cookbook authors, home cooks,
restaurateurs, cooking teachers, and virtual foodie friends. They are each
acknowledged in their respective headnotes but we'd like to extend our thanks
again here: Ac. Anaghananada, Annabelle Blake and MiniMo, Valerie Bushell,
Mary and Carlo Cantori, Ying Compestine, Peggy Fallon, Ned Hearn, Carolyn
Jung, the late Dolores Kostelni, Leslie Mansfield, Oscar Mariscal, Aunt Rose
Newman, Trudy Paul, Diane Phillips, Rick Rodgers, Gilda Senter, Phoebe
Spires, Laura Stec, Peggy Tank, Judith Thomas, and Victoria Wise.
Recipes were tested in a variety of stovetop brands and the Cuisinart and
Instant Pot 6-quart electric pressure cookers.
The Ancient Cooking Pot
Fire above
and wood below
the image of the cooking pot.
Nothing transforms things so much as the cooking pot.
It is the ultimate of human designs.
Mother of the arts
and father of technology,
it is the beginning of human endeavor.
Through its artful and proper use all that we see and all that we
hear becomes clear.
It is the link we create with Nature.
It is the beginning of Human Creation.
The cooking pot of all things, embodies and reminds us of this: our
own health and our own happiness we create by accepting our
nourishment from the Universe.
Life is cooking in the cooking pot.
—Translated and adapted from the I Ching hexagram 50, Ting
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pressure
Cooking!
T
he stovetop pressure cooker is a unique piece of kitchen cooking
equipment. It is designed to cook food in a very particular manner—
with steam heat under pressure. It is a simple method of cooking and
treats food in a way that maintains its integrity and freshness by not evaporating
off the nutrients. The pressure cooker has long been an integral part of the home
kitchen and it's very likely that your mother, grandmother, or even great-
grandmother owned one.
Pressure cookers are experiencing a renaissance in popularity because it cooks
so efficiently in regard to time and fuel. A pressure cooker requires very little
energy to run and is considered an integral appliance in a green, environmentally
sound kitchen. Mother Earth News uses the motto “Save Time, Save Money,
Save Energy, and Eat Good Food.” We feel this is a perfect description of
preparing meals with the pressure cooker.
Macrobiotic vegetarians have been using the pressure cooker for decades.
Want to make your own baby food? It takes just minutes in the pressure cooker.
The pressure cooker is a perfect weekday appliance to make meals in minutes
rather than hours. It consistently reduces cooking time for all dishes. It is the
modern day la cucina rapida. One of our friends takes music lessons and then
cooks dinner afterward for the teacher, the other students in the class, and invited
guests. It takes MaryAnn just thirty minutes, from start to finish, to serve up
delicious bowls of beef stew to all her guests.
Once you get familiar with using a pressure cooker properly, with a mind to
its methods and safety rules, you will be amazed how often you will use it. With
this cookbook as your guide, success in everyday good cooking is guaranteed.
Pressure cooking has been an integral part of European, Asian, Latin
American, and East Indian food preparation for generations. Families with a
mind to conserving energy and getting a meal on the table fast find the pressure
cooker invaluable. Sherpa guides carry the small stovetop model on their treks in
the Himalayas.
Available in a range of sizes, from 2½ to 12 quarts, there is a size for every
need. European models are measured in liters (5 to 7 liters, which translates to 6
and 8 quarts respectively). Skillet and smaller models are great for preparing
baby food, risotto, small amounts of vegetables, chops, and one-or two-serving
meals. Often the skillet model can be bought as part of a pair with a large-
capacity deep pot with interchangeable lids. There is even a lightweight
anodized aluminum model made specifically for use with a camp stove, perfect
for backpacking.
A 6-quart-capacity pressure cooker is the general all-purpose size for a family
and industry standard, serving 4 to 8, and can accommodate the widest range of
recipes. Most recipes are gauged for a 6-quart cooker, which means you can
easily use a 5-to 8-quart model for the recipes. The largest size, 10-quart, is
suitable for pressure canning as well as everyday cooking and is a boon for
family style cooking and stock making.
When buying a new pressure cooker, always read the list of safety precautions
included in the accompanying owner's manual. Never use a pressure cooker for
anything other than cooking food.
SHOULD I BE AFRAID TO USE A PRESSURE
COOKER?
Absolutely not. Pressure cookers of decades long past, post–WWII, were
poorly designed and used lower grade metals in their construction. These
pots did rupture, as much from poor materials as from cooks who did not
read their owner's manual. We don't recommend using pressure cookers of
dubious origins and age, such as those bought at yard sales. Today's