The Everything Pressure Cooker Cookbook (6 page)

Serve warm Marinara Sauce over pasta, rice, or vegetables.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon dried ground fennel

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 bay leaf

Pinch dried red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes in sauce

½ cup chicken broth

English Muffin Pizzas

Brush both sides of an English muffin with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange on a baking tray and place under the broiler for 2 minutes or until the slices just begin to brown. Spoon warm Marinara Sauce over the slices, sprinkle grated mozzarella and Par-migiano-Reggiano cheese over the sauce, and top with pepperoni slices. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

1. Add the oil to the pressure cooker and bring to temperature over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and carrots; sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté an additional 30 seconds. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
   

2. Lock the lid into place. Bring the pressure cooker to low pressure; maintain for 10 minutes.
   

3. Quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid. Stir the sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaf. If desired, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce.
   

You can use spicy or sweet Italian sausage in this sauce, whichever you prefer. Or you can compromise and use sweet Italian sausage and add a pinch of dried red pepper flakes to taste.

INGREDIENTS | YIELD: 5 CUPS

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium sweet onions, peeled and diced

8 ounces ground beef

1 pound Italian sausage

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

2½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon granulated cane sugar

1 bay leaf

1 14½-ounce can plum tomatoes

2 cups tomato juice

½ cup red wine

¼ cup tomato paste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Improvised Vegetable Soup

Create a quick soup for 4 by simmering a cup of Sausage and Mushroom Sauce, 2 cups of beef or chicken broth, and a 12 ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables over medium heat in a large saucepan until the mixture is brought to temperature. Stir in a cup of cooked macaroni. Add 8 ounces diced fully cooked smoked sausage if you're serving the soup as the main course. Serve with garlic bread and a tossed salad.

1. Bring the oil to temperature in the pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef; fry for 5 minutes or until it renders its fat and loses its pink color. Drain and discard any fat.
   

2. Remove the casing from the Italian sausage; break the meat apart and add to the pressure cooker along with the bell pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots. Sauté and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in the oregano, basil, fennel seed, and sugar. Add the bay leaf.
   

3. Dice or puree the plum tomatoes and juices in the blender. Stir into the meat mixture in the pressure cooker along with the tomato juice, wine, and tomato paste.
   

4. Lock the lid into place. Bring to high pressure; maintain for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure.
   

5. Return to the heat; stir and simmer the sauce uncovered for a few minutes to thicken it. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
   

Country-style hash browns are a mixture of diced potatoes, onion, and bell peppers.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4

8 ounces ground sausage

1/3 cup water

1 1-pound bag frozen country-style hash browns, thawed

4 large eggs

1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

Optional: Salsa

Optional: ¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced

Breakfast Hash Alternative

If you only have regular hash browns on hand, fry a small peeled and diced sweet onion and a small seeded and diced red or green bell pepper along with the sausage. Hash browns are easy to prepare and make a fantastic addition to any breakfast or brunch.

1. Add the sausage to the pressure cooker; fry it over medium heat until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as you do so.
   

2. Drain and discard any rendered fat. Pour in the water, stirring it into the meat, scraping up any meat stuck to the bottom of the pan.
   

3. Stir in the hash browns. Lightly beat the eggs and evenly pour them over the sausage and hash browns mixture.
   

4. Lock the lid into place and bring to low pressure; maintain pressure for 4 minutes.
   

5. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid, evenly sprinkle the cheese over the top of the hash, and cover the pressure cooker.
   

6. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Serve warm. Top each serving with salsa and fresh cilantro if desired.
   

Red-eye gravy is akin to au jus (a dipping sauce) rather than a traditional thickened gravy. Serve with biscuits.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4

1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil

4 4-ounce slices of country ham

¾ cup coffee

1 teaspoon sugar

Cajun-Style Red-Eye Gravy

Following the directions for the Country Ham with Red-Eye Gravy recipe, substitute a pound of cooked roast beef for the country ham. When you add the coffee, add cayenne pepper or hot sauce, to taste. Serve over cooked rice and butter beans or peas.

1. Heat the lard or oil in a pressure cooker. Add ham and fry on both sides for 2 minutes. Add coffee. Lock the lid into place, bring to low pressure, and maintain for 8 minutes.
   

2. Remove from heat and quick-release the pressure. Remove ham to a serving platter. Add the sugar to the pan and stir until it dissolves, scrapping the bottom of the pan as you do so. Pour over the ham and serve immediately.
   

Steel-cut oats, whole grain groats that have been cut into only two or three pieces, are sometimes referred to as Irish oatmeal. They are high in B-vitamins, calcium, protein, and fiber.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 2

4 cups water

1 cup steel-cut oats, toasted

1 tablespoon butter

Pinch salt

Toasting Steel-Cut Oats

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the steel-cut oats on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Store toasted steel-cut oats in a covered container in a cool place. Toasting steel-cut oats will enhance the flavor and allow them to cook in half the time.

1. Place the rack in the pressure cooker; pour ½ cup water over the rack.
   

2. In a metal bowl that will fit inside the pressure cooker and rest on the rack, add the oats, butter, salt, and 3½ cups water. Lock the lid into place.
   

3. Bring to low pressure. For chewy oatmeal, maintain the pressure for 5 minutes. For creamy oatmeal, maintain pressure for 8 minutes.
   

4. Remove from the heat and allow pressure to release naturally. Use tongs to lift the metal bowl out of the pressure cooker.
   

5. Spoon the cooked oats into bowls; season and serve as you would regular oatmeal.
   

Adding toasted nuts provides protein. If you want to add more, you can stir in some diced tofu when you add the water.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup water

1 cup zucchini or summer squash, peeled and diced

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional: Brown rice or whole grain tortilla

Optional: Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or slivered almonds, toasted

1. Add the oil to the pressure cooker and bring to temperature over medium heat. Add the onion; sauté for 2 minutes.
   

2. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, celery, and bell pepper; sauté for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and water.
   

3. Lock on the lid and bring to high pressure; maintain pressure for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure.
   

4. Return to the heat and add the squash and tomatoes. Bring to high pressure and maintain for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure.
   

5. Taste for seasoning and add pepper, to taste. Serve over rice or as filling in sandwich wraps, topped with your choice of toasted nuts if desired.
   

This type of gravy is referred to as sawmill gravy in some parts of the country and as milk gravy in others. Serve it over buttermilk biscuits and hash browns with eggs.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

2 pounds ground pork sausage

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Add the sausage to the pressure cooker. Breaking it apart as you do so, fry over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the sausage begins to brown.
   

2. Lock the lid into place and bring to low pressure; maintain for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure. Drain and discard most of the fat. Return the pressure cooker to medium-high heat. Add the butter and stir into the sausage until it's melted.
   

3. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and stir-fry it into the meat for a minute, stirring continuously. Whisk in the half-and-half a little at a time. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat; maintain a simmer for 3 minutes or until the gravy thickens. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.
   

Sausage links smothered in maple syrup are the hallmark Midwestern breakfast. This dish has a more savory twist and gets even better if you top each serving with a fried egg.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4

1 pound pork sausage links

4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

1 medium sweet onion, peeled and diced

1 16-ounce can creamed corn

¼ teaspoon pepper

¾ cup tomato juice

Salt, to taste

1. Add the sausage links to the pressure cooker and brown them over medium heat. Remove the sausages to a plate.
   

2. Layer the potatoes, onion, and corn in the cooker. Sprinkle on the pepper. Place sausage links on top of the corn.
   

3. Pour the tomato juice over the top of the other ingredients in the cooker. Lock the lid, bring to high pressure, and maintain for 7 minutes.
   

4. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes or until the pot returns to normal pressure. Taste for seasoning and add salt and additional pepper if needed.
   

To make your own hash browns, peel and grate 1 pound baking potatoes, squeeze out any excess water with a potato ricer, and fry the potatoes in oil until they're golden brown. This dish is good topped with a fried or poached egg.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 12-ounce bag frozen hash brown potatoes

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

6 ounces cooked smoked sausage, coarsely chopped

2 medium apples, such as Golden Delicious, cut into thin slices

Optional: 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Optional: 1–2 tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped

Optional: 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Add the oil and butter to the pressure cooker and bring to temperature over medium heat.
   

2. Add the hash brown potatoes; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are thawed and just beginning to brown. Season with the salt and pepper.
   

3. Use a wide metal spatula to press the potatoes down firmly in the pan. Add the sausage and apples over the top of the potatoes.
   

4. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the apples, top with the toasted walnuts, and drizzle with the maple syrup if using.
   

5. Lock the lid in place and bring to low pressure; maintain pressure for 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure. Serve.
   

This is cornmeal that's cooked into a thick porridge. It makes for a tasty and inexpensive breakfast food.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

1 cup yellow cornmeal

4 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1. In a bowl, whisk the cornmeal together with 1 cup water and salt. Set aside.
   

2. Add the remaining water to the pressure cooker. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir cornmeal and water mixture into the boiling water. Add butter and stir continuously until the mixture returns to a boil.
   

3. Lock the lid into place. Bring to low pressure; maintain for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and quick-release the pressure. Spoon into bowls and serve with a sweetener and milk or cream, like oatmeal.
   

This gravy substitutes aromatic vegetables for some of the sausage. Serve it over rice or buttermilk biscuits and hash browns with eggs.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

1 pound ground pork sausage

1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Add the sausage, onion, and diced bell peppers to the pressure cooker. Fry over medium-high heat and break sausage apart for 5 minutes or until it begins to brown.
   

2. Lock the lid into place and bring to low pressure; maintain for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid. Drain and discard any excess fat.
   

3. Return the pressure cooker to medium-high heat. Add the butter, stir into the sausage mixture until it's melted. Add the flour and stir-fry it into the meat for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Whisk in the half-and-half a little at a time.
   

4. Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat; maintain a simmer for 3 minutes or until the gravy thickens. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
   

Serve with toasted whole grain bread or biscuits spread with some honey-butter. Experiment with different types of cheese to find your favorite.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

1 large sweet onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 pound ground sausage

1 1-pound bag frozen hash browns, thawed

8 large eggs

¼ cup water or heavy cream

Optional: A few drops hot sauce

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

½ pound Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Add the oil to the pressure cooker and bring it to temperature over medium-high heat.
   

2. Add the onion and diced bell peppers; sauté until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sausage and hash browns.
   

3. Bring to low pressure; maintain for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid. Drain and discard any excess fat.
   

4. Return the pan to medium heat. Whisk together the eggs, water or heavy cream, hot sauce (if using), and salt and pepper.
   

5. Pour the eggs over the sausage-potato mixture. Stir to combine and scramble the eggs until they begin to set.
   

6. Add the cheese and continue to scramble until the eggs finish cooking and the cheese melts.
   

7. If you prefer, instead of stirring the cheese into the mixture, you can top it with the cheese, then cover the pressure cooker and continue to cook for 1–2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
   

You can substitute other dried fruit according to your tastes. Try prunes, dates, and cherries for different flavors. Adding butter to this recipe gives it additional flavor and helps prevent the oatmeal from foaming, which can clog the pressure release valve.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 2

3 cups water

1 cup toasted steel-cut oats

2 teaspoons butter

1 cup apple juice

1 tablespoon dried cranberries

1 tablespoon golden raisins

1 tablespoon snipped dried apricots

1 tablespoon maple syrup

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

Optional: Brown sugar or maple syrup