Pressure Cooker recipes: Peggy Under Pressure
I bookmarked this site, but forget which recipe led me there. This site is a blog by a woman who got excited about electric pressure cookers in 2009. It doesn’t look like she is updating the site very often (or at all) here in 2018, still, there are a few recipes that I’d like to try. (There are a few sponsored links but no irritating ads.)
I got a kick out of reading her “About Peggy and Me” page. It begins: “I brought home a digital electric pressure cooker sometime in 2009. And I’ve been obsessed with it since. Come on, I even gave it a name! I named her Peggy!!! Yes, it’s a she!!!”
The author goes on to say how she used to be afraid of pressure cookers. And how much she hated that constant rattling of the valve on older pressure cookers. Electric pressure cookers are quiet – except “the part where I turn the valve to exhaust the hot pressure, that’s my favorite part! Choo-choo!!!”. I agree with her on all points.
She writes a good blog – it is worth a visit. The recipes I’d like to try are below.
Saucy Steaks & Cheesy Broccoli Gnocchi. This recipe calls for small steaks (chuck tenders), packaged beef gravy (something I do not keep on hand), onions, fresh broccoli, and cheese. And, gnocchi! I love gnocchi, a potato and flour type of pasta formed into chunky morsels. I’ve even tried to make my own! It used to be hard to find gnocchi in stores. Nowadays, it is sold in shelf-stable packages in many grocery stores, usually with other pastas. Anyway. In this particular recipe, the steak and onions are placed in the bottom of an electric pressure cooker and the gnocchi placed in a pan on a trivet above them. After a 10 minute pressure cook, the gnocchi is mixed with the meat mixture along with the broccoli and cheese for a five minute non-pressure heating.
Italian Sausage Three Bean Chili. She made this chili to go with a grilled cheese sandwich.The chili recipe calls for dry, non-pre-soaked pinto, kidney, and black beans, with a cooking time of 75 minutes, quick release (sounds too long to me). She added a comment that you can use canned beans and only cook the chili 15-20 minutes. I’d like to try this because of the rest of the ingredients: Italian sausage, onions, celery, corn, serrano chilies, garlic, basil, oregano, can of beer, chicken stock, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. I’d probably pre-soak the beans and cook for maybe 20-30 minutes, slow-release.
Mexican Pork Posole. This recipe calls for hominy (canned), poblanos, fresh hot green peppers, onions, Mexican oregano, enchilada sauce, and pork (or chicken breast). It cooks a whole hour, I think canned hominy would stand up to this long cooking time. (I once tried to cook dry hominy, pre-soaked, but it takes forever to cook, so I assume the author used canned hominy.) The pork is “rump meat”, but my handy inexpensive pork loin would probably work. (I consulted a couple of my references, and an hour seems too long to pressure cook pork in 1 1/2 inch cubes.)
Chicken Parmigiana Italia. This looks like a great recipe for boneless chicken breasts! I make a similar stove-top dish, but the chicken is sometimes dry. Her words: “It makes chicken breasts unbelievable soft, juicy and tender without running the risk of it becoming dry and flavorless”. We have discovered the same thing – that the pressure cooker makes chicken moist and tender, and never dry. For Chicken Parmigiana Italia, the chicken breasts are coated with a flour mixture and browned in a pan, then pressure-cooked in marinara sauce (and cheese) for 8-10 minutes, slow release.
Coconut Rice Pudding. I know I’d love this, but it makes a ton and I doubt my dining partner would like it. Plus it has tons of calories. I can save this as a “dream” recipe. Here are the ingredients: arborio rice, coconut milk, almond milk, cinnamon sticks, cloves, a vanilla bean, orange zest strips, and sweetened condensed milk. Just 15 minutes under pressure and you have dessert!