The Basic Basics Pressure Cooker Cookbook

The Basic Basics Pressure Cooker Cookbook

by Marguerite Patten
The Basic Basics Pressure Cooker Cookbook

The Basic Basics Pressure Cooker Cookbook

by Marguerite Patten

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Overview

Slow-cooked flavor in a fast-paced world - pressure cookers are one of the greenest cooking methods imaginable. Sales are on the increase and even Jamie Oliver has launched one of his own. They allow us to cook quickly, cheaply and efficiently because the food is cooked in liquid at temperatures far higher than in a conventional pan, which shortens cooking time by up to 70 percent. Because the method seals in flavor, cheaper ingredients can be used to great effect and since the cooking time is far shorter you save time and gas or electricity. The pressure cooker presents a distinct advantage for certain foods and for ingredients that need long cooking, it is a real winner. The most dramatic time and energy savings come with meat and poultry. Braised beef can be perfectly cooked in 30 minutes, osso bucco in 25 minutes and a chicken tagine in 15 minutes. Perfect for today’s cooks.

Marguerite Patten, doyenne of British cookery, shares her wealth of knowledge and her tried and tested recipes for pressure cookers.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781906502621
Publisher: Grub Street
Publication date: 09/05/2010
Pages: 160
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Marguerite Patten OBE has written over 160 cookery books, sales of which amount to over 16 million worldwide. Her long and distinguished career, which began before the war, has included regular appearances on radio and television, live and televised cookery demonstrations, lectures as well as extensive journalism and authorship of books and cookery cards. She pioneered easy-to-follow recipes with her classic All Colour Cookery Book and has documented most aspects of British Cooking. This new book pulls together her life’s work and is truly an important work of culinary history.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

STARTERS

The following pâtés, and similar recipes, are ideal for a starter or a light lunch. The more substantial terrines on page 93-94 are equally suitable for a light main dish, served with salad and crusty fresh bread. Some of the fish or vegetable dishes in this book can be adapted as a first course. Most of the recipes are will serve 4 people as a main course. You could serve smaller portions to 6–8 people, if you choose to make them as a starter, from exactly the same quantities.

COOKING PÂTÉS IN A PRESSURE COOKER

The secret of cooking a pâté in the oven is to keep it moist. This is done by standing the tin or dish in a bain-marie, i.e. a container of water. The pressure cooker is an ideal means of cooking pâtés, as the steam inside the cooker prevents the mixture from becoming dry round the sides, in the same way as a bain-marie. The pâté is cooked in a much shorter time than usual. If you want to cook one of your favourite pâtés in a pressure cooker then reduce the amount of liquid in your recipe by one-third. The reason for this is there is more evaporation in the oven than in a pressure cooker.

FREEZING PÂTÉS

If you make a larger amount of pâté in your pressure cooker, or prepare it in advance for a dinner party, then it can be frozen for a period of 4–6 weeks. After this time it tends to become dry and lose flavour and colour. Cover the pâté well before freezing.

To serve: allow to defrost overnight in the refrigerator;

USING A BLENDER

A blender saves time in pounding the liver, etc., in a pâté or rillettes. If making the Luxury Pâté (see page 21), proceed to the end of stage 5, then put the liver, onion, cream and liquid into the blender, liquidise until smooth, remove from the goblet, add the diced gherkins and tongue. For a perfectly smooth pâté liquidise the gherkins and tongue with the other ingredients.

When making the rillettes put the cooked giblet meat (free from bones), the cooked onion, butter and all the other ingredients into the goblet and liquidise.

KIPPER PÂTÉ

This is an economical and quickly made pâté. Buy kipper fillets, rather than kippers, to save time in removing bones. Cook the kipper fillets for 1–2 minutes at H/15 lb pressure (see page 59). Flake the fish while hot and put the flesh into a basin. To each 4 kipper fillets blend in 50 g (5 oz) melted butter, 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, a pinch grated nutmeg and black pepper. Stir well to obtain a smooth mixture. Put into four small containers, top with a little melted butter and allow to cool. Serve with hot toast and butter.

TO VARY:

Bloaters can be used instead, allow 4–5 minutes cooking time, at H/15 lb pressure.

FAMILY LIVER PÂTÉ

Serves 6–8

Pressure cooking time 20 mins

0.5 kg (1 lb) pig's liver
225 g (8 oz) fat bacon or belly of pork
140 ml (¼ pt) double cream
2 tablespoons stock
2 eggs salt and pepper


TO COVER:
50 g (2 oz) butter (optional)

1 Put the liver and bacon or pork through a mincer; either use the coarse blade, or mince the meats once or twice with the fine blades for a smooth pâté.

2 Mix with the other ingredients, season well.

3 Put into a 1litre (1¾-pt) basin or soufflé dish, do not fill more than two-thirds; cover with a double thickness of buttered greaseproof paper or foil.

4 Put the trivet into the cooker and add 420 ml (¾ pt) water.

5 Stand the container on the trivet, fix the cover, bring to H/15 lb pressure.

6 Lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes, allow the pressure to drop at room temperature.

7 Take the container out of the cooker, remove the damp cover, put on a dry piece of greased greaseproof paper or foil.

8 If you place a light weight on the pâté as it cools it will have a better texture for slicing.

9 Serve with hot toast and butter.

10 You can store the pâté in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 4–6 weeks, in which case melt the butter, pour over the pâté and allow it to set. Garnish with lemon and lettuce, if desired.

TO VARY:

Add either

a) little grated lemon rind and juice or

b) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (sage, lemon thyme, parsley and tarragon) or

c) a good pinch ground nutmeg, cinnamon and powdered mace.

Use a thick white sauce made with 25 g (1 oz) butter, 25 g (1 oz) flour and 140 ml (¼pt) milk instead of the double cream.

Fry 1 finely chopped onion and/or 1–2 chopped garlic cloves in 25 g (1 oz) butter, add to liver, etc.

Gourmet Touch: Use sherry or brandy in place of stock.

TARAMASALATA

Although some recipes for this smoked cod's roe pâté are made without cooking, this particular recipe produces a less strong flavour.

Serves 6–8

Pressure cooking time 5 mins

0.5 kg (1 lb) smoked cod's roe
1–2 cloves garlic
75 g (3 oz) butter
3 tablespoons soft white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons double cream
½ tablespoon lemon juice Shake of pepper

1 Remove all the skin from the roe.

2 Peel and crush the garlic.

3 Cream the butter then blend with the other ingredients.

4 Continue as in Family Liver Pâté, stages 3–10, but allow only 5 minutes cooking at H/15 lb pressure.

TO VARY:

Seafood Pâté: An excellent pâté is made by using half smoked cod's roe and half minced or pounded raw white fish. This will appeal to people who find the pâté with all smoked roe a little too definite in flavour. Cook in the same way as the pâté on page 19 for 5 minutes only at H/15 lb pressure.

Gourmet Touch: Instead of 2 tablespoons cream, use 1 tablespoon dry sherry and 1 tablespoon cream.

Créme à la Grecque: This is a slightly more economical recipe and one that gives a milder flavour than the uncooked version of this classic pâté. Follow directions for Taramasalata, page 20, but omit cream and add 2 tablespoons sieved fresh tomato pulp instead. Cook as Taramasalata. Serve with black olives.

Salmon Pâté: Use raw fresh salmon or half fresh salmon and half uncooked white fish instead of the smoked cod's roe. Put the fish through a mincer or pound until very smooth then follow directions for Taramasalata, seasoning with salt and pepper. Bind with an egg then cook as Taramasalata, above.

LUXURY PÂTÉ

Serves 4

Pressure cooking time 3 mins

1 small onion
50 g (2 oz) butter
225 g (8 oz) chicken livers or calves' liver Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons double cream
2 tablespoons brandy or sherry or stock
2 gherkins
50 g (2 oz) cooked tongue

1 Peel and grate the onion or chop very finely.

2 Melt the butter and blend with the onion.

3 Wash, dry and season the liver, put into a small tin and add the butter and onion, cover with greased greaseproof paper.

4 Place the trivet in the pressure cooker, add 280 ml (½ pt) water, then stand the tin on the trivet.

5 Fix the cover, bring up to H/15 lb pressure, then cook for 3 minutes for chicken livers or thinly sliced calves' liver, but slightly longer if thickly sliced.

6 Reduce the pressure under cold water, lift out the liver and pound with the onion and butter until smooth. Cool, then blend with the cream and brandy, sherry or stock.

7 Dice the gherkins and tongue and stir into the pâté.

8 Cover the dish with foil, so the pâté does not dry on top, or cover the pâté with melted butter, and store for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

9 Serve with hot toast and butter.

TO VARY:

To give a stronger flavour add garlic salt or 1–2 crushed garlic cloves to the butter and onion.

A very subtle flavour is given to a pâté if cream cheese is used instead of the double cream. Blend 50–75 g (2–3 oz) cream cheese (amount depends entirely upon personal taste) into the cold liver mixture, proceed as above.

Gourmet Touch: Serve the pâté with Cumberland Sauce (see page 102).

RILLETTES

This is an adaptation of the well-known French spread. It is an ideal way of using all the meat from the giblets of turkey, chicken, etc., and having a good flavoured stock to serve with roast poultry.

1 Put the well-washed giblets into the pressure cooker with 420 ml (¾ pt) water, salt and pepper to taste.

2 Fix the cover, bring up to H/15 lb pressure and cook chicken or duckling giblets for 10 minutes, but allow 15 minutes for the giblets of turkey, goose and older boiling fowl.

3 Reduce the pressure under cold water, lift out the giblets and pull all the meat from the neck, and finely chop the heart, liver etc.

4 Grate 1 small onion and toss in 25–50 g (1–2 oz) butter until soft then add to the giblet meat.

5 Pound the meat and onion mixture until smooth then mix with the cream, etc., as in the Luxury Pâté (page 21). The giblet meat takes the place of the liver. The tongue can be omitted.

6 Serve with hot toast and butter.

CHAPTER 2

MAKING STOCKS AND SOUPS

Many years ago a stock pot was an essential part of any good cook's kitchen. The bones were kept simmering in liquid for many hours, producing a rich stock which added a delicious flavour to soups, sauces, stews and gravies. We now realize this was a far from perfect way to make the stock, and greatly appreciate the speed and efficiency of a pressure cooker. The stock produced from bones in a pressure cooker is richer than any made in an ordinary saucepan or stock pot.

The recipes for making stocks are given on pages 25-28.

One of the most satisfying of all dishes is a bowl of really good soup, generally steaming hot, but sometimes served as a cool and refreshing start to a meal.

It gives one a splendid feeling to know that from a pressure cooker you can produce enough soup for all the family, often in a matter of minutes. And good soup can be made from a few vegetables, or meat left on the bones, or flesh from the carcass of game or poultry.

There are certain points to remember when making a stock or soup:

Capacity: Do not have the pan more than half full. If you want to make a large quantity of soup, you can reduce the liquid slightly so that the pan is not overfull, then add extra liquid when the soup is cooked to bring to the correct consistency.

Trivet: Do not use the trivet when making stock or soup; you want the ingredients to be cooked in the liquid.

Pressure: Bring up to H/15 lb pressure on a medium heat and allow the pressure to drop at room temperature.

Liquid: You will notice less liquid is given in most soup recipes than when cooking in a saucepan; this is because there is no evaporation when cooking in a pressure cooker.

Seasoning: As the ingredients cooked in the pressure cooker retain the maximum of their natural flavour, be sparing with salt, etc., when making stock and soups. Adjust seasoning at the end of the cooking time.

Reducing pressure: When making stocks or soups allow the pressure to drop steadily at room temperature; do not cool with cold water.

FREEZING STOCK AND SOUPS

If making stock or soups specifically to freeze, reduce the liquid to give a more concentrated mixture that will take up less room in the freezer. Cook by pressure, cool, remove the top layer of fat then pack and freeze. It is advisable to thicken soups when reheating after freezing, and also to add any cream or milk together with extra seasoning and wine, as they lose a little potency in freezing. Rice and pasta tend to become over-soft in a soup during freezing so they are better cooked in the soup when it is reheated.

To reheat the cooked soup: Put about 280 ml (½ pt) stock or water into the open pan, plus any extra required by the recipe. Add the block of soup, heat gently for 2–3 minutes, then break up the block into small pieces. Fix the cover and bring steadily to H/15 lb pressure, then allow pressure to drop. Taste the soup, thicken if necessary, add any extra ingredients and seasoning and continue cooking or heating according to the individual recipe.

PRESENTATION OF SOUPS

Soups need interesting garnishes, preferably those which make a pleasing contrast in colour and texture. Chopped herbs, such as parsley, chives, mint, tarragon, look cool on brightly coloured or pale soups. Yogurt or cream or soured cream are excellent garnishes on both hot and cold soups.

Paprika gives colour, without adding too definite a flavour, to pale coloured soups.

Fried or toasted croutons are particularly good with vegetable soups. To make croutons, either dice sliced bread, fry in hot butter or oil, then drain; or toast bread and then dice. Put on top of the soup at the last minute, so that the soup does not make them soft.

STOCKS

You can use almost any bones to make stock. They can be from cooked meat or they can be fresh uncooked bones. Various bones can be mixed, unless you want a really white stock, but ham, game bird or bones from game such as venison tend to dominate other flavours, so are better used alone.

Vegetables add flavour to stock, but cause it to spoil more readily. Always store stock in the refrigerator or in the freezer. A pressure cooker enables you to make richer stocks that will give flavour to so many dishes. Here are the definitions of various types of stock:

Brown Stock: Made ideally from beef bones, shin is excellent, and so is a marrow bone which produces a rich stock and plenty of fat. Game bones give a good brown stock with a definite flavour and colour. Lamb and mutton stock is less adaptable than beef stock, but good in recipes such as Mulligatawny soup, page 46. If using vegetables choose a selection of root, not green, vegetables, plus celery and herbs such as thyme, marjoram and parsley. Season well. To make a browner stock, fry the vegetables in oil, dripping or butter in the open pressure cooker first. Bones from roasted joints give a darker stock than fresh bones or those from boiled meat.

Fish Stock: When the fish is cooked in liquid in the cooker it gives an excellently flavoured stock to add to sauces, but if you require a fish stock:

Put the bones and skin of fish into the pressure cooker with a strip of lemon rind, a bay leaf, bouquet garni (see page 16), then cover with water or water with a tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar or 2–3 tablespoons white wine. Fix the cover, bring to H/15 lb; cook for only 5 minutes. Strain and use.

Ham Stock: Use the bones from ham or boiled bacon. Ideal for many soups, particularly the pulses, page 37, and in dishes where a distinct flavour of bacon is an improvement. Use mixed root vegetables, marjoram and parsley and pepper only to season.

White Stock: Use veal bones for a perfect white stock and white vegetables, i.e. onion and celery, to flavour. Add a bay leaf, lemon thyme and lemon rind to flavour. Season lightly. Ideal for delicately flavoured soups and dishes.

Poultry Stock: The bones from the carcass of chicken and turkey can be used for a mild-flavoured stock. If you add the giblets, skin and inside of the body you darken the stock; flavour as White Stock, above. Duck and goose stock are darker and richer with a lot of fat; flavour with sage and a little orange rind.

Vegetable Stock: Excellent for vegetarian dishes. Use a selection of vegetables and herbs. To darken the stock, fry the sliced vegetables in hot oil or butter in the open pressure cooker first.

TO MAKE STOCK

Vegetables, bones, etc.

1 If frying vegetables, cook until golden in the open pressure cooker.

2 Break or crush the bones, for the smaller the pieces the more flavour is extracted.

3 Put the bones into the pressure cooker with almost enough water to cover, but make certain you have not more than half-filled the cooker.

4 Add the vegetables (unless these are first fried – see stage 1), then the herbs. As the stock is being strained, the herbs need not be tied in a bunch or in muslin as described in bouquet garni, page 16.

5 Fix the lid, bring steadily to H/15 lb pressure, and cook for the following times if possible: for a really rich stock, which can be diluted – to 2 hours; for a stock that can be used undiluted – from 30 minutes, if using bones from cooked meat, to 45 minutes for fresh bones.

6 Allow pressure to drop, then remove the cover and strain the stock. Allow to cool.

7 Lift the fat from the top of the stock. This can be used for frying. Hard fat from marrow bones can be clarified (see page 98) and used for pastry making.

(Continues…)


Excerpted from "The Basic Basics Pressure Cooker Cookbook"
by .
Copyright © 2010 Marguerite Patten.
Excerpted by permission of Grub Street.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Starters 18

Making Stocks and Soups 24

Cooking Fish 51

Cooking Meat, Poultry and Game 67

Cooking Vegetables 109

Cooking Rice, Pasta and Cereals 119

Puddings and Cakes 124

Making Preserves 146

Index 157

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