Posts filed under ‘Pressure Cooker’
BBQ Beef Ribs
By Tia
Nothing beats fall-off-the-bone beef ribs slathered with just-spicy-enough BBQ sauce… the only problem is the time commitment.
BBQ ribs are fairly easy to prepare and very difficult to mess up but just the thought of cooking them all day is a bit daunting. Thanks to my pressure cooker the time issue has been wiped out and these delectable finger licking treats can be yours in about an hour.
As I researched pressure cooker rib recipes for the upcoming 3 day weekend I found many different ways to achieve tender results. Some suggest adding liquid to the inner pot and cooking the ribs on top of a trivet, others say to simply place the ribs in the cooker with BBQ sauce and some suggest browning prior to cooking. I tried all three methods and came up with the perfect formula worthy of sharing. I finished half my batch off on the grill, which lends a nice caramelized texture, although this step can be skipped without sacrificing any flavor.
BBQ BEEF RIBS
5 lbs or 2 slabs of beef ribs, cut in 2-4 rib slabs
1/4 cup BBQ spice rub of your choice
3 cups of BBQ sauce of your choice
Season the ribs by rubbing spice rub on all sides. If you have time, let them marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
Set your pressure cooker to Brown and brown ribs on meat side for a few minutes. Pour 2 cups of BBQ sauce on top of the ribs and set to High Pressure for 60 minutes.
Release pressure and check for doneness. If meat comes off the bone easily your ribs are done.
Serve with extra barbeque sauce and plenty of napkins on the side.
“Roasted” Potatoes and a 10-Minute Spanish Omelet
By Tia
Last night I prepared roasted fingerling potatoes as a side dish using my Aroma Pressure Cooker. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. And shhh… we’ll keep the pressure cooker secret between us because nobody was able to tell they weren’t oven roasted. I added garlic cloves and fresh thyme and in 15 minutes I was rewarded with a great side dish.
More than likely triggered by the site of last night’s potatoes leftover in the fridge, I woke up this morning craving a Spanish omelet. A little odd I know, but once you’ve tasted that mixture of crunchy potatoes, eggs and Mediterranean flavor, you’ll know what I mean. I can’t help loving reinvented leftovers that turn into an entirely new meal. It’s kind of like getting a 2-for-1 deal from your favorite store.
“ROASTED” POTATOES
1 pound fingerling or other small potatoes
3 tbls olive oil
1 tbls butter
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
6-10 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/4 cup vegetable broth
Set your pressure cooker to Brown for 10 minutes, add the butter and oil. Brown potatoes, garlic and thyme.
Add the broth, close the lid and set to cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
Release pressure, open the lid and remove the thyme sprigs. Squeeze the warm soft flesh from the garlic peels and mix with the potatoes and serve.
SPANISH OMELET
5 “roasted” potatoes, sliced
2 slices of deli turkey, chopped
4 eggs, beaten
1 tbls olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Set your Aroma Rice Cooker to Sauté-Then-Simmer™ and add the oil. Arrange potatoes on the bottom of the pot and sprinkle turkey on top. Let brown for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, salt and pepper. Close the lid until eggs are set, about 5 minutes.
Invert onto a plate and enjoy.
April 23, 2013 at 3:23 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Creme Caramel
By Tia
One of my favorite desserts is creme caramel because, well, who doesn’t love a perfectly cooked custard swimming in a pool of sweet caramel? The combination embodies the perfect balance to finish a meal. It can be simple to prepare once you get the timing right, and it really is all in the timing.
I made about half a dozen batches in order to ensure this dessert would effortlessly come out of your kitchen. And with some help from my Aroma Pressure Cooker this dessert also quickly comes out as it does effortlessly. I started by attempting a homemade caramel. I was happy to conquer the task since it allowed me some extra sauce to create cute little sugar art pieces that take these creme caramels to the next level. If you’re nervous about working with hot sugar or simply don’t have time to whip up a homemade version, a good quality ready-made one will also do the trick.
CREME CARAMEL
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, cut in half, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 cup sugar
4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
pinch of salt
Using the Simmer function, heat the cream, milk and vanilla until warm.
Heat the turbinado sugar by putting it in a heavy duty pot and cooking it over medium heat until amber colored. Don’t stir or mix the sugar, let it melt on its own. Remove from heat and coat the bottoms of 8 heat-proof ramekins with the caramel.
Whisk the sugar, eggs and egg yolk until smooth, add warm milk and mix well. Add the salt and pour liquid into ramekins, leaving at least 1/4 inch of room at the top. Add 2 cups of water and the Steam Rack to the pressure cooker. Cover ramekins with foil and set on the Steam Rack. Close the lid and cook for 10 min on High Pressure.
Let pressure come down on its own then check for doneness. Place custard in the refrigerator for a few hours before plating.
Invert onto a plate and decorate. If the custard is stuck, run a knife around the inside of the mold to help it release.
Some Tips:
- Use ramekins that are wider on top so it’s easier to remove custard when it’s set.
- If you have left over sugar you can make a few decorations by drizzling the hot sugar on a parchment paper in zig zag motion.
- 6-ounce ramekins should cook for 10 minutes, 10-ounce ramekins for 18 minutes.
April 22, 2013 at 3:25 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Quick ‘n’ Tasty BBQ Ribs and Mashed Potatoes
By Desiree
We’re down to our last couple of recipes from our demos at the International Housewares Show and this is one fit for a hungry crowd of any size. It’s a perfect weekend meal quick enough to make any day of the week. Enjoy!
QUICK ‘N’ TASTY BBQ RIBS AND MASHED POTATOES
For the ribs:
2 pounds boneless ribs
1 bottle BBQ sauce
For the mashed potatoes:
5 pounds small red or golden potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed
1 stick of butter
2 tbls milk
salt and pepper to taste
To make the ribs: Place ribs into the pressure cooker and cover with BBQ sauce (ribs should not be swimming in sauce, just slightly covered, stir to coat if necessary).
Set to cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes. When the pressure cooker beeps open the Steam Valve to release pressure. Once pressure is released, check meat for doneness.
Wrap in foil to keep warm while you whip up quick batch of mashed taters to wash them down.
To make the potatoes: Place potatoes in the pressure cooker and cover with water.
Set to cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes.
Release pressure, open the lid and drain the potatoes. Mash with butter, milk, salt and pepper.
April 11, 2013 at 12:22 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Poached Egg Cups
By Tia
I often research, read cookbooks, watch cooking shows and surf the net in quest for my next Test Kitchen inspiration, only to realize my next “Aha!” moment is right under my nose. Time after time this turns out to be the case and this recipe is no different. I love eggs and constantly try to find new or revamped ways to cook them. Last weekend I agreed to have breakfast with my mother at a small French restaurant in town where I came across a dish on their menu and there it was… my next Test Kitchen experiment!
It’s a famous French dish called “oeufs en cocotte” named for the small ramekins used to steam an egg. Often slices of ham and cheese are added before steaming these egg dishes. It is a delicious and creamy dish with a perfectly cooked soft egg and salty bacon or ham, served with a piece of toast for dipping. I love the way the colors pop if you cook these in a clear cup or bowl. And my children were equally excited to eat this “art food” as my daughter called it. The Aroma Pressure Cooker is the perfect vessel for this fanciful dish because you can use any kind of heat proof cup to cook the eggs and the pressure cooker makes it easy, safe and fast. Bon appetit!
POACHED EGG CUPS
4 eggs
4 slices of cooked ham or bacon
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese
dash of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
fresh thyme
Add 1 cup of water into your Aroma Pressure Cooker and place the Steam Rack inside.
Grease the inside of 4 heat-proof cups and place a slice of meat around each cup. Break an egg into each cup, being careful not to break the yolk. Add salt and pepper, cheese, a drop of cream and the thyme and cover tightly with foil. Place atop the Steam Rack in the pressure cooker. Fill the 3 remaining cups, place in the pressure cooker and and close and lock the lid.
Set your pressure cooker to Medium for 5 minutes. Release pressure and remove cups from the cooker. Uncover the eggs and serve with a slice of toast to dip inside the cup and capture all the gooey goodness.
I also whipped up a vegetarian version using fresh tomatoes, goat cheese and a few shredded basil leaves, yum!
Moroccan Lamb with Prunes
By Tia
March is the month of lamb for my family. There are three major holidays we get to celebrate, Persian New Year, Passover and Easter, all of which feature lamb as a dinner table staple. No matter how many of these holidays you celebrate, now is the perfect time to experiment with lamb since it’s readily available at most grocery stores.
By now, you’ve all noticed my love for ethnic flavors and Moroccan food is definitely on top of my list. Since Moroccan cuisine is known for amazing lamb dishes, normally cooked for hours in a traditional clay dish known as a tagine, I saw the perfect opportunity to translate one of my favorite Moroccan entrees into an Aroma Pressure Cooker miracle meal. This dish turned out in a fraction of the time without sacrificing an ounce of flavor. In fact, it was so highly praised by my family and friends that I promised to make it again for Easter.
MOROCCAN LAMB WITH PRUNES
4 lbs lamb shoulder, cut into large cubes
2 onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbls nutmeg
2 tbls cinnamon
2 tbls ginger
1 tbls cloves
2 tbls salt
1 tbls pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup beef stock
20 prunes
In a bowl combine the spices, lamb, onion and garlic and mix well. Brown the lamb and spice mix in a small amount of oil. Add the beef stock and set to cook on High for 60 minutes.
Release pressure and stir in honey and prunes. Simmer for 15 minutes and let thicken. Serve with rice. Enjoy!
March 27, 2013 at 3:04 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Cabbage Rolls
By Tia
My dad used to make great cabbage rolls and the recent St. Patrick’s Day holiday ignited a craving in me. The dish does have a few steps, but they are all quite simple and really quick. I suggest cooking up a large batch and popping these in the freezer for whenever a craving strikes.
I decided to prepare the rolls in my Aroma Pressure Cooker to guarantee a moist, flavorful roll without fear of burning (they scorch easily because of the sugar in the sauce). My dad used to layer a baking dish with extra steamed cabbage leaves to avoid burnt bottoms but I knew that using the pressure cooker would eliminate the scorch and cut cooking time down to close to 10 minutes, a win-win. This dish is an amazing eastern world tradition packed with flavor and nutrients. And I can assure you that you’ll impress your family as you create yet another favorite meal that seems like it took master talent and an entire day to achieve.
CABBAGE ROLLS
For the tomato sauce:
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
24 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 tbls sugar
1 tbls vinegar
salt and pepper
For the rolls:
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbls tomato paste
2 pounds ground beef or pork
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 egg
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, lots of it
1 large cabbage, cored
To make the tomato sauce: Using the Brown function, sauté onion and garlic until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove sauce from pressure cooker and set aside.
To make the rolls: Using the Brown function, sauté onion and garlic until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and a splash of water and mix well.
Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Add egg, parsley, rice and the tomato mixture with 1 cup of the tomato sauce and mix well . Season with a good amount of salt and pepper.
Add 4 cups of water with a pinch of salt and set the pressure cooker to Steam for 20 minutes. Close the lid and let the water heat up. While waiting, carefully remove core from the cabbage and peel off about 10 leaves.
When the water is simmering, place leaves in the pot and cover. Let steam until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Carefully remove leaves and place on a clean surface. Empty the water from the pot.
Place 1/2 of the tomato sauce on bottom of the pot. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of filling onto one leaf. Roll the leaf up from the thickest part, folding in the sides and placing the roll seam side down in the pressure cooker, no need to worry about crowding the pan, these will cook up just fine. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
Spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the rolls and close the lid. Set on High for 10 minutes. Let pressure come down on its own then enjoy your perfect cabbage rolls!
March 22, 2013 at 3:20 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
By Tia
St. Patrick’s day is around the corner and we are all daydreaming of big parties and great Irish food.
Many of us associate St. Patty’s with a big plate of corned beef and cabbage which, contrary to popular belief, was made popular by immigrants after they arrived to the United States. Salted beef was too scarce and expensive for the Irish to consume themselves. Cows were kept for other necessities, such as milk, butter and cheese. They were only slaughtered after they were unable to produce dairy. Pigs and hogs, on the other hand, were used in cooking since they did not provide any better use. Still today, traditional Irish pubs and restaurants focus more on pork as a traditional meat while corned beef and cabbage is often left to the heavily tourist-driven establishments. The Irish families that settled into America found that salted beef was readily available and inexpensive, quickly becoming a staple in many households. It’s a hearty, working-class dish with deep roots in traditional American cooking, although many people are often scared off since it can be a bit cumbersome to prepare.
And that’s where I come in. Here is a great recipe for you corned beef and cabbage lovers out there. It take only 2 steps in an Aroma Pressure Cooker. An easy and extremely tasty dish from the Test Kitchen just in time for all the St. Patrick’s Day fun.
CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
3-4 pounds corned beef with spice packet
1 head cabbage, cut in 8 wedges
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 2 inch slices
1 yellow onion, quartered
5 ribs of leeks, cut into 2 inch pieces
Rinse the corned beef and place it into the pressure cooker. Add the onion, celery and spice packet. Set the pressure cooker on high for 60 minutes. When the cooking cycle has finished, reset on High for another 60 minutes. Release the pressure and check for doneness, if the fork slides easily inside the beef it is ready.
Remove the beef, cover and set aside. Add the carrots and cabbage into the broth and set to cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.
Release pressure and arrange veggies on a platter with the sliced beef. Strain the cooking liquid and serve alongside the meal.
March 14, 2013 at 3:58 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Rice Cooker Orange Marmalade
As great as a sweet, ripe orange is just the way it is, you can’t spread it on toast in the morning. There is nothing like fresh, homemade marmalade on a buttery piece of toast. My version forgoes the pectin as I’ve found the pith of the oranges is enough to gel the marmalade. In this recipe it is very important to use equal amounts of sugar and oranges as it will not thicken otherwise. I decided to jar some of my orange marmalade for future eating or gifting… a sort of upgrade from the plain ol’ orange my dad used to give us as a Christmas gift growing up. I used the pressure cooker to seal the jars since that’s how I remember my grandma doing it. You can also freeze the marmalade in mason jars and thaw it as you need it. Both methods work just fine.
RICE COOKER ORANGE MARMALADE
2 cups oranges, unpeeled
2 cups sugar
Cut oranges into chunks and remove the thick center pith.
Place oranges and sugar into your Aroma Rice Cooker, set to Sauté-Then-Simmer™ and close the lid.
Give them a quick stir every 15 minutes until thickened, approximately 30 minutes. Open lid carefully and watch for splattering as you stir.
Once the marmalade has thickened you have 3 options:
1) Place marmalade in hot sanitized jars and close. These jars will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator.
2) Jar the hot marmalade, leaving 1/4 inch of room at the top before sealing as it will expand a bit as it freezes. Let it come to room temperature before placing it in the freezer. These jars will keep for about 1 year. Simply thaw and use.
3) Place marmalade into hot sanitized jars and place into your Aroma Pressure Cooker. Add enough water to cover the jars and cook on low pressure for 15 minutes. Let the jars cool in the water. These jars will keep unopened for a few years.
Note: I sanitize my jars in the dishwasher or boiling water.
February 22, 2013 at 1:39 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Pressure Cooker Applesauce
Since I joined my CSA I have started thinking more like a farmer. I’m quickly learning the beauty of eating locally and seasonally. This realization came to me yesterday as I noticed that I might drown in oranges and apples if I didn’t create a few recipes that involve freezing,canning or preserving my bounty for future use. I was standing in my garage amidst boxes of amazing apples and some more boxes of equally great oranges when I remembered how much my children used to love my homemade apple sauce as babies. I used to cook the apples, freeze the sauce in ice cube trays and bag the cubes for an instant toddler meal. My kiddos still love apple sauce and I now love how easy it is to make in my Aroma Pressure Cooker.
PRESSURE COOKER APPLE SAUCE
5 lbs of apples, any variety, peeled, cored and cut in half
water
Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground clove, to taste
Cover the bottom of your pressure cooker with 1 inch of water. Place apples in the pot and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
Mash and season the apples to taste and place in a freezable container (freezer bags or containers work great if you don’t feel like sanitizing glass jars).
The applesauce will keep unopened in the refrigerator for a few weeks and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
February 18, 2013 at 1:21 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
