Pressure Cooking

So this past week, I used our new pressure cooker for the first time, courtesy of a very generous visitor to our wedding registry.

I admit, part of the delight was in having a piece of kitchen equipment with a gasket seal, a pressure regulator and an automatic cover lock - space-age geek thrills galore!

Then we ate the stew. Wow. I'd started prepping vegetables at a little after 7pm, we were dishing up at 7:40, and it was as delicious as it had been quick.

Ingredients added to the pressure cooker (approximate):

- 3.5 cups onion broth
- 2.5 cups water
- 3 cups of soaked black-eyed peas (measured after soaking)
- 1 small can tomato paste
- Chopped celery and carrots (probably 4-5 handfuls)
- 2 chopped onions (most of them, anyway)
- 1 Tbsp. crushed garlic (lg jars a bargain at most ethnic grocers)
- Cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, basil, red pepper, ground mustard
- 1 bay leaf and a pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil

Sauteed separately, added to the soup when serving. I like the consistency of sauteed ground meat added to stews after cooking and have an easier time excluding the fat. I'd have done this differently if I were using cubed stew meat, most likely it would have been added to the pot:

- Small handful of the chopped onions
- 1 lb. ground bison
- Scosh of vegetable oil

After the pressure cooker had heated to the point where the regulator was gently rocking, I left the heat on for another three and a half minutes, then let it cool, as per the guidelines for a black-eyed pea soup in the instruction book. (Cookware with instruction booklets ... mmmmm.)

We added a bit of the strained meat to the bowls and poured the soup over it. Done. A delicious and well-cooked bean soup in under an hour. No all day crock pot, no 3-5 hours of stovetop simmering until the last grittiness is boiled from the beans.

(I think most people just don't bother, but a lot of raw foods upset my stomach and taste unpleasant to me. Yes, I'm weird, whatever. I dread bean stews and lentil dishes at pot lucks because they're so consistently undercooked as to be inedible.)

Pressure cookers have been touted as a promising, eco-friendly means of preparing food. I can see why. I'm hooked already, and I'm glad to have a kitchen trick to recommend to people who want to cut their household energy usage without feeling deprived. Admittedly, they aren't cheap, but at $49.99 for a good quality cooker, they're less than the typical new microwave oven and in line with the price of a durable, mid-range stock pot.

My recommendations: save up for one of these if you can, and be sure to read the manual before using.