August 12, 2018
Pressure Cooker Delights
By Linda Dansbury

I tend to go through trends in my cooking - I will use a cooking technique and keep using it for a few days, or more. This past week I used the pressure cooker a couple of times and plan to do so again today. I don't have the famous Insta Pot, but a different brand that also sautes, pressure cooks and can be used as a slow cooker. I got it a few years ago - these things are pretty expensive, but I have found it well worth it and in this rainy weather where we don't feel like standing outside with the grill, I love using it because the food is awesome and it doesn't heat up or make a mess of the kitchen. Share how you enjoyed your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net. Please put Anchor Run in the subject line so I can find your email. Now that we are in the height of the harvest season, how are you enjoying the huge bounty we are currently receiving?

Tomatillos, hot peppers, cilantro, garlic, scallions - I made the Tomatillo Sauce from the Stewed Chicken in Tomatillo Sauce recipe. But, instead of following the exact recipe, I put it into the pressure cooker. Instead of rice, I made corn tortillas - filled the tortillas and rolled them, topped with more of the sauce and topped with cilantro and some local feta - YUM! Note that if you do this, use less chicken stock than the recipe calls for.

Stewing meat, carrots, okra, onions, garlic, herbs - again, used the pressure cooker to make a delicious meal using some of the bounty of the farm. I simply found a recipe with a blend of flavors I liked - that night I felt like Moroccan/Middle Eastern flavors and then added the veggies I wanted to used. It turned out tender and delicious!

Tomatoes, basil, local mozzarella - last night made a Caprese salad. Many of these call for balsamic vinegar, but with the tomatoes this delicious, I only add a touch of sea salt, and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.

Green beans, garlic, cilantro and Thai basil - I grow Asian long beans at home so I found this recipe for ground pork and long beans - it is actually a lot like the Kale Rice Bowl recipe on this site, so I blended the 2 recipes. I am sure it would be good with our beans from the farm as well. I blanched the beans for 1 minute (in boiling water I was going to use for corn). Half the garlic and ginger was mixed into the meat. The meat was browned and then the beans and rest of garlic and ginger were added. I added a bit of fish sauce near the end and topped with fresh herbs. A tasty, quick, weeknight meal.

Ground cherries, cucumber, basil (or cilantro), scallions, hot pepper - made the Grilled Corn, Basil and Ground Cherry Salad that Dawn Wright sent to me last week. I purposely made extra corn one night so I had leftovers for the salad. It was really delicious.