26
15
PRESSURE COOKING (Continued)
16. It is easy to adapt your favorite recipe for use in the Cook's Essentials
®
Programmable Pressure Cooker. For the most part, soups, stews,
braised and slow roasted meats and legumes, steamed and braised
vegetables, and slow-simmered recipes like tomato sauce, provide the
best results. Instructions and timing charts for cooking commonly pre-
pared foods under pressure can be found beginning on page 17. Bear
in mind that the amount of cooking liquid used when adapting a recipe
will be much less since you will be cooking in a sealed pot for a much
shorter time. You must, however, use sufficient liquid, since the
Pressure Cooker is constantly building steam during the entire cooking
process. If you run out of liquid, and continue cooking, the food will
not cook properly and may burn. While there is no universal guide for
adapting recipes, trial and error will come into play until you under-
stand how a Pressure Cooker cooks.
When adapting other pressure cooker recipes, use the HIGH PRES-
SURE Mode and cook for the shortest amount of time you expect it
might take. If food is not fully cooked, replace the Lid, and slide the
Safety Lock to the LOCK position. Cook under pressure until done.
17. Never try to force open the Self-Locking Lid. Built-in Safety Valves pre-
vent opening the Lid while there is still pressure in the Removable
Cooking Pot. All pressure and steam must first be released as
explained in Steps 10 and 11.
18. Never deep-fry or pressure-fry in the Cook's Essentials
®
Programmable
Pressure Cooker, regardless of whether the Lid is on or off. THIS IS
DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE A FIRE AND SERIOUS DAMAGE.
19. Do not cook dumplings or other foaming ingredients under pressure
without adding oil. Oil controls foaming and diminishes the possibility
that a particle of food will block the safety devises.
DELAY TIME
1. You can postpone cooking for up to two hours by using the
DELAY
TIME
in conjunction with the
WARM, COOK MODE:
STEAM, and
PRESSURE MODE:
HIGH or LOW programs. It can be set in 1/2
hour increments.
2. After selecting the desired cooking program and cooking time, press
the
DELAY TIME
Button for delay time desired.
3. Press
START/STOP
Button until the Green Indicator Light appears.
The appliance will begin cooking after the set time has elapsed.
4. Do not use the
DELAY TIME
function when cooking perishable foods
that may spoil if left out at room temperature.
SMOKEY BLACK BEAN SOUP
(22 minutes, high pressure)
Use either homemade unsalted chicken broth or low-sodium canned as the
smoked ham hock and chorizo sausage usually provide sufficient salt for the
entire soup.
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
4 cups water
4 cups unsalted or low-sodium chicken broth or additional water
1 pound (2 1/2 cups) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
1 meaty smoked ham hock or turkey drumstick
1/2 pound chorizo or kielbasa sausage, halved lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-
inch slices
2 large green bell peppers, seeded and diced
3 large bay leaves
2 tablespoons dry sherry
Salt to taste
Optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, diced tomato and/or avocado
1. Press BROWN and START, and heat oil in cooker. Add onions and cook,
stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add garlic, cumin, and oregano, and cook
until onions are soft, about 2 minutes more. Turn off heat and stir in papri-
ka. Immediately transfer onion mixture to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Add water, broth, beans, ham hock, sausage, peppers, and bay leaves to
cooker.
3. Pull lid handles apart and set lid on cooker. Slide safety lock to LOCK
position. Point pressure regulator knob to PRESSURE.
4. Set pressure mode for HIGH and cook time for 22 MINUTES. Press START.
5. When cooker beeps three times, STOP light will illuminate. Allow pressure
to come down naturally for 10 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pres-
sure by holding down Quick Steam Release Button until red Pressure
Indicator Rod drops.
6. Slide safety lock to UNLOCK. Pull handles apart and remove lid.
7. Remove ham hock and bay leaves. Stir in onion mixture and sherry. Add
salt to taste. Press BROWN and START and boil uncovered, stirring occa-
sionally, for 5 minutes (or longer, if needed, for beans to become very ten-
der.)
8. Meanwhile, chop meat from ham hock (there won't be much) and add it to
soup. Soup will thicken as it stands, but if you wish to thicken it immedi-
ately, mash about a cupful of beans against side of cooker and blend
mash into soup.
9. Garnish individual portions with cilantro, diced tomatoes and/or avocados,
if you wish.
Serves 7 to 8
Adapted from THE PRESSURED COOK, copyright Lorna Sass, 1998. By
permission of Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
