Pork Ragu (PCP)

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Mise en place.

Softening the onion after browning half the pork on all sides.

Cooking aromatics until fragrant.

Deglazing these days almost always seems like a little bit of a hazard.  Especially when it's wine and it usually is.

 

Add it all in except for those fresh herbs I never have.  Bring to pressure and call it a day for 20 minutes before naturally releasing pressure.

I have few comments beyond saying I enjoyed it.  Well enough.  Couldn't have been astounding because I would probably remember that.

Shredded Pork Soft Tacos (PCP)

• 1 (4-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 onion, peeled and halved through root end, plus 1 onion chopped fined for serving
• 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce [Sadly didn't have any on hand.  I used dried pequin chiles instead.]
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 orange, halved
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
• 1/8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Thinly sliced radishes

Mise en place.

Dump in basically everything except for the lime, cilantro, and radishes.  Cook under pressure for 25 minutes and naturally release pressure.

The results.  Mash up the pork into bite-size pieces, thicken liquid, and season with salt and pepper.

Lovely texture and flavor even with the chipotle though that would've been preferred.  I eventually got sick of eating so many tacos.  As I often do with radishes in this sense, I quick pickled them with lime and kosher salt.

Classic Smothered Chops with Onions and Bacon (PCP)

• 6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 (8- to 10-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, 3/4 inch thick, trimmed [I don't think I found blade chops and they weren't uniformly that thick...]
• Salt and pepper
• 2 onions, halved and sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves,m inced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
•  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Mise en place.

Cook bacon until fat is rendered.

Brown all the chops.  First time I've seen browning all the meat in a pressure cooker recipe so far.

Sautee onions until softened.

Cook aromatics until fragrant.

Add flour and cook for 1 minute. 

Add flour and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in broth and deglaze.

Nestle chops with any accumulated juice and cook under pressure for 10 minutes.  Naturally release pressure.

Chops were springy and nearly inedible.  ATK seems to suggest that the particular kind of ribs in the ingredients are essential to the dish working and I suppose they weren't kidding.
Mighty flavorful sauce though.

Chickpea and Artichoke Tangine (PCP)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
• 4 (2-inch) strips lemon zest
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 8 ounces (1 1/4 cups) dried chickpeas, picked over, rinsed, and salt-soaked
• 9 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and patted dry
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata oilves, halved [They had gone bad by the time I had gotten around to cooking this.  Or at least suspicious looking.]
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper

Mise en place.

Sauteeing onions until soft.

Cook aromatics until fragrant.

Add flour and cook for one minute.

Whisk in broth to deglaze.  Stir in carrots, tomatoes, and chickpeas and cook under pressure for 25 minutes.  Quick release pressure.

Meanwhile brown the artichokes.

Fine for a tangine although I'm more familiar with the dried fruit and honey variation.  Also it drove me nuts not to have some animal protein at least every other serving, but that's just how it goes.

Pork Vindaloo (PCP)

• 3 pounds boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
•  2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 onions, chopped fine
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Mise en place.

Browning half the pork.

Softening the onion.

Cook aromatics until fragrant.

Add flour and cook for one minute.

Deglaze with chicken broth.

Add tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and pork and cook under high pressure for 30 minutes.  Allow pressure to naturally release.

Stir in cilantro if I bother to have any.  Season with salt and pepper.
It's been a while between actually writing about this dish and eating it, but I think I found it a pretty serviceable vindaloo.

Rustic Braised Chicken with Mushrooms (PCP)

• 6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/4 pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 ounce dried porcini, rinsed and minced [Typically, dried mushrooms are rehydrated in hot water, but I guess that's unnecessary with a pressure cooker.]
• 4 (12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts trimmed [Argh, I wish they had also said to leave the skin on.]
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley.

Mise en place.

I was debating whether or not to do actually do this blog entry since apparently I kept forgetting to take photos at the end, but here we go.

Browning the bacon.

Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat and soften the onions in that.

Stir in tomato paste,  garlic, thyme, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant.

And then I decide to keep forgetting to photograph anything else that night:
Deglaze with wine.  Stir in broth, mushrooms and tomatoes.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and lay on top of vegetables.
Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes and then quick release pressure.

Before seasoning, create slurry with cornstarch and water and whisk in.

Forgot to take photographs prior to any of the servings besides this last splash of leftovers.
The flavors were pretty bold however the chicken was dried out.  This could've been attributed to the fact that I had removed the skin from the chicken, but I guess we may never know since I rarely re-cook recipes.

Served over a mess of fried rice that my mother had given me towards a housewarming party that was eventually just tossed.

Hearty Beef Stew (PCP)

• 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups beef brother
• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Mise en place.

Browning only half the meat.

At some point I must've softened the onions and cooked the tomato paste and thyme until fragrant.

Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

Deglaze with wine.

Add in everything except for the parsley and peas and cook at high pressure for 25 minutes.

Add peas and parsley (which you know I don't have).  Season to taste.

Many of the pieces of short rib were rather springy more than tender.  This could either be my fault or the recipes.  I dunno; the cookbook has worked like a charm so far.  Plus boneless short ribs from Whole Foods at this amount...   Totally pricey.
Still.  A very good, straightforward beef stew.