Beef Stroganoff (Pressure Cooker)

This is pressure cooker recipe - good recipe for a dinner party that doesn't take too long to cook up.

In the cooker, brown 2 lbs of beef stew meat or round steak (cut into 1" cubes) in 3 TBLS of oil. Add 2 TBLS of flour and mix well. Then stir in the following and blend thoroughly:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp of garlic
• 1/4 lb of sliced mushrooms
• 2 TBLS tomato paste
• 3/4 cup of beef broth
• 1 TBLS Worchestire sauce

Close the lid and bring to pressure; cook 20 minutes. In a separate pot, boil water and cook 1 pkg of egg noodles. After 20 minutes, release the pressure and remove the lid. Stir in 1 cup of sour cream and blend well. Serve over hot egg noodles.

Risotto with Peas

This recipe is for a pressure cooker - 13 min to a pretty decent risotto on a cold night when you need some comfort food to go with that roast chicken.

In the cooker, heat 2 TBLS of butter over medium heat. Saute 1 small onion - finely chopped - for 4-5 minutes, until soft. Stir frequently so the onion does not brown. Add the 1 cup of Arborio rice (or other short grained rice) and saute until light brown. Add 1 cup of frozen peas and 2 1/4 cup of chicken broth; stir well. Close the lid and bring to pressure. Lower the heat and cook for 7 to 13 minutes. (some cookers have two positions the times are for Position 1 and 2 respectively)

Release the pressure and open the lid. Stir in an additional 1 TBLS of butter, 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/8 tsp of black pepper. Let sit until butter and cheese melts then stir thoroughly.

White Beans and Chard

This is with many thanks to my good friend Diane N. We came home to my house for dinner one night with a whole fish to cook (a Shad I think.) We were tired after a whole day of cooking at Alberta's, and this is what Diane came up with for a side dish that combined vegetables and stick to your ribs carbs all in one. I think that we used spinach, but I love it with swiss chard best. Really any green is great.

Clean your greens. If you are using chard or kale tear the leaves into bite sized pieces save the stalks and chop coarsely.

Put a couple of tablespoons of good (extra virgin) olive oil in a deep sauté pan on low heat. Crush a few cloves of garlic and cook very slowly till garlic is light golden. Add the stalks add to pan with a pinch of crushed red pepper. Sauté a few more minutes and then add a drained, rinsed can of cannellini beans. Squeeze in juice from a lemon and add a couple of tablespoons of water. Salt and pepper to taste. When the beans are bubbling add the greens. Cover and cook until just tender, taste for seasoning and add a little more oil.

This is good as a leftover. So far everyone has loved this, even kids.

Squash Bread

Cleaning up my office uncovered this delicious bread recipe. Makes 1 big loaf of tender bread, perfect for sandwiches or toasting.

Easily vegan with the use of soy or almond milk and margerine or oil.

Preheat oven to 450

1 cup of pureed squash

2 tsp sugar

11/2 cups of milk

1TLB butter

1 package of dried yeast dissolved in 1TLB of warm water

31/3 to 41/3 cups of bread flour. You can substitute some whole wheat here but the bread will be heavier.

Scald the milk, then mix in the pureed squash, butter, sugar and salt. When this mixture cools to lukewarm add the yeast and enough flour to make a soft supple dough. It should be slightly tacky.

Knead well. (My mother used to say that a well kneaded dough should be as soft and smooth as a baby's bottom. As funny as that sounds it's actually a perfect description)

Let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch it down and shape your loaf. Place in a well oiled bread pan that has been sprinkled with a little cornmeal of whet germ, and let sit in a warm place until it is well risen over the top of the bread pan.

Place in the oven to bake lowering the temp to 425 after the first 15 minutes.