Summer Means . . .

Summer means we get to bathe in the tub.
Summer means I'm making lots of trays of ice cubes and storing them in a huge plastic bowl in the freezer.
Summer means iced coffee and fruit smoothies for breakfast.
Summer means washing the clothes before bed and hanging them on the line at 5 AM.
Summer means 10:AM is already very hot.
Summer means wearing dresses and having exposed toes.
Summer means having a cold supper.
Summer means dunking my head under the hose every 20 minutes until my clothes get mildewy.
Summer means walking around wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat.
Summer means German potato salad, coleslaw, and pasta salad and cold beets.
Summer means red onion sandwiches.

Favorite Summer Foods

Wholegrain pasta salad is a snap when you can pressure cook a pound of wholegrain ziti in 5 minutes. Lately I've been saving the leftover 3 cups of liquid from my German Potato salad and I pressure cook my pasta in that. Summer is also the season for making home made coleslaw. My secret to coleslaw is Marion Cunningham's recipe from the SUPPER BOOK and adding buttermilk and apples.

Five Minute Vegetables: Pressure-Cooked, Delicious, + Colorful

I made this for supper last night and it was so good I ate some of the cold leftovers for breakfast. The beets add their magnificent magenta color to the potatoes and carrots. It was like wearing rose-colored glasses to the table.

One large beet peeled and thinly sliced and quartered,
2 super large carrots or equivalent, chopped into coins
4 ribs of celery chopped
6 average-sized red potatoes cubed (keep skins on but cut out any blemishes)
1 small bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped into one-inch lengths

Place steamer tray in pressure cooker.
Add water to cover the bottom of the cooker (up to the tray).
Add the chopped vegetables.

Mix up a dressing to pour over the veggies before they cook:

Equal parts generic red wine vinegar and olive oil (quarter of a cup each)
Tablespoon of Guilden's prepared mustard
Tablespoon Kosher salt
Tablespoon of sugar

Mix the dressing with a fork or shake in a jar and pour over the vegetables. Steam in the pressure cooker for five minutes (start your timer as soon as it comes up to pressure). Immediately cool under cold water to release pressure. Enjoy the veggies. Their flavor gets cooked-in and is terrific hot or chilled.
Save the liquid to drink or use in soup.

Raymond Chandler

I went out the kitchen to make coffee - yards of coffee. Rich, strong, bitter, boiling hot, ruthless, depraved. The life blood of tired men.
― Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye

Americans will eat anything if it is toasted and held together with a couple of toothpicks and has lettuce sticking out of the sides, preferably a little wilted.
― Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye

Variations on a Theme

Last night I added fresh kale rinsed and washed to my Presto German Potato Salad recipe and cooked it all together in my pressure cooker. It came out great and was a delicious variation.

Presto German Potato Salad

This recipe came with my first Presto Pressure cooker and I have made it for over 35 years.
Ingredients:

6 bacon strips, diced or in place of bacon I use 1/2 cup olive oil
5 pounds unpeeled medium red potatoes, cubed
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cider or red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2-3 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, divided (optional)
2-3 teaspoons Kosher salt
1-2 teaspoon prepared mustard (Guilden's)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Adobo seasoning (optional)

In a pressure cooker, cook bacon (or olive oil) over medium heat until crisp; drain. Add potatoes and onions. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, 2 tablespoons of parsley, salt, mustard and pepper; pour over potatoes.
Close cover securely; place pressure regulator on vent pipe. Bring cooker to full pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. (Pressure regulator should maintain a slow steady rocking motion or release of steam; adjust heat if needed.) Remove from the heat.
Immediately cool according to manufacturer's directions until pressure is completely reduced. Just before serving, sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Refrigerate!

Salt and Vinegar Tuna Salad

Last night we made a simple tuna salad for supper that was notably refreshing. We used two cans of drained tuna, a small can of red kidney beans drained, sliced dill pickles, chopped red onions and chopped celery. We added a mild wine vinegar and salt. It was delicious!

Hot Day? Drink Slush

I don't like hot weather. Today in a heat panic I put 12 ice cubes and orange juice in the blender until it was slush. I added plain yogurt and banana too. It cooled me off so well I had to put on my sweatshirt.

Whole Wheat Rigatoni

I just pressure cooked whole wheat rigatoni in my Presto pressure cooker. It was ready in 5 minutes. Amazing. Pasta is no longer a project. Be sure to add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to prevent foaming which could clog the vent pipe.

A New Twist on Kale

I am an unfussy cook so I generally like simple methods. I decided to rinse a head of kale after I trimmed the ends off and not chop it into one-inch pieces like I usually do. I left the leaves intact. I filled the pressure cooker with water up to the steamer tray and curled the leaves in. Then I pressure-cooked the kale for 3 minutes. Afterwards I made a sauce of olive oil, wine vinegar, salt, sugar, and mustard and poured it over the bowl of greens. Leaving the leaves whole was a fun discovery and the stems were perfectly tender. It was like eating asparagus. I saved the kale steaming liquid for soup or steaming pasta, or drinking as a cold broth. It was delicious.

Colorful Coleslaw with Apples and Raisins

I filled a huge bucket with two heads of cabbage chopped fine one red and one green then I added chopped carrots celery and onions. I made a sauce with a quart of low fat buttermilk, ample Hellman's mayonnaise, regular mustard, wine vinegar, salt, sugar, black pepper and rooster hot sauce. Then I added apples and raisins and raw sunflower seeds. My original inspiration for coleslaw was from Marion Cunningham's Supper Book. I have made her recipe a million times. Later I learned about the magic of buttermilk and I have never stopped using it in my coleslaw.

Grilling Broccoli

We just experimented with grilling broccoli over a hot hardwood charcoal fire. We cut the broccoli into large 'trees' and dipped the florets into various sauces. We found that a mixture of olive oil and soy sauce and a bit of rooster hot sauce was a perfect dipping mixture for grilling the broccoli. Broccoli isn't naturally sweet, so charring wasn't necessary. We dipped the broccoli into the mixture and placed the heads over the coals with the tails pointing out for about a minute or two. Olive oil is flammable - be prepared! There was no need to turn them over. We discovered all this after a few trials and many errors.

Remembering the Rewards of Pressure Cooking

I finally replaced the rubber gaskets on our three PRESTO pressure cookers. I am back up and running with STEAM HEAT. Do you remember Doris Day singing that song?

Anyway I am sorry I didn't buy my gaskets 10 years ago. Nonetheless it's been a sweet reunion.

I forgot how amazing the leftover concentrated broth is after pressure cooking vegetables. This is liquid GOLD. I call it vegetable liqueur. Save it in a jar in the fridge and use it to make a quick broth or add it to a soup or a stir fry. It is full of flavor and vitamins.

Years ago when I taught a pressure cooker workshop I told people, Don't be scared. It's not any more dangerous than driving a car. There are many safety features built in to the modern cookers but just like with driving be alert when you are using this tool.

A friend of mine traveled to Tibet. When she came back home to Rhode Island she said, I thought of you because the first thing I saw on top of the mountain was a gigantic pressure cooker being used to cook barley and yak meat. I was honored.

I am always trying to convert people to the joys of pressure cooking.

If you have delicious food, give it to your guest.
If you have important things to say, say it at a wedding.
—Tibetan proverb

Eleven O'clock Tea

I love black tea with milk and honey but if I drink it after noon the caffeine gives me a fitful sleep. A friend sent me this tea called Eleven O'clock and it is just as good as black tea. Read more about it.

Scrambled Hearts of Art

Lately I have been buying the large wide mouth jars of marinated artichoke hearts at Price Rite. This morning I made two scrambled eggs with six quartered hearts and a few heaping tablespoons of Greek yogurt. It was delicious.

The Secret to My Best Granola

I have to make something a million times before I devise the simplest and best-tasting method.

The secret to my best granola is not toasting it but drying it out in the oven. This way the flavor of the vanilla and molasses are not overshadowed. Bake in a preheated oven 250 degrees for 35 minutes and let sit for an hour or overnight to absorb residual heat.

Recipe:
One cup of corn oil, Grandma's Molasses, teaspoon of real vanilla extract, one heaping teaspoon of kosher salt (half this amount if using fine grain salt). Maybe I should just admit it, two teaspoons of kosher salt.

Directions:
Heat the oil, molasses, salt, and vanilla, in a large spaghetti pot and stir until bubbly then turn off the heat. Then add one (42 oz, or 2 lb 10 oz) large cylindrical container of old fashioned rolled oats and stir like mad. It's like tossing a salad of oats with molasses and oil dressing. When the oats are evenly coated pour them onto two baking trays or into two large cast iron frying pans and bake for 35-45 minutes at 250 F. Then after it has baked for 35-45 minutes turn the oven off and keep the oven door closed. Just let the granola dry out by itself. This is the important secret discovery. Come back a few hours later or the next day when it has dried and cooled and break it up and store the granola in an airtight container.

This is my favorite travel and snack food. I often carry a little bit with me just in case I get peckish when I am out on a long walk. Sometimes I add raisins.

Pressure Cooking Pasta

I tried pressure cooking pasta today. It's a REVOLUTIONARY technique. It took only six minutes under pressure. This is going to be my new go-to method. All you do is cover the dry pasta with water or stock and add a bloop of oil to prevent foaming/ clogging vent pipe and cook under pressure for half the time normally needed. Use SHORT pasta; ziti or twisty pasta not spaghetti, fettuccine or linguini. Have fun!

Pressure Cooker Romance

I have rekindled my pressure cooker romance. Last night I made kale and potato chopped and steamed for 3 minutes in the pressure cooker then tossed in frying pan with olive oil fresh garlic, ginger root, rooster hot sauce and soy sauce. I call it 'Asian meets Southern' style greens.

Right now I am pressure cooking chick peas in my leftover kale stock. The pressure cooker stock is GOLD and must be saved for making soups rice or beans.

Next I must try pasta under pressure.
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-pasta-with-spinach-pesto-casarecce-ai-spinaci/

UPDATE: I tried pressure cooking wholegrain pasta and it was great. It took 6 minutes. This will be my new go to method.
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/7536-pressure-cooker-easy-ziti-with-sausage-and-peppers

Irish Weather: Boiled Dinner

We're having Irish weather! Maybe this is why I thought of making a boiled dinner. I chopped a bunch of potatoes, carrots + cabbage, then I dug out my pressure cooker and put in the steamer tray and water and chopped vegetables. When the pressure came up to full steam (with the pressure regulator rocking), I timed three minutes and then fast cooled the cooker under the faucet for quick pressure release. We enjoyed the hot vegetables with olive oil and salt and pepper on top. It was delicious.

Napa Cabbage Delight

Chop up a huge Napa cabbage leaving out the core. Then core and chop 4-6 cloves of garlic. Peel and chop a knob of fresh ginger.

Heat a large skillet or wok and add (olive) oil and the fresh garlic and ginger, rooster sauce and soy sauce. Then add cabbage sesame seeds peanuts almonds and cocoanut and leftover spaghetti. Squeeze fresh lime juice on top.

Enjoy!

Simple Supper

Last night I steamed up a head of cauliflower and a few peeled and sliced carrots. When they were cooked I added olive oil and Adobo and Parmesan cheese. It was excellent.

Three Grain Bread with Pumpkin

The other night I mixed up my regular multigrain* sourdough and I added a few cups of leftover pumpkin puree. It made a fantastic bread with a tint of orange coloring.

(wheat, oats and corn)*

Deviled Eggs

12 hard cooked eggs, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 avocado, diced or equivalent amount of mayonnaise
1/4 cup Mustard or Sirracha sauce
3 Tbsp. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt or Adobo
1/2 cup diced red onions, divided

REMOVE egg yolks, reserving egg whites.
LIGHTLY mash egg yolks in small bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except 1/4 cup red onions.
SPOON or pipe into egg whites. Garnish with additional remaining 1/4 cup red onions and chopped cilantro, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Progress + Efficiency are an Illusion

My microwave from 1990 doesn't shut off any more. But for years we used it with a kitchen timer. Recently our pal Steve gave us a microwave he salvaged from a kitchen job. This one does shut off but the beep sounds like a smoke alarm and scares our dog to death. So now when we want to heat up our coffee we have to take our dog into the backyard and run back inside and set up the coffee and then run outside and wait. Progress and efficiency are an illusion.

Casual Two Course Meal

My favorite two course meal is my home made coleslaw (it rocks) and a bucket of home made popcorn. This is living!

Lazy Pizza Toast

My homemade tomato sauce on top of homemade bread toasted is a quick pizza. My tomato sauce has lots of olives in it so it is a satisfying meal.