Everyday Pressure Cooking – Catherine Phipps is often described as the undisputed ‘Queen of Pressure Cooking’, and I totally agree. Catherine has taken a form of cooking that many people (including me) have been far too scared to try, and encouraged us to try this classic, speedy and energy saving way to cook. She’s already a well-known cookery book writer (Citrus and Leaf are both fabulous) and her latest book Everyday Pressure Cooking, published by Quadrille (£22 hardback) is the ideal excuse to invest in a pressure cooker – or dust off that one that might be languishing in a cupboard!
Everyday Pressure Cooking puts the pressure cooker at the heart of simple mealtime solutions, cutting down the time spent toiling the stove. She explains the basics of using this fabulous bit of kit in a clear, accessible way, and offers family-friendly meals. Catherine’s recipes are delicious and work every time, giving fast, nutritious dishes when you have only minutes, rather than hours, to spare. From flavour-packed meals such as Chicken, Pumpkin and Peanut Soup, Tortilla Lasagne and Beetroot and Paneer Curry, to weekend feasts like Roast Lamb with Red Wine and Rosemary Gravy and Whole Roasted Squash, the pressure cooker will become the hardest-working item in your kitchen! With over 100 recipes for fish, vegetables, meat, pulses, grains as well as puddings, this is the go-to cookbook for all pressure cooker owners.
I’ve actually started using my pressure cooker thanks to this book.
Here are a couple of recipes to persuade you either to invest in one or get yours out!
Aubergine and Butter Bean Braise. Serves 4
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large aubergine (eggplant), or, preferably, 2 smaller ones, around 300g (101⁄2oz), cut into 2.5cm (1in) dice
2 medium red onions, cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried mint
1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
50ml (13⁄4fl oz) white wine
500g (1lb 2oz) cooked butter (lima) beans (see page 231 for cooking instructions)
200g (7oz) tomatoes (canned or fresh), puréed
200g (7oz) block of halloumi, sliced
300g (101⁄2oz) green beans, trimmed (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
TO SERVE
Good olive oil
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
A rasping of lemon zest
So simple this, a bit Greek-inspired, what with the mint, cinnamon and butter beans. It needs nothing more than maybe some bread or a green (or Greek) salad but I have also added some optional green beans to cook on top, if you don’t want to go to the bother of making a salad.
Heat your pressure cooker and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When hot, add the aubergine and fry quickly until the cut edges have browned. Push to one side and add the remaining oil and the onions. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir the aubergines and onions together then sprinkle over the mint and cinnamon. Pour in the wine and stir to deglaze the base of the cooker. Add the butter beans and tomatoes and season with salt
and pepper. Stir and give the cooker a little shake so everything falls evenly. Arrange the halloumi on top. If using green beans, wrap loosely in foil and put into the cooker.
Close the lid and bring up to high pressure. Adjust the heat so it is just high enough to maintain the pressure and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to drop pressure naturally.
Ladle into bowls and drizzle over some olive oil and finish with a sprinkle of parsley and lemon zest.
Braised Fish with Chickpeas. serves 4
“This is a one-pot, but cooked in two parts. The chickpeas are cooked in a sauce first to allow the flavours to develop, then the fish is added and cooked quickly but gently on top. It takes moments to put together and just a few minutes to cook. I usually use thick pieces of loin or steaks here, but I have also tested this with a whole white fish, trimmed to fit, and it braised perfectly in the time. It is fiddlier to serve, but more of a show-stopper.”
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
A few sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp North African-style spice mix, or ras-el-hanout
500g (1lb 2oz) cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
100ml (31⁄2fl oz) white wine
400g (14oz) fresh or canned tomatoes, puréed
4 white fish steaks or thick pieces of loin, eg hake, halibut, cod or coley
(or one whole fish, cleaned and gutted)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
200g (7oz) baby leaf spinach (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve (optional)
Heat your pressure cooker and add the oil. When hot, add the red onion, sauté for a few minutes, just to get it started, then stir in the garlic, rosemary, chilli flakes and spice mix. Add the chickpeas, then pour in the white wine and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and stir to make sure the base of the cooker is completely deglazed.
Close the lid and bring up to high pressure. Adjust the heat so it is just high enough to maintain the pressure, then cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and fast release.
Season the fish and, if cooking a whole one, cut a few slashes into the flesh. Arrange on top of the chickpeas and close the lid. Bring up to low pressure, cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to drop pressure for another 3 minutes. Release the remaining pressure.
Remove the fish from the pan. Squeeze over some lemon juice and stir the zest into the chickpeas. If using spinach, add now and stir until wilted into the sauce. Divide the chickpeas between bowls and top each one with a fish steak (or present a whole fish at the table). Drizzle with a little more olive oil and garnish with chopped parsley, if you like.
The Seasoned Gastronome