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Santa brought me a pressure cooker, and a ham bone....

post #1 of 20
12/25/08 at 3:43pm
Thread Starter 
what to do?

I gotta be honest, the only thing I remember my grandfather using a pressure cooker for...was the very very very VERY few times "he" cooked (it was always a treat when he cooked...he was amazing at it, but did it soooo little)...and he made pea soup...with a ham bone. any recipes? or...any other ideas?

BTW the pressure cooker I got is midrange, nothing special, just a 6qt Fagor elite.
Amazon.com: Fagor "Elite" Pressure Cooker, 6 Qt.: Kitchen & Dining

Hoping to use it to do some very minor canning as well.

rabbit? short ribs? keep the ideas coming!
http://nicholascookbook.blogspot.com - New Project!
http://blogtimko.blogspot.com - Personal Blog
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post #2 of 20
12/25/08 at 4:02pm
A pressure cooker is a great time saver - I want one! (oh WHY didn't I ask Santa....)

Beef & lamb stews, anything you would normally braise or stew. Pots roasts. Vegetables, especially root veg. Excellent for many soups, you can brown off your onions, garlic, aromatics and spices in the cooker first, then add the veg. and brown them, add your stock and liquids, other spices and sauces, then bung the lid on and you have a soup in almost no time. Think of it as a slow cooker in reverse - same great results but in a fraction of the time.

Lots of sites on the web with suitable recipes. Have fun, experiment - it'll save so much time.

DC
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
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post #3 of 20
12/25/08 at 4:30pm
Ham and bean soup, one of my favorites.
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post #4 of 20
12/25/08 at 11:55pm
I must say, I'd be nervous making split pea soup in a pressure cooker. I'd have thought it would scorch easily. No? I'm only guessing -- I don't have one.

Anyway, the trick to split pea soup is not to mess with it. Split peas, water, ham bone. Minced or chopped onion and/or carrot and/or celery if you like, but they're not necessary, and too much will screw up the basic wonderfulness of split pea soup. If the bone is meaty, that's gold: just scrape the meat off when it's almost falling off, shred, and toss it back in.

You'll want lots of pepper at the end; I find that peppering it during the cooking doesn't taste as good, I don't know why.

Oh, and don't believe any of that nonsense you sometimes read about pureeing the soup. You don't have to: just cook it more and the peas will fall apart by themselves. Then a little vigorous stirring here and there and you're all set. A friend of mine did puree it once, and the result looked like what Linda Blair spat up in The Exorcist.

I think the usual proportions are 1 lb. split peas to 1 gallon water, but that presumes you'll be cooking it uncovered and thus will lose some to evaporation. You might try 1 lb. split peas to 3 quarts water, and add more water if it's getting too thick.
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post #5 of 20
12/26/08 at 6:32am
You are coming into pressure cooking at a great time. Until recently, there were very few specific cookbooks. Now you have several very good ones from which to choose. My recommendation for a complete resource would be "Miss Vickie's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes". Before one recipe is given, the first 100 or so pages are dedicated to the how-to's, what not's, Q&A and time charts. Another author with good pressure cooker advice is Lorna Sass. A third very good book is called "The Pressure Cooker Gourmet". As might be expected, the recipes are geared to the more sophisticated pallates, however it is not as complete in regards to basic pressure cooker usage. In addition, the recipe ingredients are offered in an odd shade of green ink, which I found difficult to read.

Scorching can be a problem with split peas soup. I usually bring everything up to the boiling point, then give it a good stir, before locking the lid into place. Reduce the heat down to medium to build pressure, and then down to the lowest setting where pressure is still stable for the cooking time.

for a website dedicated entirely to pressure cooking,
click here----> Miss Vickie's Guide to Modern Pressure Cookery
"The pressure's on...let's cook something!"
 
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post #6 of 20
12/26/08 at 7:10am
I just made mine last night and it was done in 1.5 hours. Heres what I did and it always comes out great.

1 ham bone
1 bag raw uncooked split peas
1 onion minced
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme


Put everything in the pressure cooker, fill to 1" below the max fill line. Close and seal and turn on medium heat until it releases the pressure(took me just shy of 30 mins). Turn to low and let it go for another hour. Take the pot off the heat and let it sit for 15 minutes. DO NOT TAKE OFF THE TOP!!!!! After the 15 minutes remove the top and season with S&P TT. The beans will be nie and done, bone will be falling apart and the soup should be yummy. My ham was smoked so it was nice and hearty, honey cured ones are sweet and earthy from the peas and if it was a raw ham you cooked yourself it will take on whatever you seasoned the ham with.
Taste: The sensation derived from food, as interpreted thru the tongue to brain sensory system.
Flavor: The overall impression combining taste, odor, mouthfeel and trigeminal perception.
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post #7 of 20
12/26/08 at 7:23am
Chefhow, you forgot to say how much liquid to use.
With all due respect, the pressure time you state is much to long. Under pressure, the internal temperature reaches 250 degrees, and dramatically reducing conventional cooking time. I typically do split peas 10 minutes at 15psi. You can go as long as 15 minutes, but anything beyond that is overkill to the max. With 10 minutes @ 15psi, the meat will still fall off the bone, the veggies will still be practically "melted", the peas will be mush, and the flavors will be totally blended.
"The pressure's on...let's cook something!"
 
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post #8 of 20
12/26/08 at 7:30am
No disrespect taken, but you should have reread the post before making the comment, fill to 1" below the max fill line is what I said, and it isnt only about cooking the beans, its also about thickening the soup without the use of a stick, in 15 minutes you may have cooked peas, but you will have a soup that may still be a bit on the watery and loose side. By extending the cook time the beans breakdown and give the soup its traditional body and hearty viscosity. Not everyone does everything the same, he asked for a recipe and this is how I do it and it never fails.
Taste: The sensation derived from food, as interpreted thru the tongue to brain sensory system.
Flavor: The overall impression combining taste, odor, mouthfeel and trigeminal perception.
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post #9 of 20
12/26/08 at 7:52am
[quote=chefhow;252320]. Not everyone does everything the same.[/quote]

Ain't that the truth? I gave the how-to, but not my recipe

pound of dried peas, sorted & rinsed
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium to large potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
ham bone
broth and/or water to cover by 2" above the solids

Sweat the vegetables, add everything else, bring up to the boil, lock the lid on and bring up to pressure, reduce heat & pressure cook 10 to 15 minutes. Allow pressure to drop on its own*.

The peas do break down very quickly under pressure, and the addition of the other hearty ingredients, the soup thickens very nicely, to the point that I typically add more liquid before serving.

*There are two reasons for allowing the natrual pressure release:
1. Because split peas are foam-prone, engaging the auto-realease, or using the cold water release method may cause the foam to rise up into the steam vent and safety system of the cooker.
2. The natural release method allows the cooking to continue, even though there is no longer any heat being applied. When the pressure drops to zero, and you take off the lid, the soup will still be bubblings as if it were still simmering on the stove. Essentially, this adds an additional 15 or so minutes to the actual cooking time.

This is turning into the great pea soup debate...are you happy now McMurphy? :look:
"The pressure's on...let's cook something!"
 
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post #10 of 20
12/26/08 at 7:56am
Thread Starter 
and I'm sure you BOTH don't make it like my grandfather haha.

I'll flip a coin later today.
http://nicholascookbook.blogspot.com - New Project!
http://blogtimko.blogspot.com - Personal Blog
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post #11 of 20
12/26/08 at 8:27am
my dad still does his old school and cooks it slow and low and then strains it and presses half of it thru a Tamis and leaves the other half whole.
Taste: The sensation derived from food, as interpreted thru the tongue to brain sensory system.
Flavor: The overall impression combining taste, odor, mouthfeel and trigeminal perception.
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post #12 of 20
12/26/08 at 9:08am
You can always add more time, but you can't take it back. I'd say start out slow, with the shortest time, then, if you think it needs more for your preferrence, put it back on for a little longer.

By the way, I gave myself a Fagor 10 quart Splendid pressure cooker for Christmas. Look under Cooking Equipment for my comments.
"The pressure's on...let's cook something!"
 
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post #13 of 20
12/26/08 at 6:29pm
Thread Starter 
I did 30 minutes on, then let off heat for 15.....i could have probably gotten away with shorter, but came out great.

we had tons of meat left on the ham bone, made for a good soup.

http://nicholascookbook.blogspot.com - New Project!
http://blogtimko.blogspot.com - Personal Blog
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post #14 of 20
12/27/08 at 9:41pm
Mmmm...looks really yummy! You did good. By the way, McMurphy, I did some research on your Fagor Elite model, and it looks like you have two pressure settings? The industry standard 15psi, and a lower setting (10psi perhaps?). This is a very nice feature that makes your cooker even more versatile. While most recipes for pressure cooking call for the 15psi, and that is the setting you will use the majority of the time, there are occasions when the lower setting is desirable. For instance, cooking foods that foam, or for steamed breads and puddings, and delicate egg custard (I will never make flan any other way again). The recipe and instructions I gave were for the typical 15psi. Which setting did you use for the soup? Of course, when using the lower pressure, cooking time needs to be increased by about a third.
"The pressure's on...let's cook something!"
 
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post #15 of 20
12/28/08 at 5:21pm
despite all the fab info above... If anyone bought me a bloody pressure cooker ( no matter how high tech) or any other kitchen "gadget" for christmas, birthday or other, they would be wearing it!
Hopefully it was simply a thoughtful un- christmas/birthday prezie
"If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?" Jo Brand
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post #16 of 20
12/28/08 at 6:11pm
I'd feel the same way about a new fishing pole. Different strokes for different folks. The obvious joy Mc-M and I feel about our pressure cookers seems to be lost on some folks. Never mind. I'm very pleased with my gift to myself. Mc-M seems to be happy with the one he received too. :)
"The pressure's on...let's cook something!"
 
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post #17 of 20
12/28/08 at 6:43pm
Thread Starter 
happy?


shhiiiiiiiieeeeeettt...it was on my xmas list!
Choose Life.: Top 10 (or as many as I can think of in 5 minutes) things to get me for X-mas

number 28 to be exact. :D

I almost bought my Fiance a spaetzle maker, but thought twice...
http://nicholascookbook.blogspot.com - New Project!
http://blogtimko.blogspot.com - Personal Blog
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post #18 of 20
12/29/08 at 1:23am
Hambone + pressure cooker= Hoppin' John. Just in time for New Year's too. Traditional Hoppin' John is black eyed peas and rice. Sometimes there's a ham bone. I add tomatoes, green pepper, onion, garlic, and Chinese red curry to mine. Nice with crusty bread to mop up the juice. It's considered good luck to eat Hoppin' John on New Year's day. I would cook the bone under pressure, then add the rest of the ingredients without the pressure. Don't need a recipe, just throw it all together as you like.Follow the directions for your cooker to cook the bone.
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post #19 of 20
12/29/08 at 5:45pm
Silliest recipe mistake I ever made was to ask my grampa for the recipe for the pea soup he used to make at the firehouse. After following his recipe, i wound up with 3 Gallons of soup! Turns out his recipe was made to feed a ladder company, an engine company, 2 chiefs, and a dog, like 12 people- not 3 college kids in a loft apartment.

1 ham bone
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch celery
1 big onion
1 bunch thyme from the flowerpot in the yard
3 bags dried split peas
1 gallon water per bag of peas
1 lb. polish sausage if the boys pony up for it; skip it if they don't.

Melt some butter in the soup pot, doesn't matter how much- just "enough." When it's foamy throw the veggies and herbs in all together. Stir 'em around for a couple minutes. Dump in the peas and stir them around too. Throw in the ham bone, then the water. Boil it all, then simmer till all companies are back in quarters- doesn't really matter when; might be an hour, might be 8 hours. Throw in the sliced sausage right before you serve it. Oh, and pepper the heck out of it at the same time.

Dunno how ths adapts to a pressure cooker- I save my pressure-cooking for work...:smiles:
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post #20 of 20
12/29/08 at 6:13pm
Cut the recipe into thirds, and it will come out okay in a 10 to 12 qt cooker ... remembering that because the peas will foam, the pot should not be more than half full.
"The pressure's on...let's cook something!"
 
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