Why Be Afraid of an Instant Pot?

With all that’s happening with the coronavirus, cooking has become a chore to most.  The instant pot has an answer for the mundane task of getting food onto the table quickly and seamlessly.  On Saturday, we decided to experiment cooking a brisket for Passover.  We cooked one piece in the instant  pot and the other on the stove top for 5 hours.  The one in the instant pot was absolutely delicious and way cleaner.  It was tender and easy to cut, as was the one on the stove; however, given the ease of prep, the instant pot is my clear preference for future briskets.  Here are a few easy instant pot recipes to try out—let me know how your cooking comes out!

Steel Cut Oatmeal

1 ½ cups of steel cut oats
2 cups of milk
1 ½ cups of water
1 cup of diced or frozen fruit such as mangoes, peaches, strawberries or blueberries
¼ cup of light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Optional:
¼ cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to put on as a topping after cooking

Mix together oats, milk, water, honey, fruit brown sugar, honey cinnamon and salt.

Cover and lock the lid into place. Cook on risotto/steam for 10 minutes.
Using oven mitts and the plastic spatula that comes with the instant pot, move the pressure release valve to let all of the the steam escape and then carefully remove the lid. Top with any additional fruit you would like and pecans if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Note: I put the cooked oatmeal in 6-ounce Mason jars and store it in the refrigerator for a quick and easy breakfast during the week. I pour milk on top, add fruit and/or nuts and microwave it on high for a minute.

 

 

Ropa Vieja

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 pound flank steak of London broil
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1  14.5-ounce can of beef broth
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper finely chopped
½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup red wine

Season the meat generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the pressure cooker and press the sauté button. Place the meat into the instant pot making sure the flat part of the meat is in contact with the bottom of the pot. Brown the meat well on both sides for about 20 minutes total and then transfer it to a plate to rest.

Add the onions, garlic and green peppers to the pot and continue to cook over the sauté setting, stirring often until the onions start to soften. Add the broth to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits of the vegetables. Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, cumin and bay leaf. Put the meat back into the pot on top of the stew.

Cover the pressure cooker with the lid ensuring the valve is in the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. If using the instant pot, press cancel to stop the sauté mode before closing the lid, then manually add 40 minutes using the “+” sign.

After 40 minutes, when the cooking time is up, allow at least 10 minutes for the pressure to release itself naturally. Using the plastic spatula that came with the instant pot, move the pressure release valve with your oven mitts on and carefully open the lid.

Using two forks, shred the beef by pulling it apart into thin long strips. Serve with white rice, plantains, and black beans. ¡Que rico!

 

 

Brisket

1 three-pound brisket
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pounds yellow onions, cut into quarters
Kosher salt, paprika and garlic powder

Trim fat from the bottom of the brisket and season the entire brisket generously with the kosher salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.   Add oil to the instant pot and put on sauté mode, searing beef on both sides until brown. Remove the brisket and sauté onions until they are translucent.  Put beef back into the pot and put on high pressure mode for 70 minutes.  After 70 minutes, let the pressure naturally release.  Open the pressure cooker carefully, transfer the brisket to a cutting board, and slice across the grain into ¼” slices.  Serve with the onions and gravy.