Spinach and Goat Cheese Risotto in the Pressure Cooker

If someone were to ask me what kitchen utensil I couldn’t live without—I’d say the pressure cooker. I have two of them, both stainless steel, one an Italian-made jiggle-top and one newer, with a pressure regulator that doesn’t jiggle, a Swiss model: Kuhn-Rikon. And it seems like every time I talk about pressure cookers, someone has a story to tell about one exploding its contents all over the kitchen ceiling. My family has a blown-lid tale to tell as well, except that didn’t stop my mother from cooking corned beef and cabbage in a pressure cooker every St. Patrick’s Day, or teaching me the merits of steaming artichokes in 2/3 less time.

Besides cooking beans—pintos, chickpeas, black beans, white beans etc.—in record time, especially at our 7000 feet above sea level, my favorite pressure-cooked dish is ten minute risotto, the creamy Italian rice dish. My rapid risotto mentor is Lorna Sass, author of several cookbooks about pressure cookery. I use her Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure.

Arborio Rice

Risotto is made with a short and fat-grained white rice, Arborio, with the starch of this rice responsible for risotto’s creamy texture; do not rinse the rice so the starch is not lost. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you’ll just have to add more veggie stock, for a total of 5 1/2 to 6 cups, 1 ladle at a time, stirring all the while (about 40 minutes,) until the rice is creamy and tender.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

3-3 1/2 cups hot vegetable broth

12 ounces spinach leaves, washed and stems removed, chopped in 1-inch pieces

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

4 ounces soft goat cheese

1/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans

In your pressure cooker, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook and stir until the onion is soft. Add the rice, stirring to coat with the oil, cooking for a minute or so. Pour in the wine and cook and stir until the wine is almost all absorbed. Add 3 cups of the vegetable broth.

Close the lid and over high heat bring the cooker to high pressure. (This is when jiggle-top cookers make lots of noise. On my Kuhn-Rikon, 2 red rings are visible on the pop-up valve.) Lower the heat, making sure to maintain the high pressure, and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the pressure by the carrying the cooker to the sink and running cold water over the lid (but not the valve.)

Spinach in

Stir in the spinach and continue to cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring constantly, until the spinach is well wilted and the rice is tender to your bite, but still has texture, 3 minutes or so. Add more broth, stirring, if the rice seems to need a bit more cooking. Season generously with black pepper and stir in the lemon juice. Crumble the goat cheese and stir that in. Season with more pepper and salt if needed. Serve garnished with the remaining goat cheese and the pecans.

Makes 4-6 servings. (The next day, form cold leftovers into rice cakes and cook in a skillet with plenty of olive oil.)

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Epazote and Frijoles Negros de Olla

Green Beans and tomatoes in Hoytsville greenhouse

Epazote, with its long, narrow, serrated leaves and strong, wild flavor, is a new herb for our CSA box. Native to Mexico, in years past it was almost impossible to find epazote in Utah. Now most Latino markets sell it right next to the cilantro and parsley, though unlike these familiar herbs, epazote is rarely eaten raw. In Mexican cuisine, epazote is essential to an authentic pot of black beans–frijoles de olla, soupy beans in their broth. Yes, pot beans do take time and planning, for the soaking and stovetop cooking, and yes, canned beans are convenient, but they can’t compare in flavor to home-cooked preparations. Make a big pot; leftovers are a good condiment with tortilla soup and/or mash some into refritos (refried beans) to go with breakfast eggs.

Epazote, happily drinking in water

1 pound dried black beans

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large sprig epazote, stem and leaves included

1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Pick over the beans, looking for little stones that passed for beans in the packaging. Rinse them and put them in a bowl, covering them amply with cold water. Let soak at least 4 hours or ideally, overnight. Discard any floating bean skins. (There is a pressure cooker speed-soak method and beans cook in about 20 minutes in a pressure cooker: see Lorna Sass’ books or the Kuhn-Rikon website: http://kuhnrikon.com/products/pressure_cookers/tip.php3?id=1)

Drain the beans and put them into a heavy pot with the onion, garlic and oil. Cover with hot water—3 to 4 inches above the level of the beans. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, and cook, covered, until the beans are nearly tender, about 2 hours.

Add the epazote and the salt and continue cooking until the beans are soft, but not falling apart, topping off with more hot water if the level is getting low. Season to taste with more salt if you wish.

Makes 7 to 8 cups bean, not including the broth.

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Pea Shoot and Black Rice Salad

Our CSA box this week contained some pea shoots—the leafy tips and tendrils snipped from John’s pea plants. Chinese cooks have used pea shoots for ages and call them mustaches of the dragon. This is what I made with our share. The nuts and fresh vegetables can be different, depending on what you have on hand—just make sure there is plenty of color contrast and crunch. Orange can come from red peppers, green can come from a cup of peas (fresh or thawed frozen) or thinly sliced green onions; you can substitute toasted pecans or cashews for the almonds—get creative.

1 cup Thai black rice (if you buy the Lotus trademarked forbidden black rice you can name your salad Forbidden Rice and Pea Shoot Salad)
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar or fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/8 to1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (amount depending on your heat tolerance)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 carrots, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 stalk celery, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1/4 to 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped tamari roasted almonds
3 to 4 cups washed and spun-dried, coarsely chopped pea shoots

Bring 2 cups water to a boil; add rice, cover and return to a boil, then reduce heat to very low and cook, covered, 30 to 40 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. (To see if the water has been absorbed without stirring, tilt the pan to the side.) Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to cool. Fluff with a fork.
Make a dressing with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive and sesame oils, cayenne and salt and pour over the cooked rice. Stir all the veggies and chopped nuts into the rice and mix well.
You can serve the salad warm like this or refrigerate until cold and serve later.
Makes about 10 servings.

Pea Shoot and Black Rice Salad

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Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry with Radish Greens

White radishes with beautiful edible green leaves

Earlier this month we were camping on our land in Underwood Washington, which is just across the Columbia River from Hood River Oregon. A neighbor with a prolific garden gifted us radishes–intact with vibrant and healthy leaves that couldn’t just be thrown away, so I added them to the dinner pot, for contrast to the curry’s orange color. In today’s latest adaptation, scapes and summer savory add more green and still more dimension. Serve with plain yogurt and your favorite chutney, over steamed rice. The original recipe comes from Fresh Food Fast by Peter Berley.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


1 medium onion, chopped

10 garlic scapes, trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped


1 tbsp curry powder

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons summer savory leaves

3 1/2 cups hot water

1 ½ cups red lentils

1 bunch radish leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt

Cayenne pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high flame. Add the onion and scapes and cook and stir until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet potato, ginger, garlic, curry powder. bay leaf and summer savory; cook and stir another few minutes. Pour in the hot water and the lentils. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the lentils break down and the sweet potatoes are tender, 20 minutes or so. While the potatoes and lentils are cooking, wash the radish leaves and trim away the stems, then chop coarsely. Remove the bay leaf. Add the radish leaves about 5 minutes before serving. Season with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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Avocado and Radish Salad

John's photo of the gardens June 23, 2009

You can get limones at your neighborhood Mexican market; in Park City find an overflowing display at Anayas Mercado.

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice—preferably from Mexican limones or Key limes—the smaller, and less tart ones
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne pepper

2 avocados, sliced
1 bunch radishes, sliced (about 1 cup)
3 or 4 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
4 large handfuls Ranui salad greens

In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and cayenne to make a dressing. Add the avocadoes, radishes and green onions to the dressing to marinate. To serve: put the salad greens in a large serving bowl or divide onto individual chilled plates. Strain the avocado, radishes and green onions from the dressing and arrange on top of the lettuce. Drizzle more dressing on top.
Makes 4 servings.

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Veggie Bundles with Garlic Scapes, tied with chive stems

I’m patting myself on the back for using our garlic scapes and some chive stems for a fancy dinner party. I even drove to the Salt Lake Farmer’s Market early yesterday morning and bought more goods–snap peas and asparagus, local strawberries and wild sockeye salmon. To make it easy for last minute plating for 8, I made up these little bundles. All the veggies were steamed or blanched, including scape lengths and except for the peas: 5 minutes heat and then shocked in ice water to keep their bright color and stop the cooking. Four asparagus, 3 carrot sticks, 2 scape lengths and 3 peas cut in half all admittedly painstakingly tied together with the steamed chive lengths.
When the honey-glazed salmon was about to come out of its 8 minute bake, I heated some olive oil in a 12-nch skillet, placed the bundles and poured some (pre-browned) hot butter over. I covered it for about 3 minutes and voila—they were hot and guest-worthy.

Veggie Bundles with Garlic Scapes

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Whole Wheat Pizza with Arugula, Mushrooms, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Some of 2009 Ranui garlic: http://www.ranui.com

This is my ninth season of writing recipes for our CSA members. www.ranui.com I try not to duplicate much and I am constantly trying new combinations for all the greens and garlic we receive. In 2002, we made Pizza on the Grill. In 2005, it was Pizza Bianca—a white pizza without tomato sauce. Members know that I have some favorite cookbook authors from whom I glean ideas—here is another white pizza, from Martha Rose Shulman. I’ve been cooking with her since 1979, using The Vegetarian Feast. (Anyone looking forward to the movie Julie & Julia? See the trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXklTRsLui4)

This recipe is adapted from a NY Times article by Ms. Shulman. It makes 2 pizzas.

First make the pizza dough:

1/4 cup warm water (98.6 to 110° F.)

1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (FYI an envelope of yeast contains 2 1/2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (you can substitute all or a partial amount of all-purpose flour)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a small bowl, mix the warm water, yeast and honey and let sit to activate the yeast, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining water and the olive oil.

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it all comes together. You can work the dough in the bowl with your hands, turning it over to knead. Or you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead. Either way, work the dough folding it over and pushing with the heels of your hands until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place in an oiled bowl at least twice the volume of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, prepare the topping ingredients and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone, place it on the middle oven rack.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound sliced mushrooms

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

8 ounces goat cheese

1/2 cup (about 2ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts

2 heaping cups arugula leaves

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil if you have some

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook and stir them about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme leaves and season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Set aside. In a bowl, dress the arugula with the vinegar and olive oil, set aside.

Now you are ready to assemble and bake the pizzas.

Divide the dough in 2 portions and roll the first on a floured surface to a 13-inch round. If you are using a stone, sprinkle a wooden pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with cornmeal. Otherwise, sprinkle a round baking pan with cornmeal. Transfer the crust to the wooden peel or the baking pan. Brush generously with some olive oil. Scatter half of the cooked mushrooms as evenly as you can, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with half of the goat cheese and then half of the walnuts. If you are using the wooden peel, transfer the pizza to the preheated baking stone, using the cornmeal to release the crust onto the stone. Bake until the crust is brown, less than 10 minutes on the stone—add a few more minutes on the baking pan. Immediately scatter half of the dressed arugula over the baked pizza and slide onto a serving platter. We cut ours with scissors—much more functional than a pizza cutter.

After you have had a slice, roll out the 2^nd portion, brush with oil, sprinkle with the remaining mushrooms, goat cheese and walnuts and bake. Garnish with the arugula and serve.

Each pizza serves 2 to 8 persons, depending on hunger.

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Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette with Chives and Parsley

Is there basil in there?

A friend loves the flavor of Annie’s Sesame Shiitake salad dressing—she always serves it to guests. When she remarked that the cost was damaging to her grocery bill, that was just the challenge I needed. I now have a home recipe for a dressing quite similar in taste, in fact, my friend likes it better than the purchased version. But that recipe will come later. I got on a roll with my own homemade replicas of other Annie’s salad dressings and I have a pretty good version of her Roasted Red Pepper Dressing. This opening week for Ranui CSA season we need a recipe to use our fresh chives and Italian parsley and dress up our beautiful salad greens—thus this recipe. Break up the light purple chive blossoms and mix them into the salad greens. Use the chive blossoms to garnish fish, eggs or whatever else you are making for dinner.
Open a jar of roasted red peppers and measure out 8 ounces of the drained peppers; put them in a blender container. (Any remaining roasted peppers are delicious in sandwiches.) Add 6 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 6 tablespoons of water and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Then put in 2 cloves of garlic that you have coarsely chopped in pieces, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Whir in the blender until the peppers and garlic are smooth. Pour into a quart jar and add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped chives and 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley leaves. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

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What’s cooking in your kitchen?

Muffin talk is what my husband calls it when I get with other bakers and we yak, yak, yak and mostly the subject is baking.
But what about with other foodies? I think that’s muffin talk too. Anytime you talk about what you’re cooking for dinner, or what’s going on in your kitchen–that’s muffin talk.

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