Guinness Braised Chicken Thighs - Under Pressure!

Yummy Comfort Food in 18 minutes!

Made these last night in my new pressure cooker – got to love that thing!  What would have taken an hour, only took 18 minutes – serve it over risotto, (which can be made in 9 minutes in this pan) and wow!  What a great comfort food meal!  I have to say, I LOVE the pressure cooker.  It is nothing like the one your grandmother used to have, that rattled and clanked on the stove.  Very quiet, very quick, and it even has a glass lid, so you can use it like a sauté pan stove top!  This recipe can also be done in a traditional Dutch Oven, bake it at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Ingredients:

For the Rub:

1 tbs brown sugar

½ tbs chili powder

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp smoked paprika

For the Chicken:

4 skin on thighs

2 tbs light olive oil or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, cut into about 8 pieces

2 stalks celery sliced

4 carrots, cut into 4 pieces each

1 12 oz bottle Guinness or any other brown ale

½ cup chicken broth

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

Handful coarsely chopped celery leaves

1 Tsp thyme

Directions:

1.       Rinse and pat dry the thighs.  Combine dry rub ingredients in a small bowl, and mix well with a fork or whisk.  Rub on thighs, covering all sides, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Browning the Thighs

2.       In the pressure cooker, or Dutch Oven if you are going the slow…… conventional route..lol, add oil, and brown thighs over med-high heat.  Drain fat, add garlic cloves and sauté until soft – about 2 minutes

3.       If you are going the conventional route, add onions and carrots in about 2 tbs of the fat, until slightly soft – about 5 minutes

4.       Add chicken back to the pot, and add the beer, broth,  thyme.  If using a pressure cooker, add carrots and onions now as well.  Lock cover, and bring up to pressure.  Run at high pressure for 18 minutes.  Run pan under cold water to de pressurize, and open. 

5.       In conventional pan, bake in preheated oven at 350 for about 40 - 50 minutes, or until chicken is falling off the bone.

Now we are cooking.... with Pressure!

6.       If desired, the sauce can be thickened with a roux – 2 tbs of butter, melted, and 2 or 3 tbs of flour mixed in and whisked until smooth.

7.       Serve over risotto, regular rice, or egg noodles  Serves 2

Gnocchi with parmesean and roasted vegetables

Behold, another "what can I throw in a pan?" dish!  As you may have gathered, Jereme is a pasta fiend.  He came home with ridiculously delicious and ridiculously expensive gnocchi, a type of pasta I'm not that familiar with cooking.  I had onions, home-grown cherry tomatoes and zucchini kicking around, though I think this dish would work just as beautifully with fall-friendly butternut squash or pumpkin.... I'll try that and post later.  This meal has the consistency of macaroni and cheese, and is just as satisfying (trust me, I'm obsessed with mac and cheese), without the guilt-inducing calories and fat.  Toasted bread crumbs add a nice finishing crunch.

Bear with me, as I'm still learning to measure exactly when I'm making potentially "blog-worthy" dishes.

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 zucchini, sliced (not quite thin)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced and turned into a paste
1 package gnocchi (I recommend against going frozen, but if you must choose a higher quality gnocchi... the taste difference is absolutely worth the price difference.  Cheap frozen gnocchi is mealy and flavorless.)
1/2 cup parmesean (or to taste)
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a cutting board, mash garlic glove with a pinch of salt until a paste consistency is reached. In a large bowl, toss garlic paste with enough olive oil to thinly coat veggies (and of course, the veggies).  Add rosemary, oregano, and pepper flakes.

2.  Spread veggies on baking sheet (don't use non-stick), and roast until beginning to blacken, about 15 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, bring water for gnocchi to a boil.  Gnocchi cooks very quickly, 2-3 minutes for fresh and about 5 minutes for frozen.  When it's done, it will float to the surface.  Be very careful not to overcook.... nothing is nastier than overcooked, mushy, mealy gnocchi.  When gnocchi has just reached al dente, drain.

4.  In a large skillet, toast breadcrumbs over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add veggies (and any remaining oil, add a teaspoon more if necessary) and gnocchi, then parmesean cheese.  Heat over medium-low heat until heated through and cheese is melted.  Finally, sprinkle bread crumbs on top, and serve.

Enjoy!
-T

9 Minute Risotto..... Talk About Pressure!!

9 Minute Risotto, NO STIRRING!!

I have always treated pressure cookers with a bit of skepticism... an image of a mad scientist hovering over a   stove in a laboratory.... pans and beakers bubbling.... steam escaping with a whistle.... all kinds of clanking and banging....  Ok, maybe that is a bit over the top, but you get the picture.

One of my product reps came to the store to demo the Fissler Pressure cooker.  Made in Germany, lifetime warrantee - really a solid piece of equipment.  She was going to make pulled pork in 20 minutes.  Right.  So, of course I had to REALLY test the product.  I threw a 2 pound butt roast in a Le Creuset cast iron pot in my oven at 290 about 3 hours before the meeting.  ( a little higher temp than I usually use, but was trying to keep the time down to 1.5 hours per lb.)  Came out falling apart, totally moist and delicious.

Frances, my rep, pulled out a Pork LOIN roast - a VERY lean cut of pork, and definitly NOT optimum for pulled pork.  She did a simple dry rub, browned the meat in the cooker, added a whole onion, cut in half, and some beef broth, and closed the lid.  After about 2 minutes, the cooker was up to pressure, and she turned it down to low.  20 minutes later, we vented the steam, opened it up, and wow!  Totally tender pork that easily pulled apart with a fork.  Added some bbq sauce, and it was just as tender and tasty as my 3 hour slow cooked pork. I was completely amazed.

She proceeded to tell me you could do risotto in 9 minutes in the cooker......  Well, if you have read my other posts, you know I am a purist when it comes to risotto - 25 minutes of stirring - no breaks -  for perfect risotto every time.  Well, needless to say, had to try it and see.  There was NO WAY it could be as good as the traditional method....... right?

I used the Savory Risotto with Asparagus recipe that is in the book that comes with the pan - with one minor alteration ( qty of broth  - for some odd reason, it called for 2 cans broth, but didn't specify size of can).  Followed the instructions, covered the pot, brought it up to temp, and cooked for 9 minutes.  Vented the top, opened her up, and ............. wow.  It was a little like normal rice for a minute as far as it wasn't as creamy as regular risotto, but after stirring it for a bit, it thickened right up.  Tasted fantastic..... and NO STIRRING!!!!

I am a complete convert to pressure cooking when you are in a hurry.  Mind you, half the fun of cooking for me is the actual cooking.... stirring, chopping, simmering, smelling... but when you want beef stew in 9 minutes, or a bean soup, un-soaked, in 15 minutes?????  Pressure Cooker is the way to go!

Here is the recipe:

Savory Risotto with Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb bulk Italian Sausage
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup asparagus tips, cut into 1" pieces. ( Blanch briefly before using )
• 3 cups chicken broth
• salt, pepper, and about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes ( to taste)
• 1/3 cup fresh ground Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

• Add sausage, garlic and onion to the pan.  Saute  over med high heat until onion is translucent.
• Stir in mushrooms and spices.  Add wind and cook another few minutes.
• Add rice and 3 cups broth.  Turn burner on high.  Stir until broth begins to steam, but not simmer.
• Close and lock the lid in place.  Heat on high until pressure builds and the indicator rod shows 2 rings
• Turn down the heat to low, and cook for 9 minutes
• Turn off the heat, and release the pressure by pressing the button on the handle, or by running the pot under cold water for a few seconds.  Once all pressure is released, open the lid
• Stir the risotto for a few minutes to break down the starches.  Add more broth if needed
• If broth is added, wait until it is back up to temperature, then stir in asparagus
• Top with Parmesan Cheese, and serve.

I cooked this in a Fissler, 4.2 qt pressure skillet, which can be used both as a stove top saute pan or pressure pan.  It comes with a pressure lid, glass lid and steamer basket, and retails for about $280 - and worth every penny!