Make fast and delicious soup with a pressure cooker
By Lisa Zaslow Segelman
As much as we all get nostalgic for a pot of soup simmering for hours on the stove, summer’s coming, the good weather’s already here and who wants to be inside stirring the pot?
If you have a pressure cooker then you most likely have made soup in it. If you don’t have one, you might consider purchasing one to save time, not compromise on quality, and even enhance the results.
A pressure cooker works by turning liquid into steam and cooking the food in a sealed pot. It doesn’t cook by boiling; instead, it cooks with superheated (almost 250ºF) steam. Because the food cooks faster than the traditional stovetop method, and very little moisture gets out, the flavors tend to be richer and more developed.
A multi-functional pressure cooker can serve many functions. It can sear, sauté, and steam less hardy foods like eggs, fish and vegetables. It’s also a rice cooker, yogurt maker, and can produce porridge,
Crock Pot Precursor
Before the advent of the pressure cooker, there was the crockpot: slow cookers which emerged in the 1950s as women began working in greater numbers outside the home. With domestic chores not exactly shared yet, women were able to get dinner cooking in the morning before heading out to work, and finish preparing the meal in the evening when they came home.
This still required some planning and chopping either the night before as women (or the occasional male at the time) were headed out the door, often with kids in tow.
The pressure cooker is a much better solution because you can come home with your groceries in hand and still put the dinner on the table within 30 to 40 minutes. There are lots of recipes out there. Just Google any vague idea, like “ pressure cooker chicken” or “ pressure cooker enchiladas” and you’ll most likely find more than a few recipes to choose from.
What to Buy
A well-known brand of multi-functional pressure cooker (which I use) is called Instant Pot, which comes in 3, 6, 8, and 10-quart sizes. Three-quart Instant Pots work best for singles or couples. The 5-quart serves three to five people, and the 8-quart will easily cook for six or more. A 6-quart appliance starts at about $89. Megachef, Farberware and Comfee make quality pressure cookers as well.
One important thing to consider before you choose a size is the storage space you have. As much as you may want to cook and freeze, make sure you have a place to store your pot and that retrieving it won’t be more trouble than it’s worth. Of course the pot comes with an instruction booklet, but the company has a robust customer service staff who can troubleshoot with you on the phone and through a 24/7 live chat.
The pot takes about 15 minutes after the lid is sealed to build up the pressure. After the dish cooks for the allotted time, you’re called upon to release the valve and let the steam go, and the appliance is not shy about showing off this function that makes a whistling tea kettle look tame.
Make sure kids are out of the way, although they will get a huge kick out of watching the steam spurt out rapidly for two to three minutes. Until this function is finished, you won’t be able to open the lid. This sounds like a lot, but once you get the hang of it, and you’re cutting down that cooking time, you’ll love it.
For instance, the vegetable soup recipe below takes 10-15 minutes to pressure cook once you’ve prepped. You can use that saved time to whip up another dish, dish the dirt on a neighbor or hit the beach.
This column is just the first of a series that will run all summer as part of the Beach Bum Cooking Club. If you’re reading this column, you’re already a member. And feel free to send me your speedy recipes that I can include here: redshoeslzs@gmail.com – you know those ones that are so fast and good, they keep everyone happy, especially the cook.
Vegetable Soup, Serves 12
Prep time: 35 minutes
Pressure Cook: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 4 medium carrots/peeled, halved lengthwise & sliced
- 4 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 red bell peppers chopped
- 2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and chunked
- 2 small bunches kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped
- 2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans
- 2 28 oz. cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 small zucchini, diced
- 10 cups chicken or vegetable broth, homemade preferred but boxed/canned works, too
- 2 tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 4 tsp. Italian seasoning
Optional additions to top soup:
- 2 tsp. lemon zest or to taste
- Fresh chopped parsley for serving
- Grated parmesan and a hunk of crusty bread
Method:
Step 1: Plug in and turn on multi-functional pressure cooker and push sauté function.
Step 2: Add olive oil, celery, onion, carrots, red pepper and salt. Cook for 4 minutes and add in garlic and red chili pepper, tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add potatoes, zucchini, kale, bay leaves. Pour in chicken or vegetable broth and stir. Close and lock lid.
Step 3: Choose high pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions and set timer for 12 minutes. Allow for 15 minutes for the pressure to build.
Step 4: Once pressure cooking is complete, carefully release the pressure using the pressure release method your pot calls for and step out of the way. Unlock and remove the lid. Serve soup as is or add in a crusty bread toast and some parmesan cheese or lemon zest and parsley or any combination that suits your taste. Store extra in smaller containers to “pull out of the freezer” another night when time is even more of the essence. Enjoy.
Lisa is an advertising copywriter (think ‘Madmen’ without the men), journalist and columnist. Claim to fame: Lou’s waitress for four teenage summers. If you have a fast/easy/delicious recipe for the Beach Bum Cooking Club (of which you’re already a member), send it to Lisa here: redshoeslzs@gmail.com
