Instant Pot caramelized onions

I got a bunch of Elisa Craig onions in my CSA share so I decided to make caramelized onions. I used the method from serious eats to do this. I did a half recipe. It was easy to do and mostly hands off.


Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3 ounces; about 90g)
3 pounds yellow or mixed onions, sliced 1/8 inch thick (1.4kg; about 4 to 5 large onions)
1/2 teaspoon (2g) baking soda
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Method
1. Melt butter in an electric or stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat. Add onions and baking soda and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onions slightly soften and start to release liquid, about 3 minutes. Seal pressure cooker and heat to high pressure (12.5 to 15 psi). Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. Release pressure by allowing steam to vent, then remove lid.
2. Continue cooking with lid off, stirring constantly, until liquid inside has completely reduced and the onions are deep brown and sticky, about 5 minutes. Caramelized onions can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or frozen for several months.

1. 
   
2. 
   

Instant Pot Caramelized Onion Risotto

I was inspired after reading a Wall Street Journal article about using the Instant Pot to make a couple dishes. I didn't have access to the recipe the author used so I improvised. The first, a ratatouille, turned out o. The second, soubise, or caramelized onion risotto, turned out quite a bit better. I caramelized the onions a day or two beforehand, also in the instant pot. For the risotto general process, I used this recipe from hip pressure cooking. I halved the recipe and instead of the sautéed onion, I just put in the caramelized onions, and I added at least a quarter cup of cheese at the end. It was super quick and I thought turned out great!


Ingredients
2 cups of Arborio Rice (can be substituted with "Short Grain White Pearl" rice)

4 cups (or 1L) of chicken or vegetable broth 

1 onion, chopped 

1 swig of white wine

 Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

 salt and pepper to taste 

INSTRUCTIONS

 In the pre-heated pressure cooker on medium heat add the oil, and onion. Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the rice and lightly toast it to release the starch. When you add the Arborio rice to the onions, the rice will turn from solid white to translucent as it absorbs the oil and onion juice, then in about a minute back to white. Wait until just a couple of grains look golden and your rice is toasted! Add a swig of white wine and un-stick any grains from the bottom of the cooker with it and stir the rice until the wine has fully evaporated. Add the broth (or broth and veggie mixture), mix and close the top immediately. Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. For electric pressure cookers: Cook for 5-6 minutes at high pressure. For stove top pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 7 minutes pressure cooking time. When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure. For electric pressure cookers cook for a minute less (since the release takes longer) and remove the inner pot from the cooker immediately to keep the rice from over-cooking . The risotto should appear just slightly too wet. Stir, and the rice will continue to absorb the extra liquid in about 30 seconds. If the rice is still very wet, put the open pressure cooker back on a medium flame, without the lid, and finish cooking it this way - stirring often- until it reaches the right consistency. Add in the cheese and stir.

Tomato and Summer Squash Gratin

My CSA share partner was out of town last week so we got the entire share. I've been scrambling to use everything up before things go bad. I found a recipe for a tomato and summer squash gratin. I followed it pretty closely and used barley as the grain.

I thought it turned out really good. I also liked how many CSA veggies it used up. E and L didn't like it too much. If I was to make this again, I would use rice.

Ingredients
2 pounds tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced½ medium or 1 small onion
½ pound summer squash (1 good-size zucchini, for example), cut in 1/2-inch dice Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
1 cup cooked rice, farro or barley
3 eggs
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1 to 2 tablespoons slivered or chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Method
   Peel and seed half the tomatoes, and chop fine. Slice the rest and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish.
   Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, until it begins to smell fragrant, and stir in the squash. Cook, stirring often, until the squash is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and the thyme, season with salt and pepper, raise the heat slightly and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the rice or other grains and remove from the heat.
   Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
   Stir in the cooked vegetables, salt and pepper to taste, and the cheese and combine well. Scrape into the gratin dish.
   Slice the remaining tomatoes and cover the top of the gratin in one layer. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Bake 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and the gratin is sizzling. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the basil over the top. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Instant Pot Ratatouille

I made this instant pot recipe for ratatouille last night. I didn't use the PIP method and didn't reduce the water, so the result was more liquid than I would have liked.  Also I added marjoram and basil. if I make this again I will not add any water. I served this with polenta. I liked the way it tasted but the rest of the family didn't.
Update: I made this recipe again (about a year later and still without the PIP), but I did not add any water. Even without the water, it was still a bit soupy and the vegetables were a little mushy. I turned on saute afer it was done to try to reduce the liquid a bit. I think if I were to make this again, I would try to sweat out the veggies (especially the squash and eggplant) with salt and drain/squeeze before hand.

• 1 large zucchini, sliced into thin circles
• 1 medium eggplant/aubergine, sliced into thin circles
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced into thin disks
• 1 small red onion, sliced into thin circles or ½ large red onion, halved and sliced into half moons
• 2 large cloves of garlic, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon of thyme leaves (dry or fresh)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar (sweet balsamic or regular)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Slice all the vegetables (see the picture) and sprinkle with half of the thyme, sea salt and pepper.
2. Line a round springform tin with foil. This is to trap all the cooking juices inside. If using a solid metal dish, then no foil is needed as the juices won't leek through the bottom.
3. Scatter some chopped garlic on the bottom. Going in circle, and alternating between eggplant, zucchini, onion and tomato slices, layer the vegetables into a tight snail. I like to start with the outer circle and make my way inwards into the middle. See image for reference. Keep the slices close together, overlapping slightly. Once in place, sprinkle with the remaining garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Drizzle over evenly with vinegar and olive oil.
4. Alternative: If this arrangement proves to be tricky, feel free to layer the vegetables in no particular form on top of each other. Sprinkle some thyme, salt, and pepper in between. You can also simply dice the vegetables and combine them with garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil in the inner pot of the pressure cooker and set to cook for the same amount of time.
5. Place a wire rack inside the pot and add a cup of water. Carefully, place the tin inside the pot on top of the rack (see image). Place and lock the lid, make sure the steam releasing handle is pointing to Sealing. Press MANUAL (High Pressure) and set to 6 minutes. After 3 beeps the pressure cooker will start going.
6. Once the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 6 minutes, then use the quick release to let off the rest of the steam. Carefully remove the springform tin from the pot, using tongs if needed.
7. Serve on a plate in foil or transfer to a platter.

Summer pasta

I now subscribe to the New York Times food emails and get more than I actually read, but this recipe for a summer pasta with zucchini came across and it looked really good!
I used yellow squash, dried basil, and garlic scapes instead of the counterparts.
It really was quite tasty and Leela liked it too!

INGREDIENTS
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 pounds zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces (for larger zucchini, cut in half lengthwise before slicing)
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced, or 2 tablespoons chopped green garlic
1 ounce basil, about 2 cups loose leaves
1 pound ziti or other dry pasta
8 ounces ricotta, about 1 cup (see recipe)
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ounces grated Parmesan, pecorino or a mixture, about 1 cup, plus more for serving

Put a pot of water on to boil. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat as necessary to keep onions from browning. Add zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until rather soft, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to pound garlic, basil and a little salt into a rough paste (or use a mini food processor). Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil.Salt the pasta water well and put in the pasta, stirring. Boil per package instructions but make sure to keep pasta quite al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.

Add cooked pasta to zucchini in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add 1/2 cup cooking water, then the ricotta, crushed red pepper and lemon zest, stirring to distribute. Check seasoning and adjust. Cook for 1 minute more. Mixture should look creamy. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. Add the basil paste and half the grated cheese and quickly stir to incorporate. Spoon pasta into warm soup plates and sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately.

Okonomiyaki with cabbage and garlic scapes

CSA season has come upon us! This week's  box had lots of cabbage and garlic scapes, among other things. But when I harvested the scapes from my garden garlic, I came upon this recipe for  okonomiyaki that I had to try.
They came together easy enough and I thought they turned out pretty tasty. I didn't make the sauce because spicy, but thought it did need some sort of dipping sauce. Leela ate them, so I was doing something right.
I would make these again if I had an excess of the key ingredients.

Okonomiyaki with garlic scapes and cabbage (makes about 10 2-inch pancakes)

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 Tbs. sriracha (hot chile sauce)
• 1 Tbs. ketchup
• 2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
• 4 thinly sliced garlic scapes (or 1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced)
• a pinch of salt
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup flour
• Olive oil, butter, or peanut oil for frying
• 1/2 lime

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sriracha, and ketchup.  Taste and adjust the amounts of everything until you like it.  This is what my friend calls “the funky pink sauce,” and she advises that you just don’t think about what is in it.  I support that advice
2. Heat a Tablespoon of oil or butter in a large frying pan, stir in the cabbage and scapes (or scallions) and saute with a big pinch of salt for a couple minutes, until the vegetables just start to soften.  Then, remove from the heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.  Then, whisk in the flour until smooth.  Stir in the cooked vegetables.
4. Using the same big frying pan (I didn’t even wipe it out), heat more butter or oil over medium-high heat.  Drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and squash them flat as they cook (they should sizzle when they hit the pan, otherwise the pan isn’t hot enough).  Cook for a couple of minutes, until brown, then flip and cook until the second side is brown (just another minute).
5. Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate.  Repeat until all of the batter is cooked.
6. Squeeze the half lime all over the okonomiyaki.  Serve them accompanied by the pink sauce for dipping or spreading.  And, if desired, sprinkle them with chopped peanuts, cilantro, sesame seeds, or bonito flakes to garnish.