When I saw that Kristy Bernardo, who blogs at The Wicked NoodleI had written a cookbook with Instant Pot recipes, I put it in my Amazon cart.
The a book, not the Instant Pot.
As soon as the book arrived, I looked through it, looking for recipes that I could make right away. Without going to the store.
You see, this is the title of the book Weeknight Cooking with your Instant Pot
The first recipe I made was sesame chicken, since I had chicken thighs in my hand. It was so delicious and so easy. Definitely something that can be done any night before after a busy day.
I made a chicken stew in my pressure cooker while I had a stew in my kitchen, dinner was made without much effort. It took a lot of effort to pick up the phone and make the call.
This is the perfect meal for those days when I haven’t planned well and I’m moderately hungry and there’s nothing left waiting for me. Because it happens here often.
The main thing is that not only the cooking is quick and easy, but also the food is really good. Not like graham crackers and peanut butter, which usually happens when I don’t plan well.
The second time I made this recipe, I cooked up some frozen broccoli (most in the freezer here) to go with it. A perfect meal, really.
If you like spicy food, an easy fix here would be to enjoy some red pepper flakes or chopped jalapeno, or even a squirt of your favorite hot sauce.
The second recipe I made from the book was Pork Chops in Dijon Pan Sauce. The sauce was absolutely awesome and the absolute star of the dish. Not something I would have thought of, myself. Although I’m a big fan of mustard, I don’t think about cooking with it very often.
But… I wasn’t happy with my choice of pork. No matter how you cook it, pork can be a little lean. Instant Pots (and other electric pressure cooker brands) cook so fast that every minute of cooking counts, so a bad cut of pork can be done in the blink of an eye. I guess I’ll blame the pig. Or maybe the pig producers, who are raising pigs that are thinner than those from years ago.
Of course, some people prefer their pork chops well done. So there’s that, too.
But I liked it juice Basically, I decided that I had to make the recipe again, this time to change the type of cut. Second, I used pork shoulder, which works better for grilling or slow cooking, which also means they are more forgiving when cooking. So I saw that they could cook under pressure.
And to be honest, I like pork steaks more than other types of chops, though.
In the meantime, I played with the recipe a bit, adding onions and potatoes to the pot, so it was pretty much a meal. Well, a salad or green vegetables would have been good, too. But it was a good meat-and-potatoes recipe.
This is him indeed a guardian
Pork Chops in Dijon Pan Sauce
Taken from Weeknight Cooking with your Instant Pot
2 pounds bone-in pork chops (I used two pork shoulders, but didn’t measure them)
1 teaspoon dry salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil (I just checked here)
(I added 4 red potatoes, quartered)
(I added 1 onion, cut into large dice)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup chopped parsley (mine was bitter and mushy, so I skipped it)
Season the slices with salt and pepper. Press saute to start heating your Instant Pot
When the word HOT appears on the display, add olive oil, then brown the slices on all sides. You only need to do this in batches. It takes 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the pieces and set them aside.
At this point, I added onions and potatoes and cooked them until the onions softened. Potatoes are kind of the wild card here. Larger potatoes need to be cut, while the smaller ones are left whole. It may take some trial and error to figure out what size potatoes you want to be perfectly done at the same time as the meat.
Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pot. Allow the wine to reduce slightly, about two minutes. Add the chicken stock, then return the pieces to the pot, along with any juices.
Close and lock the lid. Set it to high pressure for 6 minutes, making sure the vent knob is sealed.
When the time is up, allow the pot to release the pressure on its own for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure by hand.
Remove the slices from the pot and wrap them in foil to keep them warm.
(If you have potatoes in that pot, test them to see if they are done. If they seem soft, remove them from the pot, so they don’t spoil during cooking.)
Press the saute button and allow the sauce to reduce by half, about 5-7 minutes. Add Dijon. Add the butter two pieces at a time, stirring constantly until combined. This creates an emulsified sauce that is thick and creamy.
Taste the sauce and add salt or pepper, if desired.
Return the pieces to the pot and toss them in the sauce to coat and reheat if needed.
Sprinkle parsley on top as a garnish, if your parsley isn’t as sad and wilted as mine.
What’s next?
I am planning to make a pepper soup, which is delicious. It’s less complicated than making a real chili, but the flavors are all there.
After that, maybe a lemon and pea risotto, or one of the pasta dishes. Also, there are also side dishes and desserts. Or I’ll go back to that chicken in the oven, because it was shiny.
