Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Pumpkin and Meat Stew Recipe cooked in the Pressure Cooker

This is a delicious recipe that I found on Fissler's International newsletter. There's nothing better than savory pumpkin dishes when the season is right. They are hearty, inexpensive, so satisfying and the color is gorgeous!

You can make this in any Fissler Blue Point Pressure Cooker and adjust the recipe to fit the size of your pot. This recipe fits great in my 6.0 L / 6.4 qt pot. The Blue Point Pressure cookers are perfect for making soft, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin dishes- perfect for the harvest season!

Ingredients:
1 Hokkaido squash, ie medium-sized pumpkin (1–1.2 kg/2–21/2 lb)
1 tbsp peanut oil, 250 g
9 oz minced pork
1 tsp salt, 5 tbsp soy sauce
8 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirin)
200 ml/7 fl oz water
1 tbsp cornflour
1–2 tbsp water

Preparation time: 45 min

Instructions:
Cut the squash in half and cut off the stalk. Remove the filaments and seeds, rinse and pat dry. Cut the squash into 3–4 cm/11/4–11/2 in chunks.

Heat the peanut oil in the pressure cooker, add the minced pork and fry while stirring to prevent it from sticking together. Add the chunks of squash and fry briefly. Season with salt, soy sauce and rice wine, then add the water.

Close the pressure cooker, following the instructions. Bring pressure up to cooking level 2 (speed setting) and heat the pan over high heat. As soon as the second ring appears, start the cooking time of about 5 minutes.

Depressurise, following the instructions, and remove the lid.

Mix together the cornflour and water and add to the squash and minced pork mixture to thicken it. Season to taste with a little salt.

Tip:
The Japanese rice wine (mirin) is only used as a seasoning while cooking. On the other hand, warm sake is drunk to accompany the food.