Cooking Under Pressure, 20 Years Young

The classic book "Cooking Under Pressure" is out now in an updated 20th anniversary edition. Author Lorna Sass happens to be a Fissler fan. In fact, she used Fissler's Blue Point pressure cookers in a class she taught this past year. If you've been hesitant about pressure cooking, get Lorna's book to guide you, and an easy-to-use Fissler pressure cooker. Fissler makes pressure cooking safe and fast, and Lorna's cookbook makes it delicious. Food Politics author Marion Nestle (second from the right in the group shot in our previous post from New York) said that, "“Anything Lorna Sass writes is a pleasure to read…She makes the cooking methods seem so easy that anyone who doesn’t own a pressure cooker will want one right away".
Here's a preview recipe courtesy of Lorna the "Queen of Pressure Cooking"!

RISOTTO WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil from sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup finely minced onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3 1/2 to 4 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup tightly packed, grated smoked mozzarella (5 ounces)
Salt to taste, if desired
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley (optional but pretty and delicious)
Heat the butter and oil in the cooker. Sauté the onion until soft but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the rice, making sure to coat it thoroughly with the fat. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of the broth (watch for sputtering oil).
Lock the lid in place and over high heat. Bring to high pressure. Adjust the heat to maintain high pressure and cook for 4 minutes. Reduce pressure with a quick-release method. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape.
The risotto will be fairly soupy at this point. Set the cooker over medium-high heat and boil uncovered, stirring vigorously every minute, until the mixture thickens and the rice is tender but still chewy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a bit more broth if the mixture becomes dry before the rice reaches the desired consistency. When the rice is ready, turn off the heat. Stir in the tomatoes and mozzarella, and add salt to taste and basil, if you wish. Serve immediately.
SERVES 6 AS AN APPETIZER, 4 AS A MAIN COURSE
Copyright, 2009, Lorna Sass, all rights reserved

The (Pig) Mayor of LA

Some of the best and worst dishes I've ever had were made with pork. The worst include the common dry, tasteless porkchop, frighteningly undercooked pork loin, and a mu-shu pork dish I once ordered for take-out with my sister where we found a used band-aid hiding out amongst the vegetables.

The best memories include classic BBQ ribs in Chicago, perfect bacon, and the plethora of Korean pork dishes. Just last night, I experienced another pork nirvana locally in Los Angeles. Right around the corner from our office is a brand new Korean bbq restaurant named "Don Dae Gam" owned by the younger brother of baseballer Chan Ho Park. Korean bbq joints are so common in this area that I didn't expect anything different, but boy, was I in for a new experience!

From the adorable logo of the pig's back to the sleek modern stainless steel tables, everything about this place was not typical. "Don Dae Gam" translates into something like "The Pig Mayor". The most unusual aspect of this bbq restaurant is that they use real charcoal for all of their in-table grills and what a huge difference charcoal makes. We ordered the "Special Pork Neck" meat which was completely new to me. The meat is tender, marbled but not fatty, and slightly chewy. Grilled atop charcoal and served with a sea of side dishes and spicy salads, this was pure heaven. Add to that a side dish of their delectable "pa-jun" or Korean green onion pancake, and it becomes a perfect meal. (By the way, their "pa-jun" is the best I've tasted in the US or in Korea.) The best part of the dinner? Their affordable prices. This place is definitely going on my regular list.

Don Dae Gam Pork BBQ

1145 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles 90006

323-373-0700

***Check out our own fave pork recipe, BBQ pulled pork in 20 minutes, at www.fisslerusa.com/sample/gnuboard4/bbs/board.php?bo_table=ressure_cooking_rec&wr_id=4