32 years ago, I was in my first year of our marriage, going to work and coming home to cook a meal in a pressure cooker. I hated cooking like this. I was scared the meal would end up on the ceiling while trying to open up the lid. Our meal was pressured to bits, with the meat and vegetables all tasting the same.
Today the Pressure cooker is back in vogue and I am happy to say, it is so much more advanced, with the risk of scrapping the meal of the ceiling gone. Why - because it is electric, so no more trying to control the temperature.
There are a few brands of pressure cookers out there, but all are basically the same. My one, is also a slow cooker, Saut'e, and pressure cooks. You can not open up the lid until the pressure has been released - manually or naturally. There is a little red button the drops down once it is ready.
Saut'e - I love this option. No more extra dishes to brown first, also all that flavour from frying is not wasted or lost.
If you don't have a pressure cook yet, use a slow cooker or heavy base cassorole dish.
Chicken with Olives and Herbs
1 large chicken - 1.8 kg - 2 kg - cut into portions
coconut oil for frying
1/2 cup plain or GF flour for coating the chicken
1 large onion - sliced
3 large cloves garlic - chopped
3 stalks of celery - sliced
2 tbsp of each - fresh rosemary and sage
400 gr red wine
400gr tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
Himalayan salt for seasoning
1/2 cup olives - green and black
Parsley for garnish
Method
1 - Coat each chicken piece with flour.
2 - Turn your pressure cooker to ''Saut'e''. Place 1 tbsp coconut oil in your cooker and brown both sides of the chicken pieces, small amounts at a time, do not overcrowd the base. Remove, once brown. If the 20 minute time for 'Saut'e' runs out, just reset for another 20 minutes.
3 - Place the celery, onions, garlic, and herbs into the base and saute until soft.
4 - Pour in the red wine and bring to the boil, cook for 2 minutes.
5 - Add the stock, salt is stock is unsalted, tomatoes, chicken, and olives.
6 - Place the lid on and reset the cooker, then push steam, the time will say 30 minutes, change it to 8 minutes.
As soon as the cooker is up to the right temperature, the steam pressure will start. Once it has finished, you can slowly release the pressure, so it does not keep cooking. Open and check it is cooked. Taste and season more if it needs it.
Serve with polenta or mashed potato and vegetables.
Cut up your whole chicken with a large sharpe knife.
Saut'e, is for browning. This brand saut'e's for 20 minutes. If you need more, just reset and press saut'e again.
Coat chicken in flour then brown each piece in oil. Remove. Add more oil and saut'e the celery, onion and herbs. Add the wine, cook off the alchol.
Add the stock, olives and chicken. Place the lid on.
Press steam, change the time to 8 minutes. Heat, steam 8 minutes. Then check it is tender and cooked.
To stop further cooking, release the pressure, by gently moving the pressure control to the left or right. When the steam is gone, the red button at the back will drop.
Fast and easy meals made in minutes.