Garbanzo and Squash Stew in the pressure cooker

It's still cold, and I still don't want to eat salad for dinner.  But the creamy, cheesy comfort food I felt so nostalgic for earlier this winter is starting to make me feel like the Pillsbury Dough Girl.  So this recipe, adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsall's North African Stew from River Cottage Veg, fits the bill on all accounts: it's warm, filling, and healthy.  And when done in the pressure cooker, this complex collection of flavors can be your's super fast on a weeknight. Don't skip the lemon wedge and peanuts at the end--it brings the dish to a whole 'nuther level.

Garbanzo and Squash Stew

Serves 6-8

¾ cup dried chick peas (soaked overnight)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2- inch pieces
1/2 cup red lentils
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes in their juice
4 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Black pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Goya Sazon Seasoning packet
1 cup chopped frozen spinach or collard greens
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups cooked orzo
Lemon wedges and roasted peanuts for serving

In a pressure cooker, place the chick peas, squash, lentils, tomatoes, water, and all seasons.  Affix the lid, bring up to temperature, and cook 18 minutes.  Cool under running water to release lid and stir in the greens and cilantro; cover loosely and stir occasionally, allowing to sit until greens are warmed through (you can check for seasoning at this time, too). Stir in cooked orzo and serve in bowls with peanuts and lemon wedges on the side.

Sweet Potato and Adzuki Bean Stew

Adzuki beans have a nutty, slightly sweet flavor that makes them an interesting addition to many kinds of dishes.  You may know them best in their sweetened paste form, where they are used to fill sweet breads and buns for dessert on many a Chinese restaurant buffet, but I like cooking up a big pot in the pressure cooker on weekends and tossing them in various dishes throughout the week.

Sweet Potato and Adzuki Bean Stew

Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups (or 1 14.5-oz can) cooked adzuki beans in their liquid
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups loosely packed collard greens, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Cooked rice for serving

Heat the oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.  When it shimmers, add the onion, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger, and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft.  Add the sweet potato, paprika, cayenne, and salt to taste; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until sweet potato begins to soften, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the greens and lemon juice, replace lid, and cook until greens begin to wilt, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the adzuki beans and cilantro, taste and adjust seasoning, and heat through.  Serve over rice with rice wine vinegar, Sriracha, and/ or Thai peanut sauce (my favorite) on the side.

Pressure cooker special: Chick Peas and Oricchiette in Silky Broth

Are pressure cookers cool again? America's Test Kitchen has a new pressure cooker-specific cook book (it's quite practical) and they even brought them out on Hell's Kitchen for a challenge last spring.  If you don't get the appeal of a crock pot (I don't), try a pressure cooker: it's fast, efficient, and yields perfectly textured dried beans, brown rice, and all cuts of meat without having to crank up the heat in the kitchen all day.  I'll admit, I have the old rocker kind, but I think this recipe will work even better with one of those new-fangled models that features a quick release (and is safer and all that crap).  But if you have the old-school kind like me, just run it under some cold water after 20 minutes to get the chick peas out before they overcook--that's how I did it.

Roasting the chick peas might seem too fussy, and this will still be a fine dish without doing that, but the nuttiness and addition of a firm texture in this stew is my favorite part of the whole thing.

Chick Peas and Oricchiette in Silky Broth

Serves 6

1 cup dried chick peas, rinsed and sorted
3 garlic cloves
½ medium carrot, scrubbed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
3 cups Swiss chard, washed and chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
Handful fresh basil, chiffonaded
2 cups oricchiette or other small pasta shape
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Soak chick peas overnight.

Place soaked chick peas, garlic, carrot, tomato paste, bay leaf, water, olive oil, salt, and paprika in a pressure cooker and cook 20 minutes.  End cooking with a quick release and scoop out chick peas with a strainer.  Place chick peas on a cookie sheet in a single layer and salt lightly.  Place in a 450°F oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.  (Roasting the chick peas can be skipped if you prefer to just keep them soft.)

Meanwhile, discard the bay leaf from the pressure cooker and place the broth in a blender.  Blend until smooth, adding a little more water if it’s too thick.  Add salt to taste and replace to pressure cooker.  Stir in Swiss chard, zucchini, basil, and oricchiette and cover with a regular pot lid.  Place over medium-low heat and cook until the pasta is soft (this should take about the same time as roasting the chick peas).   If you choose not to roast the chick peas, keep them out of the liquid until the end so retain shape.

When pasta is al dente and chick peas are roasted, stir in the chick peas, chopped tomato, and lemon juice.  Serve in bowls with crusty bread.

Getting ready to roast...