Monday, July 22, 2013

The Pressure Cooker Adventure Begins, Cuban Beef


Cuban Beef served over Brown Rice
     I love Pressure Cookers, the stove top style are great, and I love the electric pressure.  Whichever you own, pressure cooking is really great.  Food is always better cooked in a pressure cooker.  The pressure really brings out the flavors of food.  And the meats are so tender when cooked in a pressure cooker.  Everything is better in a pressure cooker, from rices to meats, potatoes to fish,  I love Pressure Cooking.

    Over the next few months I will be posting a new recipe every week on my blog for pressure cooking.  I am spending the next couple of months creating new recipes.  I decided I have been in a "food funk", meaning that I am tired of the foods we have been eating and I am ready for a change.  So look out family and world get ready for some really outstanding recipes from the Pressure Cooker.  

     I love Cuban food.  I started my mission for the Mormon Church a long time ago in Miami Florida.  That started my passion for Cuban Food.  Cubans are really fantastic cooks.  I have many fond memories of the amazing food I ate while I served in the Miami area.   I remember that was where I had my first taste of olive oil.  I had never really had olive oil and one of my first experiences with olive oil was pickled pig ears in olive oil.   I gaged from the strong flavor of olive oil and not to mention the crunchy texture of the pig ear.  I was worried at that point that this mission was going to be very long if all the food was like that.  Thinking back I am sure it was a trick,  a member with a sense of humor having fun with a new missionary.  

     The thing I love about Cuban foods are the flavors.  They are rich and full bodied.   I love their beans and meats most of all.  In fact, all meals are served with rice and beans.   The only time I had ever eaten rice before my mission was with milk and sugar.   I loved eating rice with beans and rice with great meat sauces.  

     Those two years as a missionary really made a great impact in my culinary tastes,  from the great Cuban food, to all the foods from South America I learned to love and cook.  I don't think they used pressure cookers. In fact they started cooking in the morning and the beans cooked all day on the back of the stove.  So over the years I have taken the things I learned and converted the recipes to pressure cooking. The end result is food that tastes even better, and could be cooked in minutes compared to hours.  Pressure cooking does save time without compromizing flavors or textures.  It only makes them better. 
So join me now on a pressure cooker adventure.  


Chopped Beef Roast




      First I chop the beef in chunks.   About 2 lbs. It can be pork if you want or even chicken would be great.   A little bit of fat is ok, but not to much.


Chopped Red Peppers



     Sweet red pepper are diced up with onions.
I love the these really wonderful peppers.  They really add flavor to the dish.









                                                       


Saute Onions


Add peppers and meat.  


Saute onions, cumin seed, peppers, and beef.  Start out with the oil and onions, add cumin seeds and saute for a moment.  Add beef and peppers.  Add Vinegar, water, and bay leaves.  Place lid on pressure cooker and cook for 35 minutes.  Remove pressure lid and add remaining ingredients and stir and place lid on again and pressure for 6 - 8 minutes.






I cooked the meat in one pressure cooker.

While the meat was cooking in the pressure cooker
I cooked the brown rice in the other pressure cooker.  


The finished dish.  Brown rice topped with meat, olives, potatoes, and fresh avacado.  


 Beef and Potatoes Cuban Style with Brown Rice

2 lbs. beef cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
1/2 cup water 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cursed red pepper flakes
2 jalepenos, seeded, and chopped or sweet red peppers
1/3 cup raisins
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/3 cup stuffed olives
2 tablespoons capers
Fresh chopped cilantro, add at the end

In pressure cooker, add oil and saute onions, add cumin, suate for 1 minute.  Add beef, water, vinegar, and bay leaves.  Place lid on pressure cooker and cook for 35 minutes.   Open pressure cooker and add remaining ingredients except cilantro.  Place lid on pressure cooker and cook for 6 minutes.  Open and add cilantro.  Serve over fresh pressured brown rice with sliced red onions and tomatoes.   

Pressure cooking can be fun and exciting.   It saves time and food taste great.  Enjoy the upcoming recipes and share them with your friends.  Chef Brad~America's Grain Guy

3 comments:

  1. Looks YUM!
    I love my new pressure cooker and look forward to your recipes :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmmmm… I want to make this, but what is the missing ingredient after garlic? "1 teaspoon dried organic_____" Might it be oregano?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fixed it. It was oregano. So sorry and thank you for seeing it and letting me know.

      Delete