Pressure Cooker

Pressure cooker rolled lamb shoulder

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

I’m on a roll with my pressure cooker. I’m trying all sorts of cuts of meat. I think the only thing I’d probably baulk at would be fish, but then again, who knows? I may find a recipe I want to try using fish. The cooking time would be brief.

So today has been pretty glorious. I’ve enjoyed the sunshine and clean, fresh Canberra air. Zoom church was good. I also got to chat with a friend who lives in Houston.

Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra

Ingredients

  • Rolled shoulder of lamb with the bones removed
  • Master stock
  • Brown onion
  • Potatoes
  • Gravy
  • Iodised salt
  • Radish
  • Fennel
  • Red onion
  • Capsicum
  • Parsley
  • Lemon zest
  • Lemon juice
  • Olive oil

Instructions

  1. Unwrap the meat from the plastic. I would use biodegradable wrapping.
  2. Dry the surface of the roast.
  3. Rub the lamb with iodised salt.
  4. Sear the surface to caramelise the outer meat.
  5. Add in the master stock, onion, and potatoes.
  6. You could also add some garlic, rosemary, and thyme for some extra flavour if you have it.
  7. Cook the lamb for one hour.
  8. Prepare the salad vegetables with a mandolin. I recommend using a safety glove to avoid losing significant portions of skin and blood.
  9. Mix the lemon juice and olive oil. Use this mixture as a dressing for the salad.
  10. At the end of the high-pressure hour, allow the internal pressure to drop to the ambient pressure.
  11. Keep the lid on for about half an hour to ensure the meat is tender and doesn’t dry out while it rests in the meat juices.
  12. Remove the meat and place it on a carving board.
  13. Lovingly sharpen your butcher’s knife (as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend Proverbs 27:17 NLT).
  14. Slice the meat with long slow, deliberate strokes of the knife and discover the lamb is so tender it falls apart along the muscle bundle planes. Set aside a couple of “slices” for dinner. Place the rest of the cooked meat into a container for refrigeration.
  15. Make the instant gravy according to the instructions for use.
  16. Prepare a dinner plate with slices of lamb and salad. Spoon gravy over the meat to keep it moist.
  17. Give thanks to the Lord for His grace and mercy.
  18. Eat the meal while listening to some fantastic music (I’ve embedded a couple of YouTube videos at the end).
Pressure cooker Lamb shoulder Gravy Radish Fennel Red onion Pars
Sunday dinner. Pressure cooker lamb shoulder, instant gravy, and a fennel salad.

Notes

I think the perfect cut of lamb for cooking and eating is the shoulder. If I didn’t live alone, I would buy a shoulder with the bones in. I like a whole shoulder because I like the knife work necessary to dissect and remove the bones and roast them alongside the meat.

When I refer to master stock, I mean the liquor from previous meals. Whenever I use the pressure cooker, I sieve the liquid and keep it refrigerated. Before using the refrigerated liquor, I remove the fat which has solidified. My master stock has juices from many species, including beef, chicken, lamb, and pork.

When I cook with a pressure cooker, I’ll use the cheapest potatoes I can find. I may not even eat them with that meal. I’ve discovered potatoes cooked this way roast well after refrigeration. 

Final thoughts

  1. Do you like mint sauce with lamb?
  2. What’s your favourite condiment with cold lamb sandwiches?
  3. Do you keep a master stock of old cooking liquor?

Feel free to leave answers in the comments 👍🙂

YouTube videos I love

Celtic Worship is a Scottish group of musicians who sing hymns and other songs.

Oh Holy Night

The Celtic Blessing

Naomi and Steph have marvellous singing voices. 

  • Australian lamb rolled shoulder roast
    Australian lamb rolled shoulder roast in plastic wrap
  • Master stock in a red plastic cup
    Master stock. Do you like the wobbly jelly-like consistency? It looked so cool as it wiggled and jiggled.
  • Australian lamb rolled shoulder roast
    Australian lamb rolled shoulder roast nude, sans plastic wrap.
  • Dick knife Dick butcher's knife
    Butcher’s knife
  • Pressure cooker lamb shoulder roll
    Pressure cooker lamb shoulder roll
  • Pressure cooker Lamb shoulder Gravy Radish Fennel Red onion Pars
    Sunday dinner. Pressure cooker lamb shoulder, instant gravy, and a fennel salad.

Pressure cooker rolled roast with gravy, roast pumpkin, and baby green peas.

Posted by Gary

Pressure cooker rolled roast with gravy, roast pumpkin, and baby green peas.

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve had a good week.

My week has been okay. Lockdown continues in Canberra while the situation in New South Wales improves as the infection burns out and the situation in Victoria worsens as peak infection numbers are yet to be realised.

We should be ending lockdown in Canberra at the end of this week. I hope the restrictions remain flexible to ensure maximum safety. I know workmates who desperately want their children back in school because homeschooling is doing their heads in. Other friends are more concerned for the health and welfare of their children and their community and don’t mind the burden of homeschooling.

My preference is for community safety and health, not just physical health but also mental health.

I know my mental health is improved by cooking because I find it relaxing.

One thing which is playing on my mind though is the high likelihood the premier of Queensland will close the border to Canberrans at Christmas. I would like to see my daughters and parents. I haven’t seen them since early December last year.

Sorry vegans and vegetarians, tonight is very meaty. Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker rolled roast with gravy, roast pumpkin, and baby green peas.

Ingredients

  • Rolled roast
  • Iodised salt
  • Master stock
  • Red wine
  • Leek
  • Brown onion
  • Celery
  • Red royale potato
  • Fennel
  • Kent pumpkin
  • Baby green peas
  • Instant gravy

Instructions

  1. Remove the rolled roast from the plastic wrapping.
  2. Dry the surface of the beef with an absorbent paper towel.
  3. Season the meat with a liberal amount of iodised salt.
  4. Slice the leek, onion, celery, potato, and fennel.
  5. Place the sliced vegetables into the bottom of the cooking vessel.
  6. Add the master stock and wine.
  7. Place the meat on top and close the pressure cooker by sealing the lid.
  8. Cook under pressure for one hour.
  9. Roast the pumpkin in the oven.
  10. Use microwave radiation for cooking the peas.
  11. Make the instant gravy according to the instructions for use.
  12. When everything is ready, plate it up.
  13. Give thanks to our Heavenly Father for this food.

Final thoughts

  • How are you coping with the pandemic where you live?
  • Do you like cooking roast beef in your pressure cooker?
  • What are your plans for Christmas?
  • Rolled roast
  • Rolled roast Salted
  • Sliced celery, fennel, brown onion, red royale potato, and leek
  • Rolled roast cooked
  • Sorry vegans and vegetarians, tonight is very meaty. Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker rolled roast with gravy, roast pumpkin, and baby green peas.
  • Sorry vegans and vegetarians, tonight is very meaty. Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker rolled roast with gravy, roast pumpkin, and baby green peas.
  • Sorry vegans and vegetarians, tonight is very meaty. Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker rolled roast with gravy, roast pumpkin, and baby green peas.
  • Sorry vegans and vegetarians, tonight is very meaty. Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker rolled roast with gravy, roast pumpkin, and baby green peas.

Pressure cooker beef brisket

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

You nearly received a post about corned silverside tonight, but it’s not to be. 

I wanted to make corned beef this weekend and went to find a nice piece of silverside. I couldn’t find one with a decent layer of fat on it.

I came across this lovely piece of brisket, and I thought I might cook it in the pressure cooker.

I’ve usually cooked brisket in the slow cooker; however, I’m in a bit of a pressure cooker frenzy at the moment. I figure it’s worth having a go. 

Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker beef brisket, pumpkin mash, purple broccolini, baby asparagus, and instant gravy.

Ingredients

  • Beef brisket
  • Black whole peppercorns
  • Barbecue sauce
  • Red wine
  • Beef stock
  • Brown onion
  • Royale red potato
  • Hot chilli flakes
  • Kent pumpkin
  • Purple broccolini
  • baby asparagus

Instructions

  1. Lovingly sharpen your cook’s knife as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend Proverbs 27:17 NLT.
  2. Quarter the onion and potato
  3. Place the beef into the pressure cooker.
  4. Add the peppercorns, barbecue sauce, chilli flakes, and some red wine in a large measuring cup with the beef stock.
  5. Mix everything in the cup.
  6. Pour the contents of the cup into the pressure cooker.
  7. Add in the onion and potato pieces.
  8. Check the seals of the lid of the pressure cooker, place it on the body of the pressure cooker, and set the seal.
  9. Cook the brisket for 1 hour.
  10. While the brisket is cooking, turn on an oven to 180 °C.
  11. Prepare the pumpkin by gently rub a little oil over the pumpkin’s surface, including its skin.
  12. Cook the pumpkin in the oven for about an hour.
  13. Place the broccolini and asparagus into a bowl and douse with olive oil, and season with iodised salt.
  14. When there are ten minutes left for the pumpkin to cook, add the broccolini and asparagus to the oven.
  15. If you want some gravy, go ahead and use the instant kind, no one will judge you. I certainly won’t think less of you. Instant beef gravy is delicious, and it is easy to make, and there is less of a hassle to wash up.
  16. Once the pressure cooker has finished doing its thing, remove the lid and allow the meat to rest in the cooking liquor for 15 minutes.
  17. Remove the potato, onion, and brisket.
  18. Allow the meat to drain a little.
  19. Carve the beef with your sharp cook’s knife. If you’re feeling decadent, cut lusciously thick slices.
  20. Serve everything on a warmed dinner plate and pour a liberal volume of gravy on the meat and vegetables.
  21. Give thanks to God for all things and your daily bread.

Final thoughts

  1. Have you ever cooked a brisket in a pressure cooker?
  2. Do you prefer instant gravy or gravy made from scratch?
  3. What are your favourite vegetables to enjoy with beef?
  4. How has your week been?

My week

My week has been good. It was busy, and I enjoyed some engagements with international colleagues. On the Wednesday and Thursday mornings, I had 6 am meetings, and on Tuesday night, I had an 8 pm meeting. Long days, but rewarding and edifying. I was in discussions with people from India, Japan, the USA, Canada, Switzerland, and the UK.

There was also good news about a friend who had an investigation. Praise God the result was good.

  • Coles Beef Brisket
  • Kent pumpkin, brown onion, and red royale potato.
  • Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker beef brisket, pumpkin mash, purple broccolini, baby asparagus, and instant gravy.
  • Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker beef brisket, pumpkin mash, purple broccolini, baby asparagus, and instant gravy.
  • Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker beef brisket, pumpkin mash, purple broccolini, baby asparagus, and instant gravy.
  • Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker beef brisket, pumpkin mash, purple broccolini, baby asparagus, and instant gravy.

Custard addiction

I’ve been enjoying some custard too 😉

  • Friday lockdown second breakfast. Happy Friday! 😊 Dobinsons Cherry Danish with custard! Atlas coffee to keep alive 😉 Praise God! It’s Friday!!!
  • Dobinsons Cherry Danish cut to expose the custard and cherry filling.
  • Saturday lockdown second breakfast. I love the lushness in my mouth of slightly sweet soft vanilla custard. Lick-able with the tip of my tongue but not dripping, encased in delicate and slightly chewy buttery croissant. Dobinsons custard filled almond croissant and Atlas coffee make for a magnificent marriage in my mouth.
  • Dobinsons Almond Custard Croissant
  • Dobinsons Almond Custard Croissant

Lamb forequarter chops and rice

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

It’s Sunday, and I’m doing two posts this weekend.

After last night’s pork belly and noodles, I thought I’d use the same template and replace the pork with lamb and the noodles with rice.

Today was pretty good. After sleeping in (about 5 am), I jumped out of bed and got dressed for a walk. Then I discovered it was raining steadily, so instead, I did some bible reading and praying.

Zoom church was pretty good. Because it’s the fifth Sunday of the month, we had a guest preacher. She’s a chaplain in the Australian Defence Force Academy. We are currently dissecting the Apostles Creed, and Merryn spoke about our belief in the Holy Spirit.

After a couple of work Webex meetings, I watched Battlebots on Netflix. A friend I used to work with knows my favourite animal is the Orca and hers is the Eagle. Via text messaging, we speculated on an Orca bot and an Eagle bot. Can you imagine mighty jaws to crush an opponent and a powerful tail to slap down opponent bots and to flip up on the upswing? A flying drone Eagle bot would be awesome with strong, sharp talons and a powerful beak to pierce armour.

I used a pressure cooker to cook the lamb. You could also use a slow cooker.

Sunday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker lamb forequarter chops, potato, and mushrooms with fried rice and capsicum.

Ingredients

  • Lamb forequarter pieces (2)
  • Star anise (1 star)
  • Black whole peppercorns (1 tablespoon)
  • White Onion (1)
  • Vegetable stock (1 cup)
  • Sweet sherry (1 cup)
  • Barbecue sauce (1 vigorous squirt)
  • Chinese five-spice (1 tablespoon)
  • Bay leaves (2 or 3 leaves)
  • Potato (1 cut in half)
  • Capsicum (I used yellow, green, and red capsicum for colour)
  • 90-second microwave rice
  • Neutral oil (I used rice bran oil)
  • Flour

Instructions

  1. Flour the meat and brown it in a hot skillet.
  2. Place the meat into the pressure cooker vessel.
  3. Peel the onion, cut it along a sagittal plane, and cut each half again along a sagittal plane. Separate the layers and put them into the pressure cooker vessel.
  4. Add the star anise, peppercorns, sherry, stock, barbecue sauce, Chinese five-spice, bay leaves, and potato to the meat and onion.
  5. Inspect the lid of your pressure cooker to make sure the gasket is in place. If you don’t clean as you cook, look for foreign debris and remove it. The point of this step is to avoid a pressure leak. The other reason is to prevent a potentially fatal outcome if the escape valve is blocked and the pressure cooker becomes a bomb. Check out what happened at the Boston Marathon a few years ago when a pressure cooker bomb exploded. The carnage was extensive. Don’t be put off by this advice. Pressure cookers are safe if you maintain them correctly.
  6. Put the lid on and seal it closed.
  7. Turn on the heat, achieve cooking pressure, and cook for between 40 and 45 minutes.
  8. Allow the pressure to equilibrium to atmospheric pressure.
  9. Remove the lid.
  10. Pick out the lamb and potato with tongs. You could use your fingers, but I reckon you’ll burn the skin, and the pain will be most unpleasant.
  11. Strain the liquor to remove the solid material. Yes, liquor is the correct word. If you doubt me, look up a good English language dictionary.
  12. Pour the liquor into a small container and keep it in the refrigerator to reuse or grow fungus, whatever happens first.
  13. Cook the rice using microwave radiation according to the instructions for use on the packet.
  14. Heat a wok or a skillet and add some neutral oil. Heat the oil until it’s near its smoking point, and then add in the rice and the slices of capsicum.
  15. Stir fry the rice and capsicum until the rice starts to take on some colour.
  16. The rice should have changed from limp to firm, and the capsicum should have changed from firm to a little soft but not limp. You don’t want limp capsicum, and you certainly do not desire capsicum, which has lost its vibrancy.
  17. Move the fried rice and capsicum to a shallow bowl, and with cooking forceps (or fingers), take the capsicum and bring it to the top of the rice to show it off better.
  18. Add the lamb to finish the presentation.
  19. Thank God for wages to buy food, and thank Him for the skills to prepare and cook food.

Final thoughts

  • Do you like Battlebots?
  • What sort of Battlebot would you build and why?
  • Lamb forequarter chops, potato, white onion, star anise, and bay leaf.
  • Lamb forequarter chops
  • Sunday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker lamb forequarter chops, potato, and mushrooms with fried rice and capsicum.
  • Sunday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker lamb forequarter chops, potato, and mushrooms with fried rice and capsicum.
  • Sunday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker lamb forequarter chops, potato, and mushrooms with fried rice and capsicum.

Pork belly and fried noodles

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

Earlier in the week, I made this dish and posted the photo in the Facebook group, “Cooking meals for one“. One of the members, viz., Merryn, suggested I write a post on Yummy Lummy. 

I am happy to do this; it makes me giggle though that I’ll not be able to share the post on Facebook because the good people of Facebook have banned Yummy Lummy for breaching its community standards.

I’ve tried to appeal this decision but to no avail. I don’t know what component of the Facebook community standards I breached. Maybe the good people of Facebook don’t like my take on fusion cuisine. Perhaps they didn’t like the videos I used to make and post. 

Anyway, there is nothing to be gained by crying over spilled milk. Not to worry, it is what it is, and the way I see it, it’s the good people of Facebook who are missing out!

I used a pressure cooker to cook the pork belly. You could also use a slow cooker.

Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker cooked pork belly and potato with stir-fried noodles and capsicum.

Ingredients

  • Pork belly strips cut into rough cubes
  • Star anise (1 star)
  • Black whole peppercorns (1 tablespoon)
  • Onion shallot (1)
  • Vegetable stock (1 cup)
  • Sweet sherry (1 cup)
  • Barbecue sauce (1 vigorous squirt)
  • Chinese five-spice (1 tablespoon)
  • Bay leaves (2 or 3 leaves)
  • Potato (1 cut in half)
  • Capsicum (I used yellow, green, and red capsicum for colour)
  • 2-minute noodles
  • Neutral oil (I used rice bran oil)

Instructions

  1. Sharpen your cook’s knife and ponder as always Proverbs 27:17 (As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.)
  2. With long, firm strokes drawing the blade of your knife towards you (yes, this sounds counterintuitive, but it’s the most efficient way to cut pork belly strips), slice through the meat.
  3. Place the meat into the pressure cooker vessel.
  4. Peel the onion shallot, cut it along a sagittal plane, and cut each half again along a sagittal plane. Separate the layers and put them into the pressure cooker vessel.
  5. Add the star anise, peppercorns, sherry, stock, barbecue sauce, Chinese five-spice, bay leaves, and potato to the meat and onion.
  6. Inspect the lid of your pressure cooker to make sure the gasket is in place. If you don’t clean as you cook, look for foreign debris and remove it. The point of this step is to avoid a pressure leak. The other reason is to prevent a potentially fatal outcome if the escape valve is blocked and the pressure cooker becomes a bomb. Check out what happened at the Boston Marathon a few years ago when a pressure cooker bomb exploded. The carnage was extensive. Don’t be put off by this advice. Pressure cookers are safe if you maintain them correctly.
  7. Put the lid on and seal it closed.
  8. Turn on the heat, achieve cooking pressure, and cook for between 40 and 45 minutes.
  9. Allow the pressure to equilibrium to atmospheric pressure.
  10. Remove the lid.
  11. Pick out the pork belly and potato with tongues. You could use your fingers, but I reckon you’ll burn the skin, and the pain will be most unpleasant.
  12. Strain the liquor to remove the solid material. Yes, liquor is the correct word. If you doubt me, look up a good English language dictionary.
  13. Pour the liquor into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.
  14. Add the instant noodles to the boiling liquor and cook for 2 minutes.
  15. Strain off the liquor and allow the noodles to drain for a few minutes.
  16. Heat a wok or a skillet and add some neutral oil. Heat the oil until it’s near its smoking point, and then add in the noodles and the slices of capsicum.
  17. Stir fry the noodles and capsicum until the noodles start to take on some colour.
  18. The noodles should have changed from limp to firm, and the capsicum should have changed from firm to a little soft but not limp. You don’t want limp capsicum, and you certainly do not desire capsicum, which has lost its vibrancy.
  19. Move the fried noodles and capsicum to a shallow bowl, and with cooking forceps (or fingers), take the capsicum and bring it to the top of the noodles to show it off better.
  20. Add some of the pieces of cooked belly pork to finish the presentation.
  21. Thank God for wages to buy food, and thank Him for the skills to prepare and cook food.

Final thoughts

  • Have you experienced problems with a pressure cooker?
  • Are you afraid of using a pressure cooker?
  • Do you like pork belly?
  • What do you think of this dish?
  • How do you feel about Facebook banning Yummy Lummy?

What’s with the bible verses and the mention of prayers?

I realise I’ve lost a few subscribers because I’ve outed myself (this seems to be the terminology used these days to reveal personal change or orientation or identity). At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a friend shepherded me back to faith after nearly two decades of life in the wilderness. 

Yummy Lummy is still a food blog, but you’ll read about the real me.

If the bible verses, mention of prayer, or the books I’ve been reading cause you to unsubscribe, I don’t mind. 

  • Pork belly strips
  • Pork belly strips cubed
  • Pressure cooker cooked pork belly and potato
  • Pressure cooker cooked pork belly and potato
  • Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker cooked pork belly and potato with stir-fried noodles and capsicum.
  • Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker cooked pork belly and potato with stir-fried noodles and capsicum.
  • Saturday lockdown dinner. Pressure cooker cooked pork belly and potato with stir-fried noodles and capsicum.