Stuffed Pork Loin in the pressure cooker

I adapted this recipe from Food and Wine magazine so it would cook quickly in the pressure cooker. Leftovers made great Cuban sandwiches.

Ingredients
1 10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
one 3-pound boneless pork loin, butterflied
1/8 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour mixed with 1 tablespoon of water

directions

1. Squeeze any excess water from the chopped spinach. In a medium bowl, mix the spinach with the Parmesan cheese, minced garlic and 1/2 tablespoon of the extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Set the pork loin on a work surface, opening it like a book, with the cut side up. Season the inside of the pork loin generously with salt and pepper. Cover the pork loin with a single layer of overlapping prosciutto slices; spoon the spinach filling into the center of the pork loin. Shape the filling into a log that runs along the center of the loin. Roll up the pork loin and tie it with kitchen twine at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Season the pork loin generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a 6 quart pressure cooker until shimmering. Add the pork loin and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 10 minutes.
4. Pour off any excessive fat from the pressure cooker and add the chicken stock and wine bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lock the lid into place and bring to high pressure. Reduce heat to lowest temp needed to maintain pressure and cook for 25 minutes. Quick release pressure and open cooker, turning lid away from you. Use an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers to see if it's 145°. If needed cook another minute or two until temperature is reached. Transfer the pork loin to a large platter or cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let stand for 15 minutes.
5. Skim off visible fat from the juices and bring up to to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to a few tablespoons. Add any pork juices from the platter and bring to a boil. Whisk in the flour slurry and simmer until slightly thickened. Check seasonings.
6. Untie the pork loin and carve the meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices on plates, drizzle with the pan sauce and serve.

Southern Vegetable Pie

I got this recipe out of Bon Appetit' and adapted it slightly. I believe that the original came from Cornerstone Farm Bed & Breakfast. It is not a pie so much as a savory bread pudding. I served it to 20+ guests at Ruth's 50th birthday brunch. I tripled the recipe and had a lot of leftovers which were delightful. I cooked the veggies a day ahead along with prepping the bread and then assembled and baked the morning of the brunch.
Lots of people asked for the recipe and you can trust them....

2T. olive oil
12 oz. zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
8 oz. mushrooms
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp. dried
6 large eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. ground black pepper
4 cups 1/2 inch cubes day-old crust less French Bread
2 cups (packed) Swiss cheese (about 8 oz.)
1-8 oz. pkg. chilled cream cheese, diced

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium- high heat. Add zucchini, red onion, mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic and thyme, and saute until vegetables are just crisp tender; about 15 minutes. Cool briefly. Whisk eggs, whipping cream, salt and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in bread cubes, Swiss cheese and cream cheese, then vegetables. Pour into prepared dish. Bake pie until egg mixture is beginning to brown on top and bubbling at edges; about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Wood Fired Pizza from your gas grill!

So we thought we'd experiment. We like wood fired pizza but that is way down on the list of things to build at Buzzards Peak so what might be tasty and not heat up the entire house during this scorching (haha) summer heat? I bought a pizza stone at Goodwill ($3) so I didn't break the one, I just realized, that I got at a garage sale (like $5).
I put the stone on the cold gas grill and turned all three burners on to low and then gradually increased the heat until it was around 500 degrees in there.
Then we put some wood chips in metal smoker box and got that really smokin'. You can use an aluminum pie tin or foil with some holes poked in it for the chips, too.
So, when it's got a lot of smoke coming out, slide your homemade pizza onto the hot stone with a pizza peel and close the lid. No peeking for about ten minutes to keep the smoke in. Then peek and see if the cheese is melted and the center bubbly. when it is use your peel to take the pizza out.
It won't be a browned on top because there is no upper heat element like in an oven but my. did it taste good!

Pressure Cooker Cold Yogurt and Barley Soup

15 minutes at high pressure

Serve this mint scented soup well chilled on a hot summer's day for a refreshing meal. the flavor of the stock really shines through so make sure you use something tasty.

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4 tablespoons ) pearl barley, rinsed
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups plain yogurt, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
(or a combination of 2 tablespoons dried mint
and 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley)
pinch of ground cayenne pepper
Salt

Heat the butter in the pressure cooker and sauté the onion until it is wilted. Stir in the barley and the stock. Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat just to maintain pressure, and cook 15 minutes. Allow pressure to drop by the natural release method.
Remove the lid, turning it away from you. Cool, then transfer to a container and refrigerate until well chilled. Stir in the yogurt and 2 tablespoons of the chopped mint. Season with salt and cayenne pepper, garnish with the remaining mint and serve very cold.__

Guest Chef- Shel! And Berry Cobbler

Hi, Shel, Thanks for the recipe. I made it last weekend with peaches and blueberries. The peach juice made it a little runny so next time I would toss them with a little flour or cornstarch to keep the juices thick. It was really good. I like the crunchy bits of caramelization around the edges. We took it to a friends for dinner along with some homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

BERRY COBBLER
3-4 Cups blackberries, huckleberries, or blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 Cup flour
1 Cup sugar
2 Teaspoons baking powder
one-fourth Teaspoon salt
1 Cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
Vanilla ice cream, milk or cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using fresh berries, wash, drain, and pick off any stems or leaves. Remove frozen berries from freezer just before mixing batter. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk. Beat until smooth. Place butter in a 10X6 inch {I use an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan} or other shallow 1-quart baking dish and melt in oven. Turn batter into dish, then add berries. Bake 35-40 minutes for fresh berries or 45-50 minutes for frozen berries. Crust rises to top and browns. Serve warm with ice cream, milk, or cream. Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe can be doubled and made in a 9x13. Also, You can use more butter if you want. I usually just use the original 2 tablespoons, but on occasion I have used 4 to 8 tablespoons if I want it richer. They’re all good.