Clark - Comfort in an instant: 75 comfort food favorites for your pressure cooker, multicooker + instant pot

MELISSA CLARK is the author of Dinner and Dinner in an Instant and a staff writer for the New York Times Food section, where she writes the wildly popular column A Good Appetite and stars in a complementary video series. The winner of James Beard and IACP awards, she is a regular on Today and NPR. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

COMFORTING MORNINGS

BREAKFAST POLENTA WITH DRIED APRICOTS + CINNAMON

ACTIVE TIME: 5 MINUTES

PRESSURE COOK TIME: 22 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

Breakfast polenta (which was always called cornmeal mush in those Laura Ingalls Wilder books of my youth) is a sweet and sunshine-colored alternative to the usual porridge. This version, cooked in whole milk for richness, is scented with cinnamon and studded with chewy dried apricotsthough feel free to leave them out or substitute another dried fruit such as raisins or diced prunes. I like to top my bowl with a knob of salty butter and a drizzle of heavy cream, but yogurt is also nice here, adding a pleasing tang.

1 cups whole milk

cup coarse or medium polenta or cornmeal

cup diced dried apricots

1 cinnamon stick

teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Ground cinnamon, for serving

Demerara or turbinado sugar, for serving

Flaky sea salt, for serving

Pour 1 cup water into the pressure cooker pot.

In a medium metal bowl (not glass or plastic) that will fit in the pressure cooker pot, stir together cup water, the milk, polenta, apricots, cinnamon stick, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the butter.

If your steamer rack has handles, place the bowl on the rack and lower everything into the pressure cooker pot. If your rack does not have handles, first place the rack in the pot, then lower in the bowl using a homemade sling (see ). Do not put the bowl directly into the pot without a rack/trivet; it should sit above, not in, the water.

Lock the lid into place and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

Carefully remove the bowl from the pressure cooker, using the sling or oven mitts. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon butter into the polenta. If it seems too thick, stir in some more water or milk.

To serve, remove the cinnamon stick and spoon the polenta into bowls. Top with a sprinkling of cinnamon, demerara sugar, and flaky sea salt.

COOK IT SLOW

Cook on high for 1 to 2 hours or low for 4 to 5 hours. Give it a stir about halfway through the cooking process.

QUINOA PORRIDGE WITH BROWN BUTTER ALMONDS

ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES

PRESSURE COOK TIME: 2 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

High-protein quinoa is a perfect food to start your day, especially when cooked in almond milk and topped with brown butter almonds. Be sure to rinse your quinoa very well before cooking (I use a fine sieve for this). This helps remove its natural bitterness, making for a sweeter, gentler porridge.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

cup sliced almonds

1 cup quinoa, rinsed very well in warm water

2 cups almond milk (or your milk of choice)

Pinch of salt

Maple syrup, for serving

Berries, for serving (optional)

Using the saut function, melt the butter in the pressure cooker pot, letting it heat until it turns dark golden brown and smells nutty, 3 to 7 minutes. Add the almonds and cook until golden at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes more. Using a spoon, scoop the almonds and as much of the butter from the pot as possible into a small bowl to save for garnish.

Add the rinsed quinoa, almond milk, and salt to the pot.

Lock the lid into place and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.

Use a fork to fluff the quinoa, then serve topped with the almonds and brown butter, a drizzle of maple syrup, and berries, if you like.

COOK IT SLOW

Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours.

GOAT CHEESE + MUSHROOM FRITTATA

ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES

PRESSURE COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 55 MINUTES

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

Goat cheese and sauted mushrooms make this frittata deeply flavorful, and cooking it in an electric pressure cooker makes it convenient because you dont have to keep an eye on it. If youre not a goat cheese fan, you can substitute grated Gruyre, cheddar, or even cubes of Brie.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for the souffl dish

5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

9 large eggs

cup whole milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 ounces soft goat cheese

Butter a porcelain or ceramic (not glass) 7-inch souffl dish and dust the sides with 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Set aside.

Using the saut function, melt the 1 tablespoon butter and the oil in the pressure cooker pot. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, sage, and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are tender, another 2 minutes. Scrape into a small bowl, sprinkle with teaspoon of the salt, and set aside until cool, 3 to 5 minutes.