Morante - The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook

SOFFRITTO (AKA MIREPOIX)

MAKES 4 CUPS

cup olive oil

3 yellow onions (about 1 pounds total), finely chopped

8 carrots (about 1 pound total), peeled and finely chopped

6 celery stalks (about 8 ounces total), finely chopped

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Select the Saut setting on the Instant Pot and stir together all of the ingredients in the pot. Cover with a tempered glass lid (or other nonlocking lid that fits) and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and stir the vegetables well, then cover the pot again for another 5 minutes.

Continue to cook the mixture for the remainder of the 30-minute Saut cooking program, stirring every couple of minutes. The vegetables will give up a lot of moisture as they cook.

The vegetable mixture can be used right away, stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for future use. To freeze, let cool to room temperature, then scoop -cup portions onto a sheet pan or into the cups of a silicone muffin pan and slip into the freezer. When the portions have frozen solid, after about 4 hours, transfer them to ziplock plastic freezer bags and return to the freezer for up to 3 months.

NOTE If you have a food processor or a high-speed blender, it can make quick work of chopping vegetables. Be sure to process the vegetables in small portions for more uniform results.

DUXELLES

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

cup unsalted butter

2 pounds cremini or button mushrooms, chopped

1 yellow onion, finely diced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Select the Saut setting on the Instant Pot and melt the butter. (If the butter is cold from the fridge, slice it into 1-tablespoon pats so it will melt more quickly.) Stir in the mushrooms, onion, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring every few minutes, until the 30-minute Saut cooking program is finished. The mushrooms will give up a lot of liquid in the first half of cooking, which will evaporate as they near the end of cooking. Stir more frequently as more liquid evaporates so the mushrooms cook evenly.

The duxelles can be used right away, stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for future use. To freeze, let cool to room temperature, then scoop -cup portions onto a sheet pan or into the cups of a silicone muffin pan and slip into the freezer. When the portions have frozen solid, after about 4 hours, transfer them to ziplock plastic freezer bags and return to the freezer for up to 3 months.

30-MINUTE CARAMELIZED ONIONS

MAKES 2 CUPS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil

2 pounds yellow onions, sliced inch thick

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Select the Saut setting on the Instant Pot, adjust the heat level to More , and melt the butter. Add the onions and salt and stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the onions into individual pieces and coating them evenly with the butter and salt. Cover with a tempered glass lid (or other nonlocking lid that fits) and let the onions sweat, covered, for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid from the pot. Wearing a heat-resistant mitt on your dominant hand to protect your arm from the steam, stir the onions vigorously, using the spoon to nudge any browned bits from the pot bottom. Leave the pot uncovered and set a timer for 4 minutes.

When the 4 minutes are up, stir the onions vigorously again, making sure to nudge any browned bits from the pot bottom, then set the timer for 3 minutes.

When the 3 minutes are up, stir the onions vigorously again and then continue to stir them at 2-minute intervals until the 30-minute Saut cooking program is finished.

When the cooking program finishes, wearing the heat-resistant mitts, immediately lift the inner pot out of the Instant Pot. The onions can be used right away, stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or frozen for future use. To freeze, let cool to room temperature, then scoop -cup portions into the cups of a silicone muffin pan and slip into the freezer. When the portions have frozen solid, after about 4 hours, pop them out of the muffin pan, put in ziplock freezer bags, and return to the freezer for up to 3 months.

NOTE The salt is important in this recipe, so dont leave it out! It helps the onions give up their liquid so they caramelize and cook down properly.

INDIAN SIMMER SAUCE

MAKES ABOUT 6 CUPS

2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil with high smoke point

3 large yellow onions, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 teaspoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

teaspoon cayenne pepper

teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes and their liquid

1 cup water

Select the Saut setting in the Instant Pot and heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, and salt and saut until the onions have softened, given up their liquid, and are just beginning to stick to the pot, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, paprika, and garam masala and saut for 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the pot. Stir in the water.

Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing . Press the Cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select the Manual setting for 15 minutes at high pressure.

Let the pressure release naturally. This will take about 25 minutes. Open the pot and, using heat-resistant mitts, remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot and let the sauce cool.

The sauce can be used right away or transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days. To freeze the sauce, transfer in 2-cup portions to quart-size ziplock plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

NOTE This recipe makes enough for three batches of Chana Masala (). You can also use it to simmer on-the-bone chicken or lamb shanks. I have added teaspoon cayenne pepper, which makes a medium-spicy sauce. Adjust the amount to suit your palate. Freeze the sauce in 2-cup portions for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

QUICK MAYONNAISE

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUPS

1 large egg

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

teaspoon fine sea salt

teaspoon organic cane sugar

1 cup grapeseed oil or other light neutral oil

To make the mayonnaise, use an immersion blender and a widemouthed pint canning jar, the container that came with your immersion blender, or a vessel of similar size and shape. Combine all of the ingredients in the jar in the order listed, then slowly lower the blender head all of the way into the jar. Using half-second pulses, blend the mixture until an emulsified mayonnaise forms, slowly bringing the blender head back up through the ingredients as you go. By the time you get to the top, you will have a fully blended jar of mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate until serving. It will keep for up to 1 week.

NOTE Exercise caution and common sense when using raw eggs. No part of the outside of the eggshell must come in contact with the yolk or white, so crack each egg into a small bowl and check for shell bits before adding it to the recipe. If you will be serving homemade mayonnaise to the very young, to elderly people, or to anyone with a weakened immune system, consider using pasteurized eggs, which have been processed to eliminate any threat of harmful bacteria.