Pork Belly Cooked in Pressure Cooker

If I had to make this dish old fashioned way, it would take me a long time and the chances are the pork belly comes out tough as a rubber. With a pressure cooker, the meat is tender every time.

Melts in your mouth....

Pork Belly, Kakuni

1.5 lb. pork belly, cut in chunks of 3 inches long
2 cups daikon radish, cut into 1 inch discs and halved
3 cups water, 2 cups for boiling the meat and 1 cup for seasoning the meat
1 cup sake
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp ginger, sliced thin or julienned

After cooking in pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Already very tender.

Cook it again for 7 minutes, this time with seasonings.

In a pressure cooker, toss in pork belly and about 2 cups of water and turn the heat on. When you hear the whistle, turn the heat to low-medium and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait until the pressure goes down. Open the lid and drain the cooking water. Put the pressure cooker back on the stove and add everything else except for sugar snap peas. Turn on the heat and pressure cook for 7 minutes. After the pressure subsides, open the lid and serve.

Daikon radish soaked up the flavor all the way through.

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Presto Pressure Cooker

I don't know why I had resisted getting a pressure cooker for so long. I guess in my mind it was a luxury item, and I thought I could cook anything without it if I tried hard enough. But now that I have one, I can't imagine cooking without it. This kabocha was cooked perfectly in a few minutes without being soggy! 

Pressure Cooker Kabocha Pumpkin with Coconut Peanut Butter Glaze

1 lb. Kabocha pumpkin, cut in chunks about 3 inches long
1 cup water
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Salt to taste

Kabocha pumpkin. You can eat the skin, too.

Coconut Peanut Butter Glaze:
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp honey, optional
Dash of powdered ginger and cinnamon
Splash of lemon juice

I dipped slices of apples in this for a snack. Soooo good!

Combine pumpkin and water in a pressure cooker, put the lid on, turn the heat to high. As soon as you start hearing the whistling, turn off the heat. Let the pressure cooker do the work for 3-5 minutes. Release the rest of the pressure from the pressure regulator and open the lid. Take them out and pour over melted butter.

Hoku hoku!
Japanese word to describe warm, fluffy and crumbly yumminess.

For the coconut peanut butter glaze, combine all of the ingredients and reduce until it thickens slightly. Drizzle over cooked pumpkin.

Presto pressure cooker. LOVE!

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Orange Scented Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Our weather is turning to be just right for roasting things in the oven. Roasting brings out natural sweetness in Brussels sprouts. I added pecans, dried cherries and cranberries for extra flavor. 

Orange Scented Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
1/4 cup pecans
2 Tbsp dried cherries and cranberries
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp Trader Joe's orange muscat champagne vinegar 
Grated orange zest
Sprinkles of salt and pepper 

Good stuff! Makes great salad dressing, too.

Preheat oven to 400. In a bowl, combine Brussels sprouts, pecans, dried cherries and cranberries. Coat them with olive oil, melted butter, champagne vinegar, salt and pepper. Spread the mixture on a foiled cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once. Butter makes it easy to burn. Keep an eye on it. Sprinkle more salt and orange zest.

Caramelized and crunchy outside.

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Back in the South For My Birthday

That almost sounds like some song from country music. We are back in the south from a week-long vacation in Japan, and I've been sick with a cold all week. No fun, but it gave me time to de-compress. By the time my birthday came around, I was ready to get back to my routine.

Birthday present from my hubby. Lovely!

Beautiful fall day.

Back here, there is a chill in the air. Trees are changing. I'm starting to hear dreaded little voices telling me to rush, rush, rush. 

Let's just skip Thanksgiving this year...

"Pick me, pick me!"

Anybody want a Twinkies maker for Christmas?

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