Instant Pot – Page 2 – The Food Wife

Mac and Cheese

6th November 20226th November 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 4-5

I want to share my quick and easy macaroni cheese recipe; although I think this deserves to be called Mac & Cheese, as itâ€™s got a definite American vibe.

This version can be made in the instant pot or in the hob. The only difference is how you cook your pasta (see step one below)

Ingredients:

400g macaroni (gluten-free if required)

1 tin of evaporated milk

200g grated cheese

1 tsp mustard

1/2 grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Step 1: Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions on the hob (alternatively cook on HP for 4 minutes in the Instant Pot with 4-5 cups of water and then quick release pressure).

Step 2: To the drained pasta (it should not need to be drained if using the Instant Pot) add the tin of evaporated milk and 2/3 of the grated cheese, along with the mustard, nutmeg and salt and pepper to season. Stir until the cheese is melted and the macaroni and cheese is combined.

Step3: Pour the mixture into a gratin dish and top with the remaining grated cheese.

Step 4: Put in a hot oven (180c) for 15-20 minutes until the top is crisp and the sides are bubbling.

Instant Pot Butterbean Stew

18th September 202218th September 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-4 as a main or 6-8 as part of a tapas

This is definitely going to be a frequent meal in our house this autumn and winter. Itâ€™s cheap, easy and delicious. Hat-trick!

I make this in my Instant Pot in only a few minutes. If you donâ€™t have an instant pot then Iâ€™m sure you could make this on the hob. Follow this instructions using a lidded sauce pan but it will take a lot longer to achieve that rich sauce and soft beans. Let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and then just crush them slightly with a back of a knife so they are still whole but a little broken

2 roasted peppers (from a jar) roughly cut into strips

1 tbsp tomato purÃ©e

2 tins of butter beans, including their liquid

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chopped parsley (to serve)

Step 1: Set the instant pot to sautÃ© mode and add the oil, onion, garlic and peppers and stir for 2 minutes.

Step 2: Add the paprika and the tomato purÃ©e and stir for a further minute before adding the butterbeans (including their water).

Step 3: Put the lid on and ensure it is switched to sealing mode. Place manually on high pressure for 10 minutes and then use a tea towel and a long handled implement to use the quick release valve.

Step 4: Remove the lid, season to taste and switch back onto sautÃ© mode for five minutes to allow the rich sauce to reduce.

Step 5: Add the chopped parsley as a garnish before serving.

We like this with crusty (garlic) bread to dip in to the rich sauce. It would also work well with rice. Alternatively include it as part of a tapas.

(Instant Pot) Garlic And Soy Chicken Thighs

8th November 20218th November 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

Here is a recipe weâ€™ve been enjoying that is sweet, salty and has a gentle kick of flavour from the garlic, ginger and chilli. Iâ€™ve given the instructions for bone-in skin-on thighs in the main recipe, but for less faff skinless thigh fillets can also be used (see notes at the end). Thereâ€™s also guidance for if you donâ€™t have an Instant Pot. Basically Iâ€™m saying thereâ€™s no excuse not to try this recipe.

Hang on, you donâ€™t eat chicken? Well I think this would be excellent with jack fruit too, in fact Iâ€™ll just test that and be right backâ€¦

Ingredients:

1kg chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

Oil (1 tbsp vegetable oil with 1 tsp sesame oil)

1/2 instant pot cup or 80ml (gluten-free if required) soy sauce

1/2 instant pot cup or 80ml (gluten-free if required) tomato ketchup

1/2 instant pot cup (up to 80ml on measure) loosely packed soft light brown sugar

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 inches ginger, grated

Chilli flakes (optional)

1 Instant Pot cup (160ml) water

Step 1: Set the instant pot to sautÃ© mode. Add the oil and then seal the chicken thighs for a couple of minutes on each side. You will need to do this in at least two batches. Remove the thighs once sealed until all are done. Turn sautÃ© mode off.

Step 2: Mix the rest of the ingredients together (use the chilli flakes if youâ€™d like a kick to the sauce. I used a teaspoon of them).

Step 3: Return the thighs to the Instant Pot and pour the sauce over the top. Put the lid on and set the vent to sealing. Set the instant pot to cook on poultry mode (or high pressure) for 20 minutes. Allow to depressurise naturally for five minutes and then cover with a tea towel and then carefully switch to venting.

Step 4: Remove the thighs, and then skim any fat from the top. Switch to sautÃ© mode for a few minutes to reduce the sauce until thick and syrupy. Either pour over the thighs to serve or shred the meat from the thighs and return to the pot to coat in the sauce.

Serve with rice and steamed vegetables.

N.b can also be made with skinless, boneless thighs. In which case skip step 1 and place everything in the pot and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken and reduce the sauce on sautÃ© mode.

If not using an instant pot, cook, covered with 360ml of water added, for 90 minutes in an oven at 170c. Check periodically to ensure it isnâ€™t drying out and add a little water if necessary.

Instant Pot Chorizo and Tomato Risotto

28th September 20217th January 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

I absolutely love making risotto in the Instant Pot. The speed and ease is hard to beat for the delicious end result. This recipe is easily scaled up.

This combination of spicy chorizo and sweet tomato is a winner. Great served with steamed green vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive oil

2 sticks of celery, finely diced

1 white onion, finely diced

1 leek, throughly washed and finely diced

75g chorizo, diced

125g cherry tomatoes, halved

150g (1 instant pot cup) of risotto rice

360ml (2 1/4 instant pot cups) vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

20g parmesan, finely grated

Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sautÃ© mode and add the oil, celery, onion and leek to the pot. Stir frequently, until softened. Add the chorizo, rice and tomato purÃ©e and stir again for about a minute, before adding the stock along with a pinch of salt and pepper and the halved tomatoes.

Step 2: Switch sautÃ© mode off, put the lid on the Instant Pot and ensure the vent is set to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure and set for 7 minutes.

Step 3: Once the Instant Pot has completed its programme, switch off and do quick release, using a tea towel and wooden spoon to carefully open the vent. Once it has depressurised, remove the lid and stir through the parmesan. Serve immediately.

Love Your Leftovers

25th June 201925th June 2019
by thefoodwife

This week Iâ€™m focusing on transforming leftovers into something delicious. One of the key lessons I learnt from my grandparents was â€˜waste not want notâ€™. Nothing would be wasted from a meal. Anything that wasnâ€™t eaten would be used the next day. Iâ€™m a big fan of leftovers, less so when they are termed as â€˜scrapsâ€™ which is my parents word of choice; â€œwhatâ€™s for dinner, mum?â€ â€œBaked potato and scraps!â€ Hmmmm…

Anyway, on Sunday we had a roast chicken. I was going out for the day and prepared the potatoes in the morning, peeling them and leaving them in cold salted water ready to be par-boiled that afternoon. I was left with a large pile of potato peelings. I left them too, in a large bowl of cold water and went out for the day. Waste not want not. When I got home I drained them and then dried them in a clean tea towel, tossed them in a drizzle of garlic infused rapeseed oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika and then spread on a lined baking sheet. I popped them in the oven for 30 minutes. I started at 200c for the first 15 minutes and then jammed it up to 220c for the final 15 (just check them every now and again to check how theyâ€™re getting on). The result? Potato peelings transformed into a pre-dinner crispy snack!Â

Now what to do with the leftover chicken? Well Iâ€™ve revisited a couple of my recipes; starting with my Thai-style Chicken and Mango Noodle Salad. So refreshing now the weather is heating up! And to finish up the remaining chicken I will be using my Instant Pot to make a Mexican Rice Bowl and will incorporate the shredded chicken breast at the end.

And finally donâ€™t forget to use the carcass of the chicken to make a wonderful stock, perfect for soups. Boil up the bones in water with an onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and peppercorns for a couple of hours. Drain the liquid off and allow to cool before storing in the fridge for a few days (or once cool pop it in the freezer for another day). So love your leftovers and remember to waste not want not!