Pressure Cooking the Books

1. Every Last Bite by Rosie Sykes

And voila, a new occasional series within Catherine is Under Pressure is born. It is very simple concept - I am going to cook from a cookery book, review it - and of course the twist is that the recipes will be pressure cooked so I can explain to you exactly how I have converted them.

I’ve wanted to do this for the longest time. Some of my most frequently asked questions involve how to convert conventional recipes for the pressure cooker. And I’m just going to reiterate again - if you have a recipe you are struggling to convert but think it should be doable, please remember you can always ask and I will advise.

I live surrounded by thousands of cookery books and have had to give away many thousands more, but one of the downsides of my job is that I rarely get to cook from them. The main reason for this is that there is usually so much cooking going on in my day job (I recipe develop and test for all kinds of people as well as writing my own books) that even with a lot of food given away to neighbours and Olio, there aren’t enough meals in the day to cover recipes from other books too.

But, for the first time in years, I am, in freelancer parlance, “between projects”. And I am granting myself a sabbatical. Which means that my tbr pile of cookbooks are moving from bedside table and sofa to their proper place in the kitchen and I have time to cook from them again. I mentioned in my last post that this new series takes me back to my early food writing roots - my first ever published pieces, in The Guardian’s Word of Mouth, were about cookery books. And I also reviewed for Fire and Knives magazine, anyone remember that? I loved the gig but it was at the same time quite frustrating as there wasn’t the time or budget to test the books thoroughly. I know that if you are an experienced cook/food writer you can usually tell whether a recipe is going to work by reading it - and believe me, we all spot plenty that won’t. But it isn’t just about whether it will work technically, it is about the taste of the thing too. And that can be harder to gauge. It is perhaps doing a book a disservice if (when reviewing - I am not suggesting you spend money on ingredients for a dish you really don’t like the sound of) you don’t try a recipe that doesn’t read well or sound appealing.

One more point before I get started. These reviews are going to be positive. I am only going to write about book that I admire. This is in part out of solidarity with my fellow cookbook authors - I would much rather ignore than be negative. But also from a a practical point of view - I am buying most of these books myself (I will tell you if a book has been sent to me or gifted) and I am only going to buy books that I genuinely want. I do still occasionally get sent review copies, but more often than not, thanks to publisher cutbacks, if an author asks me if I would like a copy, it is often coming out of their own pocket and I would rather buy. Beyond the first few (varies depending on your contract, often in single figures, rarely more than 15), authors have to buy their own books, and pay for the increasingly expensive postage too.

So on to my first book, Every Last Bite, by Rosie Sykes. Rosie belongs to a rare coterie of chef/writers who I wish were published more. Her writing is gently witty and knowledgeable and her recipes are flawless. Inventive and imminently trustworthy, they somehow bridge the gap between nostalgia and familiarity to a safe originality because you know her flavour combinations are going to work. I have favourites from all of her books - her bacon and egg pie from The Sunday Night Cookbook which also makes an appearance in this one is a staple of every long car trip we take as a family. And if you are a fan of the homemade biscuit (the British sort, not the American) you should check out the institution that is The Friday Biscuit on her Instagram.

The theme of this book is one which is close to my own heart, with its mantra of saving money, time and waste. It is unusual for books promising household economy and sustainability to actually do so; this one really does facilitate a better understanding of how to shop judiciously and cook cleverly. As well as the recipes, it is generously crammed with practical and inventive tips about how to get the most out of ingredients, including leftovers. Which trimmings to keep for stock, uses for items which are often discarded before they have come to the end of their usability - eg, parmesan rinds (NOT just throwing into a minestrone) and lemon shells, which ingredients are worth buying when discounted and how to preserve their shelf/fridge life, what can be substituted and/or added to the recipes to suit what you have (a sign of a good recipe, as far as I’m concerned, is its flexibility), which recipes will work well batch cooked. And although quite a few of the recipes are cooked in the oven, there are suggestions as to what can be cooked alongside and/or in the residual heat to maximise usage and get much better value from the fuel outlay. This is the sort of thoughtfulness that typifies Rosie’s cooking and writing.

Around two thirds of the recipes in Every Last Bite have at least one element which can be pressure cooked - even if it is just cooking beans or lentils instead of buying them tinned. This makes a book which is already mindful of cost even better value.

I discussed with Rosie what I should cook (I am checking with authors before I review their books in this way - there is the occasional one who does not want me to go near their books with a pressure cooker!) and her suggestion was this Spiced Split Peas with Dried Apricots and Roasted Cauliflower. It was an interesting one as it was the first time I had ever used frozen cauliflower and I wanted to see how it would pressure cook - and it also has a really good use for a lemon shell which Rose calls “lemon confetti.”

As you can see from the picture above, my book is already food stained….

How did I adapt it? I left all the ingredients quantities exactly the same, even the liquid for the split peas, although I didn’t need the extra optional hot water.

Method: I sauteed the onion on a high heat for 2 minutes as they soften (and lightly caramelise) so much when pressure cooked. I added the turmeric, garlic and tomatoes and cooked for another few minutes as per the recipe. I stirred in the split peas and cinnamon, then added the stock, tomato juice and seasoned with salt and pepper before putting the apricots on top. I cooked for 10 minutes, natural release. By this point the split peas were tender but not broken down (don’t forget, the tomatoes are an inhibitor, so they will take longer than if you were cooking them in water) and the apricots had softened but had kept their shape. Then I added the lemon juice and left on a low heat while I cooked the cauliflower.

I defrosted the cauliflower as per Rosie’s instructions. I heated a pressure cooker, added the olive oil, then added the cauliflower, allspice, chilli flakes, seasoning and finely chopped lemon. I sauteed on a high heat, shaking regularly until lightly browned - the lemon caramelises slightly. Then I poured in 100ml water, got the lid on fast (all that steam!) and brought it up to pressure. Then immediate fast release.

Rosie puts the split peas and cauliflower together and bakes in the oven - I didn’t do this as the cauliflower was already tender and browned. But there is no reason why you shouldn’t do this if you wanted to, for a drier finish. Result - perfect blend of flavours, the cauliflower, which in my head was going to be waterlogged and mushy, was a excellent texture, both tender and firm. Adam was sceptical about the combination of dried apricots and the finely chopped lemon shell until he actually tasted it but we all loved it and have now eaten it twice.

I have so far cooked two more:

Fregola with Bacon and Peas as it is exactly the sort of thing I would cook for the children’s thermos lunches so made it one morning.

And finally

Bean and Broccomole Nachos which was an outstanding dish - I used pressure cooked beans instead of tinned and used zero minutes for tender broccoli. This broccomole is a keeper. I’m not saying I’m never getting avocados again - I will, I love them - but this makes a very useful and interesting alternative. And the dish as a whole is quick, economical and perfect when gloomy June and July persist with their April masquerade.

If you have Rosie’s book or are planning on getting it, please get in touch if you want notes on how to convert either of these two dishes or anything else in the book.

My next post is going to be about my new and improved chicken stock recipe. I know I talk about stock quite a lot but this one was a bit of a game changer for me - and I will give you recipes to use it in!

Thank you for reading! Please remember you can share with anyone you think would enjoy it - and please consider liking/dropping a comment too. I get comments about my posts via email, WhatsApp and across my social media but not so much on the actual post!