Or, The One Where I Got Sidetracked and Left It Too Late to Make the Dinner I'd Originally Planned.
It was *meant* to be roast chicken, but suddenly it was 5pm and the hordes were getting hungry and o god what's Plan B?
Why, chuck some stuff in a pot and hope for the best, of course. But not just any pot - my cheap-version-of-the-Instant Pot.
This is not, it's fair to say, a pretty thing: it lurks largely on a considerable portion of the kitchen worksurface. It makes alarming hissing noises. Occasionally it sulks and refuses to pressurise. But if you've got five minutes now and want a well-stewed dinner in 25, this is the gadget you need.
I decided, after a quick recce in freezer and cupboards, to go for a Moroccan-ish fish stew-y type thing. It's based on a recipe on the BBC site, and calls for:
The method's pretty standard; onion and garlic first, then spices (I think), tomatoes, chickpeas, fish last of all, simmer gently until done.
Or, pressure-cooker-under-pressure method:
It turned out great: warming, gently spiced, fish cooked well - just right for a rainy, gloomy day. I'm sure you could do a fancier accompaniment than plain couscous, but I didn't and it worked fine.
Am wondering now whether this counts as a Confined Substitution (for proper cooking)?
It was *meant* to be roast chicken, but suddenly it was 5pm and the hordes were getting hungry and o god what's Plan B?
 |
| Action shot |
Why, chuck some stuff in a pot and hope for the best, of course. But not just any pot - my cheap-version-of-the-Instant Pot.
This is not, it's fair to say, a pretty thing: it lurks largely on a considerable portion of the kitchen worksurface. It makes alarming hissing noises. Occasionally it sulks and refuses to pressurise. But if you've got five minutes now and want a well-stewed dinner in 25, this is the gadget you need.
I decided, after a quick recce in freezer and cupboards, to go for a Moroccan-ish fish stew-y type thing. It's based on a recipe on the BBC site, and calls for:
- White fish fillets (I had a mix of basa and pollock)
- A tin of tomatoes
- A tin of chickpeas
- Onion
- Lots of garlic
- Couple of tsp each of turmeric, cumin and ginger (recipe actually says fresh, but I was out so resorted to ground)
- 1 stick cinnamon (I used half a tsp; no sticks, and love cinnamon as I do, it does tend to want all your tastebuds to itself IME)
- Pinch of cayenne or chilli (optional; I didn't for kid reasons)
 |
| Subtle changes occur during the cooking process |
Or, pressure-cooker-under-pressure method:
- onions
- garlic
- spices
- ah feck the fish is frozen isn't it? <tries to bend unyielding fillets>
- that head of broccoli might as well go in
- the frozen butternut squash will just dissolve and the kids will never notice bwahahahaha
- shove it all in
- add a splash of water
- put the lid on
- hope for the best.
It turned out great: warming, gently spiced, fish cooked well - just right for a rainy, gloomy day. I'm sure you could do a fancier accompaniment than plain couscous, but I didn't and it worked fine.
 |
| Turned out OK |
This is actual cooking. Creativity and cooking. Instant pots are still cooking. V impressed! (No points for substitutions whatsoever though. Pffft.)
ReplyDeleteThis is not cheating. If life with the Curator has taught me anything, it's that this is true engineering. 😀
ReplyDelete