Cookbook Countdown: Carrot Bisque with Vodka and Chervil

Dinner again from The Pressure Cooker Gourmet, by Victoria Wise. Today we had Carrot Bisque with Vodka and Chervil (p31). This, I think, is the kind of thing the pressure cooker excels at.

Start by sautéing a finely chopped onion in some butter. Then add four large, peeled and coarsely chopped carrots, some arborio rice, salt, freshly ground pepper*, chicken stock (Thanksgiving turkey stock again), and water. Close up the pressure cooker, bring to pressure over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for five minutes. Then turn off the heat and let the pan sit for ten minutes before releasing the remaining pressure. Letting food continue to cook while the pan sits off the heat is a new technique for me; I've seen in a couple of recipes lately.

* When I made this today, I was sure the recipe said black pepper, and that's what I used since the black pepper grinder always at hand. The only criticism I had of the finished soup was that the black flecks were too visible. Now I read again and see it actually says "freshly ground pepper, preferably white." It would be good if I could learn to overcome my expectations and read properly!

Purée the soup, then stir in a tablespoon of vodka and a tablespoon of chopped chervil. That's all there is to it. The soup was so simple, it's really hard to believe how good it was.

January starts a new year with Cookbook Countdown. Why don't you choose a book, or two, or more, from your cookbook shelf and join in?

Cookbook Countdown: Quick Chicken with Garlic, Tarragon, and Red Wine

For today's pressure cooker meal, I turned to The Pressure Cooker Gourmet, by Victoria Wise.

Wise says that variations on this recipe appeared in her second cookbook and in her microwave cookbook. For this book, she turned it into a pressure cooker recipe. And it's decidedly a winner, so quick and easy it can be on the table within fifteen minutes.

You start by heating oil in the pressure cooker. Then you add boneless chicken thighs, salt and pepper them, and toss in the oil. (My thighs were skinless also; I used about 250g/8.8oz for two people, a half recipe.) Then you add a bunch of big garlic cloves halved, tarragon (dried or fresh), and one cup of red wine*. Close the pressure cooker and bring to pressure over high heat, about two minutes. (I see now that I misread this and cooked it for two minutes after coming to pressure; the dish did not suffer.) Then lower the heat to medium and cook two more minutes. Then remove from the heat and let it sit for two more minutes. Now release the pressure. Put the thighs on a serving platter (I put them directly onto the plates), then reduce the juices over hight heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in a chunk of butter and pour the sauce over the thighs.

* Because I was making a half recipe, this should have been a half cup of red wine. But the minimum amount of liquid in the pressure cooker is one cup. So I used the full amount and we had leftover sauce at the end.

This sounds so simple, but it was extra delicious. The only thing I might do is mash the garlic cloves to make the sauce smooth. Those melting soft half cloves were really nice.

January starts a new year with Cookbook Countdown. Why don't you choose a book, or two, or more, from your cookbook shelf and join in?