The Unofficial Simpsons Cookbook

I wrote a new book! And it’s The Unofficial Simpsons Cookbook! Woo-hoo!

I’ve been writing Simpsons-inspired recipes over at The Joy of Cooking Milhouse for years and now I’ve got an all-new collection of perfectly cromulent recipes in hardback form. The recipes are genuinely great and the photos are amazing—they really bring the cartoon to life. Order one for yourself and one (or two or three) for the Simpsons fans in your life. They’re guaranteed to love it.

Out August 3rd but available for preorder where ever books are sold. Click here and get your very own copy. Might I suggest ordering a copy from your local bookstore?

Instant Pot Desserts release

It’s here! My latest cookbook, Instant Pot Desserts, has arrived. It features recipes for everything from cheesecake to rice pudding to brownies to bundt cakes to flan—all made in the pressure cooker! There are lots of full-page, full-cover photos and tips for different diets and Instant Pot models. It’ll work great with other electric pressure cookers, too.

It’s especially handy for summertime, when the thought of firing up my oven to make a cake makes me want to faint. You can make picture-perfect desserts without heating up your kitchen!

Find in at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or order from your local bookstore. Also available as an e-book!

Quarantine Beet Risotto

Since self-isolation began, I’ve been getting a CSA box to avoid extra grocery store trips and to support a local farm. It’s been lovely, but on our third delivery of beets, we were a little sick of roasted beets and beet salad. Enter beet risotto! I used my base Instant Pot risotto recipe found here and added beets, which lent the dish a beautiful ruby color. See below for details—beets last a long time in the fridge, making them a nice option for quarantine cooking!

Instant Pot Beet Risotto
Serves 3

1 small bunch beets with greens (greens are optional)
3 whole garlic cloves,  unpeeled (plus more garlic below)
Olive oil
1 small yellow or white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 glug dry white wine or dry vermouth
1 cup short-grained white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
2 heaping tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the stems off the beets and wrap in foil with a drizzle of oil. Wrap the whole garlic cloves in a small piece of foil with a little oil. Place everything on a baking sheet.
2. Roast for 30-45 minutes, or until a paring knife is easily inserted into the beets. Let cool for a few minutes until safe to handle.
3. Turn on the Sauté function on the pressure cooker. Once hot, add a glug of oil followed by the onion. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add half of the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the alcohol smell has cooked off and almost all of the wine has evaporated.
4. Turn off the Sauté function. Add the rice and broth. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Secure the lid.
5. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release.
6. Meanwhile, sauté the greens (optional). Heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Remove any tough stems and roughly chop the greens. Add to the hot pan along with the rest of the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, sautéing until tender. If desired, add a splash of stock or water for more tender greens. Turn off the heat.
7. Peel the beets (the peel should easily slip off the roasted veggies). Grate one and chop the rest. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their peels and mash.
8. Once the rice is done cooking, add the roasted garlic and grated beet and stir well for a creamy texture and bright color. Add the parmesan, cooked greens, and most of the chopped beets and stir. Taste for seasoning.
9. Serve topped with the remaining chopped beets and more parmesan.

P.S. This recipe works well with short-grain brown rice, too. Follow the recipe as written except cook at high pressure for 25 minutes.
P.P.S. If you don’t absolutely need the roasted garlic in this recipe, you could also cook the beets in the pressure cooker.

Eating Well feature

I’m fortunate enough to have a feature in this month’s issue of Eating Well. It’s all about Miry’s List, an amazing nonprofit that works with newly resettled refugees, and their New Arrival Supper Clubs. There are seven recipes adapted from refugee chefs that are dynamite, including the Syrian Fattoush Salad below. Grab your very own copy where ever fine magazines are sold, and definitely try the mantu (Afghan dumpling) recipe!

photo by me—the photo in the magazine is MUCH better

Syrian Fattoush Salad
adapted from Maysaa Kanjo

2 pita breads, split and torn or cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Add pita to a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once, or until crispy. Cool.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in your biggest mixing bowl.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well to combine. Add the toasted pita, toss again, and serve.

 

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal

Now that the temperatures are dipping, I’m making more of my favorite Instant Pot dish—steel-cut oats. This version has all of the flavors of sweet potato pie but is actually a nutritious breakfast. It’s also a great way to use leftover sweet potato. Halve the recipe to serve two or double it to pack up breakfasts for the week.

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal
Serves 4

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup steel-cut oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dashes ground ginger, clove, and/or nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups water
2 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 large sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and mashed
Optional: maple syrup, milk, toasted pecans or walnuts

1. Turn on the Sauté function. Once hot, add the butter and melt. Add the oats and stir to coat, toasting for about 2 minutes. Turn off the Sauté function and add the spices and salt and stir.
2. Add the water and brown sugar and stir. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure for 12 minutes and use a natural release.
3. Add the mashed sweet potato and stir well until well-mixed and creamy. Serve topped with maple syrup, milk, and/or toasted nuts.

Notes:

• If you have leftovers, you’ll need to add milk or water to your oatmeal when reheating.
• You can cook the sweet potato in the pot. Place the steamer rack in the inner pot and add 1 cup of water. Cut the sweet potato in half long-ways and place, skin-side down, on the rack. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and use a controlled release.

Link Round-Up, 9.20.19

His Girl Friday

Here’s some of my latest around the internets. I also finished my 3rd (!!!) cookbook (due out spring 2020 via Skyhorse) and turned in a big EatingWell piece for the January issue. It’s been a fruitful summer.

• Best of LA (Historic Restaurant, Vegan Burger, and Wine Tasting) – Los Angeles Magazine
• Pulled Chicken Tacos – The Spruce
• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese – The Spruce
• Nachos, Flanders Style – The Joy of Cooking Milhouse
• How to be a Guerrilla Gardener – KCET

Follow me on Facebook for the latest.

Instant Pot Jackfruit Barbecue Sandwiches

If you’re celebrating the 4th sans grill or feeding some vegetarians, may I recommend Jackfruit Barbecue Sandwiches? The jackfruit is so meat-like, you might fool a few people. The recipe can easily be doubled, and it’s all made in the Instant Pot.

This recipe is from my latest book No Pressure. Grab a copy if you haven’t already!

Jackfruit Barbecue Sandwiches
Serves 4

2 (20-ounce) cans young green jackfruit in water
1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup ketchup
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup vegetable broth
3 cups packed coleslaw mix
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
4 hamburger buns

Rinse the jackfruit and drain, using a paper towel to lightly press out some of the excess moisture. Remove the tough cores with a knife and any seeds you can get to.

Turn on the Sauté function. Once hot, add the oil followed by the jackfruit. Sauté for 3 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside. Clean out the pot, dry, and return it to the cooker. Turn the Sauté function down to Low.

Add the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, paprika, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 4 minutes. Very loosely cover with the lid if the sauce starts to bubble outside the pot. Turn off the Sauté function. Remove ½ cup of barbecue sauce and set aside.

Add the broth and stir. Add the jackfruit and stir. Secure the lid.

Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and use a natural release.

Meanwhile, make the slaw. In a small mixing bowl, combine the coleslaw mix and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper and toss together.

Once the pressure has released, drain the jackfruit and discard the cooking liquid. Return to the pot and use a fork to shred. Add all but a couple of tablespoons of the reserved barbecue sauce and toss.

To serve, spread a small amount of barbecue sauce on both sides of each hamburger bun. Fill with the jackfruit followed by coleslaw.

The Joy of Cooking Milhouse

For a couple of years, I wrote a monthly series for Paste Magazine called Cooking The Simpsons. It was so fun recreating food from the show and I’ve missed it, so I started my own little site. The Joy of Cooking Milhouse collects all of my previous recipes and features all-new articles.

You can find it here. I already have two new articles up, one featuring Marge’s pretzels and, most recently, Homer’s Nacho Hat. Yes, you can make your own nacho hat! I did!

One-Hour Instant Pot Matzo Ball Soup

This is for all those celebrating Passover, or who just enjoy tasty matzo ball soup. From The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook:

One-Hour Instant Pot Matzo Ball Soup
Serves 4-5

1 cup matzo meal, plus more if needed
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more for seasoning
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
Pinch ground nutmeg
4 eggs
5 ¼ cup water, divided
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
1 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast
1 bay leaf
6 cups homemade chicken broth
1 large carrot, small diced
2 celery ribs, small diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)

1. In a small bowl, combine the matzo meal, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, ¼ cup water, and oil. Add the matzo mixture and mix well. The mixture will look like oatmeal. If it seems too soupy, add a tablespoon of matzo meal. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The mixture will be easier to work with the longer it sits.
   Meanwhile, add the chicken breast, 3 cups water, remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and bay leaf to the Instant Pot. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
3. Once cooking is complete, use a quick release. Remove the chicken and set aside, remove the bay leaf and discard.
4. Add water until the liquid in the pot reaches 5 cups (about 2 cups more water). Using a spoon and wet hands, form the matzo ball mixture into walnut-sized balls (about 2 tablespoons). As you form them, set them on a plate. Once all of the balls are formed, carefully add them to the pot one at a time.
5. Make sure the balls are all separated without disturbing them too much. Secure the lid.
6. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Use a natural release.
7. Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth in a large pot on the stove to a low simmer. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and turn the heat to low.
8. De-bone the chicken and discard the skin. Shred the meat.
9. Ladle the broth and veggies into bowls and top with chicken. Add 2 to 3 matzo balls per bowl, and top with fresh dill, if using.

Ingredient Tip: You can easily make your own matzo meal using regular matzo. Simply break it into medium-sized pieces and pulse it in your food processor until a cornmeal-like texture is reached. One sleeve of matzo typically yields 1 cup of meal.

photo by Jenni Field via Flickr and modified by me

Link Round-Up, 4.3.19

Some recent writings by me:

• El Monte School Garden Grows Fresh Produce and Healthy Kids – KCET
• The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Salmon – Eating Well
• 16 Ground Turkey Recipes for Healthy, Delicious Dinners – The Spruce

If you haven’t seen it, this LA Times April Fool’s piece is wonderful.

Just a friendly reminder that my cookbook No Pressure is still for sale right here.

image via Buzzfeed