Five-Spice Pork Roast (or Venison)

This is a photo of the dish made with venison loins.  It's served with
brown rice to soak up the delicious sauce plus steamed broccoli.

Serves 4-6

Recipe from Pressure Cooking for Everyone

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

I’ve made this with pork and then again with venison.  The meat turns out to be especially tender and the sauce is fantastic!  Be sure to serve this dish with brown rice or whole wheat couscous to soak up the yummy sauce.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

One 3-pound boneless center cut pork loin, fat trimmed to 1/8 inch, tied or venison loins

½ teaspoon five-spice-powder**  (You can find this spice in the bulk spice aisle at Lost River Market & Deli, but you can make your own by following the directions at the bottom of this post.)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 large scallion, sliced

2 Tablespoons shredded fresh ginger (I used the “fresh” ginger from the jar.)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons dry sherry

1 cup chicken broth

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 ½ Tablespoon cornstarch

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Scallion greens, sliced for garnish

1. In pressure cooker, heat the oil.

2. Brown meat on all sides and then transfer to a platter

3. Add scallion, ginger, & garlic. Stir until fragrant.  Add Sherry and stir well. Add broth and deglaze pan. (Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.)

4. Return meat to pan and lock lid to pressure cooker. Pressurize over high heat, and then continue cooking for 30 minutes over reduced (low/med) heat.

5. Depressurize with quick release or water bath

6. Internal temperature of the meat should be 150°F. Transfer to serving platter and let stand for 10 minutes.

7. Let cooking liquid cool for 5 minutes, and skim off any fat that rises to surface. Return to boil (uncovered), add soy sauce and sprinkle in cornstarch. Cook and whisk sauce, until thickened. Flavor to taste with pepper.  Pour the sauce through a strainer if you wish it to be especially smooth.

8. After 10 minutes of standing, remove strings and slice the roast. Garnish with finely chopped scallions.  Serve immediately, with sauce on side.

Nutritional Info:  Calories: 315.8; Total Fat: 17.5 g; Cholesterol: 87.3 mg; Sodium: 1,117.2 mg; Total Carbs: 3.2 g; Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g; Protein: 41.0 g

**Make-Your-Own 5-Spice Powder:  Toast in a dry skillet and then grind together in a spice grinder:  ½ teaspoon cloves, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon fennel seed, 8 star anise, 2 teaspoons peppercorns

Venison Strips with Caramelized Onions (Pressure Cooker Recipe)

Serves 6-8

Recipe from Pressure Cooking for Every Occasion

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen and Janet’s Kitchen

It’s hunting season right now in Hoosier country and those who enjoy such things are happily spending their early autumn mornings in deer stands.   We are not hunters, but we have friends who are and who often share their bounty with us.  I made this recipe (see photo) and we thought it was great, but I adjusted the recipe to shorten the cooking time because the venison was quite lean.  (The original recipe was for sirloin steak.)  My walking buddy, Janet, tried it and used an entire bottle of beer.  She said her husband loved this and so she will be making it again too.  The meat and veggies along with the yummy sauce tastes great over brown rice.  I’ve made other serving suggestions at the end of this recipe.

Lost River Market & Deli has everything you need including local beef (not venison) to make this delicious dinner.  

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, cut in half and sliced thin

1 large red bell pepper, seeded, cored, sliced into thin strips

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 strips lean bacon, chopped into small pieces

2 lbs. venison steaks or lean sirloin steak, cut into fillets and sliced into ½ inch strips

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup to 1 bottle of dark beer

½ teaspoon ground allspice or 2 whole allspice berries

1 bay leaf

1 Tablespoon honey mustard

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in pressure cooker over medium high heat. Add onion, red pepper, dried basil and sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add sugar and balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking until soft and golden, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pressure cooker to a bowl and set aside. Raise heat to medium high, add the bacon to the pressure cooker and cook until just browned.  Remove bacon to a small bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the bacon drippings.  Raise the heat to high and brown the beef or venison on all sides in batches, if needed.  Return all browned meat and any collected juices to the pressure cooker. Lower the heat. Sprinkle the meat with the cornstarch and cook about 30 seconds.  Add the browned bacon, the beer, allspice and bay leaf.  Stir well. Position the lid on the pressure cooker and lock in place.  Bring to high pressure, stabilize and cook for about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and release pressure using the cold-water release method. Open cooker, add the sautéed onion and red pepper and the honey mustard.  Replace the lid, bring up to high pressure and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and release pressure using the cold-water release method.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving. Serve over brown rice, whole-wheat couscous, egg noodles or mashed potatoes. 

Turkey Breast with Mushroom Marsala Sauce

Turkey Breast with Mushroom Marsala Sauce served with sautéed broccoli and a simple salad

Recipe from Pressure Cooking for Everyone by Rick Rodgers and Arlene Ward

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 6 to 8 Servings

I purchased a really nice pressure cooker several years back. I had an old pressure canner cooker with the little dial on the top which I’d used long ago, but it always gave me the willies to use it. I had visions of explosions and tomato splats all over my kitchen. My newer pressure cooker, however, has safety features which put my mind at rest, so I’m having fun cooking with it. Speaking of pressure, my husband has been pressuring me to empty out the freezer because berry season is fast approaching. So, I pulled out a local skinless, boneless turkey breast that I had bought at Lost River Market & Deli to make a quick dinner using my pressure cooker. What’s amazing to me is that it took less than half hour from start to finish to make this dish without heating up the house with the oven! While the turkey was cooking, I made a batch of whole wheat couscous (from the bulk section of the store) and sautéed some zucchini (from our buddy, Nathan) to go along with it. The mushroom sauce was just delectable over the turkey and couscous. I bought mushrooms from the store, but also added a few chanterelle mushrooms that Jim found in the forest. Lost River Market & Deli will soon have these local delicacies in their produce section. (The chanterelles are totally optional.) Oh, and by the way, my husband proclaimed this dish “scrumptious!” The turkey turned out especially moist and tender.

1 boneless, skinless turkey breast, cut in half crossway (This helps it to fit into the cooker.)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

6 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini and chanterelles, but any mushrooms would be yummy.)

1 large shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic

½ teaspoon dried thyme

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/3 cup Marsala wine

1 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch

3 Tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt or heavy cream

Sprinkle Kosher salt and pepper on both sides of the turkey breast. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive in a 5-7 quart pressure cooker. Add one half of the turkey breast and brown on both sides. Remove breast to a plate and set aside. Brown the other half of the turkey breast. Remove breast to a plate with the other breast half and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms, shallot, garlic and thyme. Sauté until the mushrooms soften a bit, about 3 minutes. Return the breasts to the cooker. Add the broth and wine.

Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure. Adjust the heat to maintain the pressure. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and quick-release the pressure. Check the turkey for doneness: An instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast should read 160° F or above. Transfer the turkey to a carving platter and cover breast with foil or a plate to keep warm.

Bring the liquid (with mushrooms) to a boil without the lid. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and yogurt or cream. Whisk this into the mushroom mixture and whisk until the sauce is thickened. Season the sauce with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Transfer the mushroom sauce to a bowl.

Cut the turkey breasts into slices. Serve immediately, passing the sauce on the side.