To ‘bake’ bread in the pressure cooker you’ll need a small pot that will fit inside on a trivet. I use a pot from a set of stacking camping pots and pans.

• 325 g (12 oz) white flour (or try ‘strong’ flour or part brown flour)
• 1 tsp each salt and sugar
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• ½ sachet yeast (3·5 grams)
• 200 ml warm water

Mix all the dry ingredients, stir in the oil and add the warm water. Knead into a smooth dough, put into an oiled pot and leave to rise for 45 minutes.

Fill the pressure cooker with enough water to steam for 20 minutes on high pressure (this may vary with the size and make but should be in the instruction book). Place pot on a trivet, close the pressure cooker, bring it up to pressure and steam for 20 minutes.
The bread won’t have a crust, but it has a fluffy texture. The same method will also work for cakes.

Beef Stew Serves : 8
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1kg (2 1/4 lb) beef stewing meat, cubed
225ml (8 fl oz) beef stock
225ml (8 fl oz) water
5 carrots, peeled and diced
1 dessertspoon salt, or to taste
8 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced
1 dessertspoon cornflour

Heat the oil in the bottom of the pressure cooker over medium high heat. If your cooker has an insert, remove it and cook directly in the bottom of the pot. Add the onion and beef, and cook until browned on the outside.
Stir in the stock, water, carrots and salt, close the lid, and secure the pressure regulator. Heat until you start to hear sizzling, then reduce the heat to medium, and set your timer for 20 minutes. If you have an adjustable pressure regulator, set it for 10 pounds of pressure.
Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. This whole process should take about the same amount of time as the rest of the stew.

Mushroom Risotto

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice or 1 1/2 cups risotto rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 -1 1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese


In a presssure cooker, heat 4tbs Olive oil and 2 Tbs Butter.
Add onion and garlic. Saute until translucent.
Add portabella and rice. Stir until rice is coated with oil.
Add Chicken broth.
Cover and cook under high pressure for 7 minutes.
Release pressure and add remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve.

Creamy Pork Chops

6 pork chops, any kind
pepper
2 -3 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder, or granules
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley


In pressure cooker, heat oil over medium heat until hot.
Lightly brown peppered pork chops on both sides, a few at a time, removing as you go onto a plate.
When all are browned, add water and chicken bouillon to pot.
Scrape bottom to de-glaze and remove bits from bottom of pan.
Add chops back to pot.
Place lid on pressure cooker and heat over medium heat until the regulator starts rocking.
Cook for 8 minutes. Turn off heat.
Let pressure drop on its own accord. When no more steam, carefully open cooker.
Remove chops to platter, cover to keep hot.
Whisk in soup and heat over medium-low heat.
Then whisk in sour cream and heat until just heated through over low heat. Do not boil! Might curdle!
Stir in parsley.
Pour sauce over chops.
For extra-thick gravy, pour out all but 1 cup bouillon before adding soup and sour cream.
Can garnish with more parsley

Lamb Tagine

Serves - 6
3 tablespoons olive oil
1.5kg lamb shoulder, cut into pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 onions, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch saffron
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
500g prunes, stones removed and soaked in water
100g flaked almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Add the oil to the pressure cooker, and cook over medium heat then add the meat and cook for a few minutes until brown. Add the garlic, onions, ginger and saffron. Season with salt and pepper. Close the pressure cooker and cook for 30 minutes after it start to whistle.
Cool down for 10 minutes and then open the pressure cooker, add the prunes and cinnamon and cook for 20 more minutes after it starts whistling.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and slivered almonds before serving.

Chicken & Sausage Soup

Serves: 8
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 Italian sausages, casings removed
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
100g (4 oz) pearl barley
200g (7 oz) green lentils
1 chicken breast - bone-in, skin removed
Handful chopped fresh parsley
750ml (1 1/4 pints) chicken stock
1 (400g) tin chickpeas, drained
1 (500g) bag fresh spinach, chopped
225g (8 oz) shop-bought salsa,

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add sausage meat, and cook until browned, breaking it into crumbles. Remove sausage to a plate and drain any dripping.
Add remaining teaspoon of olive oil to pressure cooker; cook onion and garlic until onion is transparent. Add barley and stir 1 minute. Return sausage to pressure cooker. Add lentils, chicken, parsley and stock to cooker, adding enough stock to completely cover chicken.
Close cover securely; place pressure regulator on vent pipe. Bring pressure cooker to full pressure over high heat (this may take 15 minutes). Reduce heat to medium high; cook for 9 minutes. Pressure regulator should maintain a slow steady rocking motion; adjust heat if necessary.
Remove pressure cooker from heat; use quick-release method following manufacturer 's instructions or allow pressure to drop on its own. Open cooker and remove chicken; shred meat and return to soup. Add chickpeas, spinach and salsa; stir to blend and heat through before serving.

Chicken with Apricot Sauce
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1.35kg) whole chicken, cut into pieces
salt and pepper or to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
4 tablespoons white wine
4 tablespoons chicken stock

SAUCE
4 tablespoons apricot jam
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped root ginger
2 tablespoons honey

Heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker with the lid off, over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on all sides as evenly as possible. Remove chicken from the cooker and season with salt, pepper, paprika and marjoram. Drain and discard fat from the cooker and mix in wine and chicken stock, scraping any bits of food that are stuck to the bottom.
Return chicken to the cooker over medium-high heat, secure the lid and bring to high pressure for 8 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Reduce pressure before opening the lid. The internal temperature of the chicken meat should be at 82 degrees C.
Remove chicken to a serving plate and add the apricot jam, vinegar, ginger and honey to the pan. Bring to the boil and cook uncovered until the sauce has reduced into a thick and syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes. Spoon over chicken and serve.

Lentil & Lamb Stew

2 tbsp olive oil
750g lamb neck fillet or shoulder, cut into 2cm cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp each ground turmeric, cumin, cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp hot paprika
2 tbsp tomato purée
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
1 bay leaf
300g red lentils
400g chopped tomatoes
900ml vegetable or chicken stock
1 tbsp runny honey
Large bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Heat half the oil in the uncovered pressure cooker pan over a medium heat. Cook the lamb in batches until browned all over, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the remaining oil, stir in the spices and tomato purée, then cook for 2 minutes more.
Add the potatoes, bay leaf, lentils, tomatoes, stock and honey, then return the lamb to the pan. Season.
Attach the pan lid, then bring it up to pressure. Once the correct pressure has been reached, reduce the heat, then cook for 20 minutes.
Reduce the pressure, stir through the coriander and serve with pitta breads.