Instant Pot: Cuban Inspired Picadillo

Well I looked at Cuban Picadillo recipes until I found no more to peer at.  Each one was a little different from the other, raisins, no raisins, potatoes, no potatoes, etc.  I guessed the recipe varied from what part of Cuba you were from and likely that families have made it their own over the generations?  All recipes I perused stated this dish was served with rice... I took what I liked out of all of them and created my own, which was pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.  I was looking to make it sweet, spicy & salty:

Instant Pot: Beef Shank Noodle Soup

I ordered beef shank online from an Asian grocery store and received a 2 pound boneless hunk of meat.  It wasn't the "osso bucco" I dreamed of and was planning to make so I thought I'd try a soup in the instant pot.  I also bought new ramen bowls from Japan so I was very happy to try noodle soup in them!  This was my creation and it was made with all I had in the fridge/pantry:

Instant Pot: Spicy Black Bean Soup with Smoky Bison Sausages

I saw this on Food Network one time and wanted to give it a try so I based my recipe on it.  I soaked my beans overnight just to make sure, but with an instant pot you probably don't have to.  I just didn't want any surprises.  I remember in the show she said lard was a must for this and I bought it for this recipe.  She said it made a great difference to the flavor profile (paraphrasing as it's been a while since I watched it).

Instant Pot: Chinese Sticky Rice

I used the cooking method from this recipe.  I had "lap cheong" (Chinese sausage) in the fridge and I've always wanted to make this dish but never have.  I had dried shiitakes as I hope to make my own "umami" seasoning one day and I had dried shrimp too...After reading the comments, I was nervous as there were a lot "burnt" issues, but I guess we'd see... What I used:

Instant Pot: Bacon Cheese Fried Grits

Tomorrow's dinner will be short ribs.  I decided to do most prep work today.  I thought rather than standing over my stove for an hour tomorrow, I'd make the grits today and then fry them up when dinner was ready.

Instant Pot: Red Beans and Rice

"Southern" food is my favorite over all others if I had to choose.  I recommend when in New Orleans to try red beans and rice if you haven't already.  While it is not a pretty dish, it is a carby comfort food and soooo delicious.  I decided to give this a go today in my instant pot.  I was going to make a dish using beautiful Swiss chard I obtained, but I will make that tomorrow as a side for this.  I had to use what I had in the house, so this is not "southern authentic" by any means.  It's just my spin on the classic recipe.  One thing I've been trying do during this pandemic is buy local food and support our own purveyors.  I think it's something I will try to continue, though it is pricier...

Instant Pot: Curry Beef Brisket

I had beef brisket in the freezer which I thawed overnight.  I remembered I had made Chinese curry beef in my crock pot and I didn't love it.  I haven't made it since.  I decided to try again in the Instant Pot.  Would this be an easy, delicious weeknight dinner???

Instant Pot: Stock/Broth

I decided to see how the Instant Pot did for making bone broth.  I usually do this as an all day activity, simmering for 8 to 10 hours and then seeing it turn into gelatinous goodness after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Instant Pot: Dal Makhani

I found this recipe and as soon as I did, I knew I would make it.  I've been on "Dal" kick these days.  My co-worker makes it and occasionally brings me some.  It's very good at times.  I've also been ordering it every time I go out for Indian food lately.

Instant Pot: Lazy Lasagna Soup

Can you say easy weeknight comfort food?  I did.  Seemed perfect to end the work week because I don't like cooking on Fridays.  I walked 11 km today after only a few hours of sleep last night and a long work week.  I didn't end up making this till 10pm - after a nap!  😴 I made minor edits.  You don't need an instant pot to make this, it will just take longer in a dutch oven to simmer the soupy sauce.  What I used:

Instant Pot: Roast Beef (for Beef Dip)

Today screamed and begged me for comfort food.  I had this mad craving for beef dip tonight.  I think because I saw it on a sandwich board outside a restaurant as I was lunch walking last week.  It hasn't left my mind, I guess.  The closest grocery store to work had "outside round" roasts on sale for $5 a lb.

Instant Pot: Curried Opo Squash & Chana Dal

I found opo squash in the grocery store today so looked for a recipe to utilize them.  I don't think I've ever cooked with them before, and if I have, I don't remember.

Instant Pot: Chicken, Lentil, and Bacon Stew With Carrots

It sounds comforting, no?  I got down to business and followed the ingredients exactly except I subbed apple cider vinegar for the sherry vinegar.  I used less pancetta and I cut the broth by half a cup too.  I couldn't find french lentils in my usual grocery stores so ordered them online from Amazon.  I didn't want drumsticks so just used thighs.  As an addition, I threw in some organic baby spinach at the end.

Instant Pot: Turkey-Stuffed Peppers

Time to try out the old "Instant Pot" again.  I've rarely used it since purchasing.  I think mostly because it doesn't fit on my counter, so taking it down and setting it up is a turn off to me, like the crock pot.  If it could sit in a spacious space - available and ready to use anytime I wanted it, I know I would use it more.  Stuffed peppers seemed good to try since they are hard to do in the oven - getting them soft enough.  I based my recipe on hers, but did my own edits to suit me and it was a little different - my own experiment.  I looked for peppers that had 4 bumps on the bottom (a lot had 3) and would stand up straight.  I found 3 green and 1 yellow.  Green were the cheapest, red the most expensive.  Still expensive, the 4 peppers cost me $4.50 and on sale.

Instant Pot: Stewed Chicken with Corn (Pollo Guisado con Maiz)

I saw this and thought I'd make it with the local corn that is on sale now.  I used bone-in, skinless chicken thighs instead of legs.  It's been a long while since I used my Instant Pot and I've only used it once, so it was time to try again.

Instant Pot: Swiss Steak with Tomatoes and Cream

I got this Instant Pot for my birthday from my wonderful son.  I have always wanted a pressure cooker.  I remember using one in high school (old school, stovetop type) in Home Economics class and made Swiss Steak.  I remember thinking how delicious it was and that memory has always stayed with me for whatever reason.  It is something I have never made since then and I've never used a pressure pot since then either.  Now that I had the Instant Pot, I was a little intimidated and did a ton of reading about it.  I found online "community" posts confusing because everyone had their own opinions about how to do things but it did help me find helpful links though.  I also bought this cookbook (online version) to get started.  The recipe below is from this book.  I knew it was going to take some time to build my confidence using this unit, so I decided I needed to try trusted, tested recipes to start so I could get the hang of how the thing worked.  Before I started, I did the "water test".  I also perused this link for beginners.  I was finally ready to begin...