0 Pozole: Mexican Pork & Hominy Stew - Pressure Cook

Pozole, means 'hominy' and is a traditional Mexican stew or soup. Chock full of tender pork, large kernels of white hominy corn, is garnished with creamy bites of avocado, crispy tortilla strips and a wedge of lime. The soup base has all the flavors of a traditional red enchilada sauce.

I was first introduced to this soup by a good Hispanic friend who has lived in Mexico and has shared many of her authentic recipes with me. She knew the simple ingredients would be right up my alley and when I made it for a cooking demonstration, this Pozole was the one dish many raved about.

I converted my Pozole stove top recipe to use in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and found that it saved time and I felt that the meat was more tender.

TIP: Start with boneless pork shoulder or Country Style ribs, as they will be the most tender. Don't use pork loin, as it will be too dry and chewy.

Trim off the larger sections of fat, and cut the pork into 1" cubes. You don't want to cut them any larger, as larger cuts will take more time to cook and won't be as bite-sized for your guests.

Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. This will help brown the meat.

I find myself using my kitchen scissors more and more to cut meat. I feel it is so much easier than using a knife.

Select the browning/saute setting of your pressure cooker. Brown the meat on all sides, in two separate batches. 

TIP: When using stainless steel to brown meats, follow these steps:

• Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the cold pot. 
• Select Saute HIGH setting. 
• Wait until the oil begins to shimmer, or the Instant Pot displays HOT. 
• Add your meat and RESIST touching or stirring the meat too soon - if you do, the meat will stick. 
• Once the meat has browned, it will naturally release from the cooking surface. Set your browned meat aside.

Saute your onions, add your chili powder and minced garlic. Look for a dark chili powder. I like to use McCormick's Dark Chili Powder or try Ancho Chili Powder, which has a great, smokey taste and aroma.

TIP: Adding your spices along with the oil and heat will cause them to bloom, and be more fragrant.

Next, add just a touch of your chicken broth. It will steam, but settle down. Add the rest of the broth and deglaze* the pan. I like to use Better than Bouillon for chicken broth. It's so easy to mix and have on hand.

TIP - *Deglaze: When you have browned your meat, there are stuck on pieces of caramelized drippings (fond) that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pouring a liquid, such as broth, and scraping the bottom with tongs or a spatula helps remove the fond off the bottom. This is called 'Deglazing.'

If the fond is left stuck on the bottom of your pot, it can keep your cooker from reaching pressure.

Add your tomato sauce and your browned meat.

Close your pressure cooker, close the pressure valve, and select HIGH pressure for ZERO minutes. If your cooker doesn't go down to zero, select 1 minute.

At the end of the cook time, use a 15 minute natural pressure release. This means you leave the pressure valve alone, wait 15 minutes, and then open up the pressure valve to release any remaining pressure.

Open the pressure cooker, and add your drained hominy. Give it a gentle stir and let the soup heat the hominy for about 5 minutes.

Serve hot, garnish with diced avocado, tortilla strips, sour cream or shredded cheese and a wedge of fresh lime.

Enjoy!

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Pozole: Mexican Pork & Hominy Stew - Pressure Cook

by Frieda Franchina,  April-26-2018

Pozole means "hominy" and is a traditional Mexican soup full of tender cubed pork, hominy and set in a rich tomato based sauce that is similar to enchilada sauce. Use pork butt, shoulder, or country style boneless pork ribs as they will be more tender than leaner pork loin. Hominy can be found in the Hispanic/International aisle of most grocery stores.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork, trimmed & cut into 1" cubes (shoulder, butt, or country style ribs)
• 2 Tablespoons cooking oil, divided
• 1/4 cup diced onion (1/2 small onion)
• 3-5 Tablespoons Pasilla Chili Powder (the more you use, the more heat you will have)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons chicken paste (Better than Bouillon is what I use)
• -OR- 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 large (30 ounce) can of white hominy, drained

Instructions

1. Select Saute/High or Browning of your pressure cooker. Put 1 Tablespoon of oil into the cooker. When oil is shimmering or pot says HOT, put half of your meat into the cooker. Brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove meat and repeat with other half of meat. Remove and set aside.2. Change Saute or Browning to a lower setting, if possible. Saute onions until softened, about 2 minutes. Toss in your chili powder and minced garlic, and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute..3. Slowly pour the chicken broth into the pot, being careful of the steam. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release any stuck on fond.4. Add tomato sauce, return browned meat to the pot and stir.5. Close the pressure cooker, close the pressure valve, Select HIGH pressure for ZERO minutes.6. At the end of the cook time, allow a 15 minute natural release.7. After the 15 minute natural release, carefully open the pressure cooker and stir in your drained hominy. Allow the residual heat of the soup to warm your hominy, about 5 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste. 
Serve hot, and garnish with fresh avocado, sliced radishes, sour cream, crispy tortilla strips and a wedge of fresh lime.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time:  40 mins Yield: 6-8 servings

0 Split Pea & Ham Soup - Pressure Cooker & Stove

Split pea soup creates it's own creamy texture on it's own, without any need for a blender. Add sweet carrots and smokey ham, and you have a a one pot meal that is a special treat.

This soup typically takes 90 minutes on the stove, but when using your pressure cooker, you can cut the cook time in half, and still get all the flavor from simmering on the stove.

Sweet onions are sauteed in the pot along with fresh garlic.

I like to freeze my garlic - they slip out of the skins so easily and this garlic press is so much easier to use than mincing garlic.

Split peas are peas that are dried and split in half for cooking. There are green and yellow varieties, but I prefer to use the green.

Split peas are high in protein and low in fat. Look for peas that are a bright, green color for the best taste. Faded colored peas tend to lack in flavor.

Carrots add color and sweetness to the soup. Only two cups of chicken broth is added to the soup for flavor - the rest is water. You don't want all of your liquid to be chicken broth, as it will be too salty when ham is added. I love using Better Than Bouillon - it keeps very well in the fridge and is so easy to mix and have on hand.

Since I had a left over & trimmed ham bone, I plunked it into the soup. It is not necessary to use a ham bone, but cooking it with the soup will make the meat fall off the bone and add tons of flavor to the soup. I often use a ham bone in my Simply Ham & Bean soup recipe.

Dried thyme and a bay leaf is all the flavoring I use.

Remember to remove the bay leaf when cooking is done!

If you have cooked & diced ham, you can add it to the soup after it has finished cooking. The residual heat from the soup will naturally warm up the ham.

The soup has a nice body and flavor, but if you like a very thick soup, wait until the next day...

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Split Pea & Ham Soup - Pressure Cooker

by Adapted from Chef John on Allrecipes.com April-9-2018

Soup that can take 90 minutes on the stove gets help from pressure cooking, cutting the time in half, but not the flavor. Look for split peas that are a bright, green color for best flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 cup (1 small onion) onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled & diced
• 1 pound dried split peas
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 pound ham, diced*
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• *ham bone is optional
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put cooking oil in the pot of the pressure cooker. Select a low, saute/browning setting.2. Put chopped onions in the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes, until softened.3. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds or till aromatic.4. Add diced carrots and split peas.5. Pour chicken stock and water into the pot. Stir well, scrapping any cooked bits on the bottom of the pot from the onion.6. If using a ham bone, add it to the soup.7. Add dried thyme and bay leaf. Stir.8. Close the lid, lock, and close the pressure valve. Select HIGH pressure and a 10 minute cook time.9. After cook time ends, allow the pressure to come down naturally, about 30 minutes. 10. Open the pressure cooker, remove the bay leaf and ham bone. Stir in diced ham and any ham remaining on the bone. Salt & pepper to taste.Soup will thicken while in the fridge.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 6 servings

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Split Pea & Ham Soup - Stove or Slow Cooker

by Adapted from Chef John on Allrecipes.com April-9-2018

Soup that can take 90 minutes on the stove gets help from pressure cooking, cutting the time in half, but no the flavor. Look for split peas that are a bright, green color for best flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 cup (1 small onion) onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled & diced
• 1 pound dried split peas
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 pound ham, diced*
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• *ham bone is optional
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put oil in large soup pot over medium-low heat. 2. Stir in onion and cook for 2-4 minutes, until softened.3. Add garlic, and stir until aromatic.4. Add carrots, split peas, chicken broth, water, ham. Add bay leaf and dried thyme. Stir well. 5. Cover pot and simmer over medium low heat until peas are tender, about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.6. Slow Cooker: Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. 7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour 29 mins Total time: 1 hour 40 mins Yield: 6 servings

0 30 Minute Irish Guinness Beef Stew - Pressure Cooker

Bold flavors of chocolate, dark coffee, and subtle wood smoke with the maltiness of dark beer makes this Irish Beef Stew amazing! Deep, rich, and complex in flavor, the beer you choose can make or break this recipe. Pair it with a loaf of crusty Irish Soda bread, and you'll have a meal!

I adapted this popular recipe, which takes two hours to simmer over the stove and used my pressure cooker to reap the same benefits of flavor, in 30 minutes! The 30 minutes includes the coming up to pressure time and the natural release time. This is possible because the meat cut into 1" pieces,  is browned, (for flavor) and the veggies are cut into 1" pieces. Smaller and uniform pieces of veggies mean a shorter cook time.

TIP: Save prep time by using precut stew meat, peeled baby carrots, and omitting the potatoes. Serve this stew over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles or mashed cauliflower. That means you can have dinner ready in well under an hour!


Choosing Your Beer
I do not drink alcohol, but I do occasionally use it in cooking for flavor. Guinness beer is commonly associated with Irish Stew, and I could NOT find it in my grocery stores... apparently, it is either not stocked or it was sold out.

I found a store manager who briefly educated me on ales, lager, and helped me pick out a local dark beer, Uinta Baba, which has the same flavors as Guinness beer. You can check this website for beers that are comparable to Guinness beer. Your local liquor store would also be a good source.

TIP: If you want to make this without alcohol, you can use Coke or root beer (not the Diet). I love using root beer in this awesome chili recipe.

TIP: I love using my kitchen scissors to quickly cut meat. I trim out the hard connective tissue in chuck roast that can make it taste chewy, allowing me to use a shorter cook time.

Browning your meat adds flavor to your meat and stew. Brown the meat in batches, using the reserved bacon drippings. Brown in 3-4 batches, making sure you don't overcrowd the meat. Resist the urge to move the meat before it has completely browned. When browned, the meat will not stick to the pot. 

After browning the bacon and all the meat, saute your onions, stirring to pick up all the browned bits (fond) off the bottom of your pot. This is the good stuff!

TIP: Use the browned bits to flavor your onions and spices. 
After your onions have softened, add your garlic and dried thyme, till fragrant. Hubby came home and said, "Something smells good!"

Add tomato paste (TIP: freeze your extra tomato paste!) and your beer. Stir to dissolve the tomato paste and make sure there are no stuck on bits at the bottom of your pot.

TIP: Chicken broth is recommend for this recipe. I would not recommend using beef broth, as it will overpower the flavors in the stew. I use Better Than Bouillon, as it keeps well in the fridge and I always have it on hand.

Add your broth, carrots, potatoes, and put your fresh thyme (if using) and bay leaf on top.

Cover, close your pressure valve and set it on HIGH pressure for ZERO minutes.

Wait? Zero minutes? But... but ... but...

Trust me, this works! It will take about 15 minutes for the cooker to come up to pressure and during this time, your potatoes and carrots will be cooking. If you use a 1, 2, 3, minute or longer cook time, your veggies will be mush.

Your pressure cooker will take 15 minutes to reach pressure, then it will beep, and then the Natural Release begins. Wait 15 minutes before opening your pressure cooker.

TIP: Remember to remove the fresh thyme and bay leaf before thickening your stew.

THICKEN: I like to use a mix of all purpose flour and softened butter to thicken, it dissolves easily with no lumps.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy this amazing Irish Beef Stew in a bowl with a side of crusty bread. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

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Irish Guinness Beef Stew - Pressure Cooker

by adapted from Chef John on Allrecipes March-8-2018

Bold flavors of chocolate, dark coffee and subtle wood smoke with the maltiness of the dark beer gives this Irish Stew a deep, complex flavor. Use coca cola or root beer (regular, not diet) for an alcohol free version.

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2-3 pounds boneless chuck, trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
• salt & pepper
• 1.5 cups 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed/minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (4-5 sprigs fresh thyme)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 12-15 ounces dark beer (or use Coca Cola or Root Beer)
• 2 cups chicen broth (I used Better than Bouillon)
• 3-4 medium (8 ounces) carrots, peeled and cut into 1" slices
• 4-5 medium (1 pound) russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (omit if using Soda)
• Thickener:
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons softened butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Select Browning/Saute on your pressure cooker.2. Add bacon pieces, stirring until brown and crisp. Remove bacon and set onto a paper towel.3. Season your meat cubes with salt and pepper. In 3-4 batches, brown the meat, using the reserved bacon drippings. Set aside.4. Change the pressure cooker setting to Saute/low and put chopped onions in the pot. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes, scraping the fond (browned bits) from the bottom of the pot.5. Sitr in dried thyme and garlic, until fragrant. If using *fresh* thyme, add it ad the end, just before closing the pressure cooker.6. Add tomato paste and beer (soda), stirring till tomato paste is dissolved.7. Add chicken broth, browned meat, carrots, and potatoes.8. Place fresh thyme and bay leaf on top.9. Close & lock the lid, and close the pressure valve.10. Select HIGH pressure and the time for ZERO minutes. If your cooker doesn't go to zero, select 1 minute.11. When the cooker comes to pressure, the float pin will surface and the cooker will beep. 12. Turn off cooker, and let the pot naturally release for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, open the pressure valve. 13. Open the pressure cooker. Remove the fresh thyme and bay leaf. 14. Mix the all purpose flour and softened butter into a paste. Stir into the hot stew, until thickened. Serve in a bowl with a slice of crusty Irish Soda Bread, or if omitting the potatoes, serve over mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles or mashed cauliflower.

Details

Prep time: 25 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 6-8

0 Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup: Pressure Cooker & Stove Top

One of the things I love to do at Costco is try their samples.  Roasted Red Pepper Tomato soup, by Pacific Foods, was one of the samples that I fell in love with. It had a mild sweet taste, so I decided to do my best to replicate it.

Roasted red peppers give tomato soup a sweet and smokey flavor, which balances out well with the acidity of the tomatoes.

You can roast your own peppers in the oven or over a gas stove flame, which I did with Anaheim Peppers in this post for Green Chicken Chili Verde, or you can grab a jar of roasted red peppers.

I love Better Than Bouillon for any recipe that calls for chicken or beef broth. It comes in a jar and is a paste made from real meat and juices. Once opened, I store it in my fridge and it lasts a very, very long time without going rancid. It comes in a roasted chicken flavor and reduced sodium as well as many other varieties.

Making this soup cuts down the cooking time in half and infuses all the flavors and spices in the soup. I like to saute my onions, garlic, and add the spices to "bloom" or intensify the flavors.

There is a touch of cayenne, which you can control the heat. I like just a 'pinch.'

I choose to use Smoked Paprika to continue the smokey flavors.

Adding the jar of roasted red peppers was so much easier than roasting, removing the charred skin, slicing, taking the seeds out, etc. etc.

Using an immersion blender is SO helpful! Stick it into the hot soup and blend away.

If you are using a stand blender, it is more helpful to strain and blend smaller batches.

To give this soup some body, I browned some butter and flour for a couple of minutes and scooped some tomato soup into the pan to dissolve.

Poured this mixture back into the soup and gave it a good stir.

This soup was really good, especially served with fresh Parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

My kiddos loved croutons in their soup and we had it the next day with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon cooking oil (olive, canola, vegetable, etc)
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (Try roasted garlic!)
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 cups chicken broth (or 4 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon + 6 cups water)
1-12 oz.  jar of roasted red peppers, not drained
1-28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, not drained

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
Salt & pepper to taste
Sour Cream
Parmesan Cheese
Croutons

Pressure Cooker:
1. Turn pressure cooker on Saute Low or browning setting, add cooking oil.
2. Add chopped onions, stir, let cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add minced garlic, thyme, basil, paprika, pepper and sugar. Stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour in chicken broth, making sure to scrape off the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
5. Add red peppers and diced tomatoes, do not stir. 
6. Close pressure cooker and close the pressure valve (set to sealing).
7. Cook high pressure for 5 minutes.
8. After timer beeps, allow a 5 minute natural release.
9. Open pressure valve, and when all pressure is released, open the lid.
10. Using an immersion blender, blend all of the vegetables.
        (or, strain and put veggies into a blender, with 1 cup of soup. Pour back into pot).
11. In a small saucepan, mix the butter and flour over med-low heat for 1-2 minutes.
Mix some hot tomato soup into the flour and stir till dissolved. Pour this mixture into the soup and stir well.
12. Set the pressure cooker on Saute Low or browning, stirring occasionally for about 5 -10 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into serving bowls and top with sour cream, cheese, and croutons.

Stove Top:
In a large pot, over medium heat, heat oil and onions until softened. Add garlic and seasonings, stirring until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, red peppers, and tomatoes, stirring well. Cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, about 25 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup, or strain and blend the veggies with about 1 cup of soup broth in a blender. Return mixture to pot and stir well. In a small saucepan, over med-low heat, mix flour and butter for 1-2 minutes. Add 1-2 cups of soup and stir till dissolved. Add mixture back into soup. Bring to boiling over med-high heat, lower to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

0 Game Day Root Beer Chili - Pressure, Stove & Slow Cooker

Football season is in full swing and this hearty Game Day Chili, which normally has beer, is family friendly, using our favorite Root Beer.

Root beer lends a mildly sweet taste that compliments the spices that are commonly found in a traditional chili. This recipe also tones down some of the spiciness of the chili to appeal to kids of all ages. I found it to be in the 'medium' heat range, and you can play around with the amounts of spices and different types of chili peppers to suit your taste.

This is a great basic chili recipe that you can adjust to meet your taste. Even though the meat is browned, the beans and tomatoes are cooked, heating the chili allows ALL the flavors to blend, fuse, or 'marry' into the meat, beans, and tomatoes.

When slow cooking or using a Dutch oven, the longer you simmer, the better the flavor will be. With pressure cooking, the pressure forces the flavors to quickly go through all the ingredients, giving your chili an all day flavor in a much, much shorter time.

Liquid - Avoiding the BURN Notice
When pressure cooking, it is important to have enough liquid to be able to turn the liquid into steam, which helps create pressure. "Liquid" can be any thin, watery substance: water, broth, beer, wine or soda. Tomato juice, milk, butter, cream soups and sauces - anything with food solids, flour, or dairy cannot be counted as a liquid.

If there is not enough liquid, pressure will not be achieved. You may get burned, scorched food on the bottom of your pot. If this happens, you will need to scrape the burned food off, add more liquid, and try cooking your chili again.

Water, broth, beer, wine, carbonated drinks can be counted as liquid, as long as you have enough for your recipe and size of pressure cooker. 6 quart pressure cookers need at least 1 cup of liquid and 8 quart pressure cookers need 1.5-2 cups minimum. If you find after cooking that you have too much liquid in your recipe, you can use the saute or browning setting to help reduce it down to the consistency that you like, or make adjustments to your liquids in your recipe for next time.

Many of the original recipes that I researched called for beer, Guiness, or a medium ale. I wanted this to be a family friendly dish, so I subbed it with Root Beer. You can use beer if you wish, but keep in mind that all of the alcohol doesn't cook out, especially if you use the pressure cooker method.

Tip: "Mise en place" (MEEZ ahn plahs), or French for "Putting in place."
When you start, get all of your ingredients out, cut your veggies and measure your spices.
This will allow you to quickly put your chili together and not miss any ingredients.

Tip: Chop & Freeze 
Chopping your onions and peppers ahead of time, measuring and freezing them in baggies are a great time saver! You can dump these into your chili with no thawing necessary.

Tip: Freeze Tomato Paste
Measure tablespoon sized dollops of tomato paste on a plastic lined tray. Freeze completely, and transfer to a freezer baggie. Label and date. No more wasting cans of tomato paste. Tomato paste also comes in a squeeze tube, which is super easy to measure and use.

Ooops.

Forgot the Root Beer.

Be right back.

This chili starts with a basic mix of lean ground hamburger and sausage. I use this combo when making my Marvelous Meatballs, as the sausage not only gives flavor to the ground beef, the fat from the sausage gives it a softer texture.

The nice thing about using ground sausage is that you can choose your heat level.

Jimmy Dean sausage comes in Regular, Hot, Sage, Chorizo, Country Mild and Italian flavors. I chose the Regular for this chili. My goal was to have the heat level in the middle range to please a variety of tastes.

Put both your *lean ground beef (or turkey) and sausage into your pressure cooker, Dutch oven or deep skillet. Brown on the saute+more setting, or over medium-high heat.

(*Lean ground beef is important in this recipe. If you use a fattier ground beef, you will end up with a puddle of oil on top of your chili. If you do use a fattier ground beef, you will want to drain it after browning it. You can pour your meat into a sieve or use paper towels to mop up the extra grease.)

I love using this flat metal pancake spatula that I've had for years. It does a great job of chopping up the meat as you are cooking.

You can also use this tool which works wonders for chopping up meat in your pot, especially if your pot is enameled, ceramic, or non stick.

This recipe calls for bacon bits. You can cut up 6-8 pieces of raw bacon (with kitchen scissors) and brown it along with the sausage/ground beef, or you can use ready-to-use bacon.

After browning your meat, add your chopped onions. Cook and stir till softened.

Choosing Peppers

Kids and I like our dishes mild - oldest son and hubby like spicy HOT. Fortunately, you can adjust the heat of this dish by choosing your peppers, sausage, and and by how much chili powder you use.

How hot is a pepper? Generally, the shorter the pepper is, the hotter it is. 

No Heat - Bell, Red, Banana, Pimento 

Mild - Pepperoncini, Anaheim, Santa Fe, Poblano, Ancho

Medium - Jalapeno, Serrano, Fresno, Mirasol

Hot - Tabasco, Cayenne, Aji

Scorching - Thai, Chiltepin, Jamaican Hot, Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Ghost Pepper

Stir in your chopped red and green peppers, and garlic.

Choose your peppers according to the heat level you want. Today, I'm using Red & Green peppers, and a Poblano or Anaheim pepper, which are mild. 

Toss in your seasonings. Stir and cook until you can smell all the wonderful aromas.  

Spices are often called, "aromatics" and when the hot oils hit the spice, it really brings out a more intense, deeper flavor. It is worth the extra 1-2 minutes that it takes to "bloom" the spices.

At this point, you may see dark brown, stuck on bits of food on the bottom of the pan. This is the "fond" or good stuff that enhances the flavor of your chili.

You will need to scrape these cooked bits off to help your cooker get to pressure and to prevent further burning that can lead to a burnt taste.

To help make it easier to remove the cooked on bits, move some of the cooked meat to the side. exposing the bottom of your pan and slooooooowly pour a little bit of your liquid (Root Beer) into the pot. It will sizzle and steam, so be careful.

Once it stops steaming, pour the rest of your liquid in and give it a good stir, scraping off any remaining stuck on bits of food.

This is called "deglazing" your pot.

Pour in your diced tomatoes, and for pressure cooking, do not stir - we do not want any of the tomatoes to touch the bottom of the pot, as it can burn, scorch and prevent your pressure cooker from coming to pressure.

Choosing Beans
Kidney beans are large and maroon in color. They are hearty and take well to spices, and are well suited for making chili.
Pinto beans are pinkish and turn brown when cooked. They are a staple in most Mexican recipes.
Great Northen Beans are a white bean, with a mild taste that are perfect for a White Chicken Chili recipe.

I'm using canned chili beans for quick prep and short cooking time. Bush's Best has a line of chili beans in sauce, which truly enrich and add flavor to the chili. I chose the Mixed Chili Beans in Mild Chili Sauce. If you can only find canned beans without the sauce, you will need to drain them for best flavor.

Pour in your choice of canned chili beans, sauce and all. No stirring.

Last, put your tomato paste on top.

Again, do not stir.

Tomato paste will give your chili a bright tomato taste.

Lock the lid for pressure cooking, set for HIGH pressure, and time for 8 minutes.

For stove top, simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Slow cooker, 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.

Game Day Root Beer Chili
adapted from Tailgate Chili on Allrecipes.com

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 pound Regular/Italian ground sausage (use Hot variety for a spicier chili)
6-8 slices of raw bacon, cut
          *or* use 1-2 Tablespoons of ready to use bacon bits
1 small yellow onion, chopped (2/3 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 Green Bell pepper, seeded and chopped (chop/freeze the rest)
1/2 Red Bell pepper, seeded and chopped (chop/freeze the rest)
1/2 Anaheim/Poblano pepper, seeded and chopped (chop/freeze the rest
          *can use a Jalapeno or Serrano pepper for more heat*
2 Tablespoons of dark chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (increase to 1/2-1 teaspoon for spicier chili)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1 (12oz) can of Root Beer (use med ale or Guinness beer for adult chili)
2 teaspoons of beef bouillon or Better than Boullion
          *or* 1 1/2 cups of beef broth (omit if using stove top/slow cooker method)
1 cup water (omit if using beef broth, stove top or slow cooker method)
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes with juice - do not drain
2 cans of Bush's Best Chili Beans in Mild Sauce - do not drain (use spicy sauce for hot chili)
1 teaspoon Tabasco hot pepper sauce *omit for kiddos/mild chili
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (or fish sauce)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 Tablespoons tomato paste (half of a 6oz can. Freeze the rest)

Pressure Cooker
1. Put ground beef and sausage into pot. (Add chopped raw bacon, if using)
    Select Saute or browning. Chop the meat as it cooks, until it resembles bite sized pieces.
2. Add chopped onions and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in minced garlic.
4. Add chopped peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add your spices: chili, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika. Stir and cook till you can smell the aroma, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Deglaze your pot by moving the meat mixture to the side and slowly adding your root beer. Scrape off all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
     Do not stir from this point on. Dump the ingredients, but no stirring!
7. In this order: dump in your broth (or bouillon & water), diced tomatoes, cans of chili beans, hot pepper sauce (if using), Worcestershire, brown sugar and tomato paste. Sprinkle bacon bits on top.
8. Cover, lock lid and close pressure valve (set to sealing).
9. Choose HIGH pressure and timer for 8 minutes.
10. When cooking time finishes, allow a 10 minute natural release.
Open the valve to release any remaining pressure, stir and enjoy. (if you want a thicker chili, saute/brown for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously.)
Serve with  shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla or corn chips (ie. Fritos)
Serves 6-8

20-30 min prep
10 min to pressure
 8 min cook time
10 min natural release

*This recipe should *not* be doubled for a 6 quart pressure cooker, but can be doubled for an 8 or 10 quart. Double the ingredients, but not the cook time.
Filling your pressure cooker more than 2/3rd full can result in foam/liquid clogging your pressure valve and may prevent your cooker from coming to pressure.

Stove Top
Follow steps 1-5, using a large, heavy bottom pot.
Add Root Beer, beef bouillon (no water or beef broth), diced tomatoes, chili beans, pepper & Worcestershire sauces, brown sugar, tomato paste, and bacon bits, if using. Stir to blend well.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste.
Remove from heat, stir, serve and enjoy.

Slow Cooker
Follow steps 1-5, using a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stove.
Add Root Beer to deglaze the pot and scrape off any cooked bits on the bottom of the skillet.
Add mixture to a slow cooker.
Add beef bouillon (no water or beef broth), diced tomatoes, chili beans, pepper & Worcestershire sauces, brown sugar, tomato paste, and bacon bits, if using. Stir to blend well.
Cover, and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
Stir and serve.