Chickpea and Artichoke Tagine

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
salt and pepper
8 oz (1 1/2 c) dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
4 (2-inch) strips lemon zest
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 TBS all-purpose flour
3 c vegetable broth
1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
9 oz. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and patted dry
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives, halved
1/2 c minced fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Dissolve 2 TBS salt in 4 quarts water. Add chickpeas and soak at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse chickpeas.
2. Heat 1 TBS oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, garlic, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in carrots, tomatoes, and their juice, and chickpeas.
3. Cook for 25 minutes: Lock lid in place and bring pot to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as indicator signals that pot has reached high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
4. Quick-release pressure: Remove pot from heat. Quick-release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
5. Heat remaining 1 TBS oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add artichokes and cook until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard lemon zest from stew. Stir in olives, cilantro, and artichokes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle individual portions with extra oil before serving.

Variations:
Chickpea Tagine with Cauliflower and Almonds
Omit artichokes. Add 1/2 head cauliflower, cored and cut into 1-inch florets, to finished tagine and simmer until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds before serving.

Chickpea Tagine with Dried Apricots and Honey
Omit artichokes and substitute 1/2 cup pitted and halved green olives for kalamata olives. Add 1 cup chopped dried apricots and 2 TBS honey with olives.

Tips:
1. Soaking chickpeas in salt water the day before cooking them ensures that they cook through evenly and makes them less likely to burst open. Soaking also gives their skins a softer texture.
2. We build flavor by sauteing onions, garlic, and a few spices, and lemon zest. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in strips. avoiding the bitter white pith underneath. The zest perfumes the dish and can be easily removed before serving.
3. Since artichokes are delicate, we stir them in after cooking the chickpeas under pressure. To help bring out their flavor, we brown them first. Frozen artichokes brown more easily than canned because they are less waterlogged.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:
3 lbs boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and pepper
2 TBS vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2 TBS tomato paste
1 TBS minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1 c dry red wine
2 c beef broth
1 1/2 lb red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
1/4 c soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 c frozen peas
1/4 c minced fresh parsley

Directions:
1/ Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat  TBS oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of beef on all sides, about 8 minutes; transfer to bowl.
2. Heat remaining 1 TBS oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, Stir in tomato paste and thyme and took until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, potatoes, carrots, soy sauce, bay leaves, browned beef with any accumulated juices, and remaining beef.
3. Cook for 25 minutes: Lock lid in place and bring pot to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as indicator signals that pot has reached high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
4. Naturally release pressure: Remove pot from heat and let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
5. Discard bay leaves. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in peas and let stand for 4 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

15-Bean Soup with Sausage

Ingredients:
salt and pepper
10 oz. (1 1/2 c) 15-bean soup mix, flavor packet discarded, beans picked over and rinsed
2 TBS vegetable oil
12 oz. hot or sweet Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
4 c chicken broth
2 bay leaves
8 oz. Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped
1 large tomato, cored and chopped

Directions:
1. Dissolve 2 TBS salt in 4 quarts water. Add beans and soak at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
2. Heat 1 TBS oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown sausage on all sides, about 2 minutes; transfer to plate.
3. Heat remaining 1 TBS oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and carrot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, bay leaves, and soaked beans, scraping up any browned bits. Add sausage and any accumulated juices to pot.
4. Cook for 25 minutes: Lock lid in place and bring pot to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as indicator signals that pot has reached high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
5. Quick-release pressure: Remove pot from heat. Quick-release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
6. Discard bay leaves. Transfer sausage to cutting board and slice 1/2 inch thick. Meanwhile, bring soup to simmer, stir in chard and tomato, and cook until chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in sliced sausage, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Tip:
When cooking with greens like Swiss chard, collard greens, and kale, we often use only the leaves, and we add them to the pot to cook through briefly just before serving.
1. Cut away leafy green portion from either side of steam using chef’s knife.
2. Stack several leaves on top of one another and either slice leaves crosswise or chop into pieces (as specified in recipe). Using salad spinner, wash and dry leaves after they are cut.

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper
2 TBS vegetable oil
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, chopped fine
2 TBS tomato paste
2 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1 garlic clove, minced
2 TBS all-purpose flour
1/4 c dry red wine
6 c beef broth
1 lb red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 TBS minced fresh parsley

Directions:
1/ Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 TBS oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of meat on all sides, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl. Repeat with 2 tsp oil and remaining beef.
2. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, thyme, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, bay leaves, and beef with any accumulated juices.
3. Cook for 15 minutes: Lock lid in place and bring pot to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as indicator signals that pot has reached high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
4. Naturally release pressure: Remove pot from heat and let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
5. Discard bay leaves. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of soup. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Variation:
Omit potatoes. After discarding bay leaves in step 5, stir in 1/2 cup pearl barley and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes, then continue as directed.

Farmhouse Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
8 c water
4 carrots, peeled and sliced, 1/2 inch thick
2 celery ribs, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 TBS soy sauce
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded
salt and pepper
4 oz (2 2/3 c) wide egg noodles
1/4 c minced fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Heat oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, carrots, celery, and soy sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place breast side up in pot.
2. Cook for 20 minutes: Lock lid in place and bring pot to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as indicator signals that pot has reached high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
3. Quick-release pressure: Remove pot from heat. Quick-release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
4. Transfer chicken to carving board and let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones. Meanwhile, using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of soup. Bring soup to boil, stir in noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken and parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Variation:
Substitute 1 cup long-gran white rice for egg noodles and cook until tender, 15 to 18 minutes, then continue as directed.