Pressure cookers have changed a lot since your grandmother's day. They were once noisy, risky, and ineffective, but today's new machines are safe and sleek, and make cooking fabulous meals in no time a snap. In The Ultimate Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Tom Lacalamita's expert advice will guide you through buying and caring for your pressure cooker, and his delicious foolproof recipes are your keys to success.
Ragu alla napoletana is the classic tomato sauce from southern Italy. It is traditionally simmered for close to 2 hours, but the pressure cooker does an admirable job in only a fraction of a time.
Serve this sauce over cooked dried macaroni, or use it to make baked pasta dishes like lasagna. Serve the meat sliced as the second course of the meal, along with a green salad.
Servings: 6
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef bottom round, trimmed of all visible fat
1 large onion, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups canned plum tomatoes (two 28-ounce cans) with juice, strained in a food mill
1 teaspoon sugar
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker over high heat. Add the meat and brown evenly on all sides. Remove the browned meat and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium-high and saute the onion 4 to 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir frequently so that the onion does not brown. Add the carrots and saute 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the wine and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Once the alcohol has evaporated, about 1 to 2 minutes, add the tomato paste. Stir well to blend. Add the strained tomatoes, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Stir well. Add the browned beef and any collected juices.
Position the lid and lock in place. Raise the heat to high and bring to high pressure. Adjust the heat to stabilize the pressure and cook 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the pressure drop naturally. Open the pressure cooker. Taste and adjust the sauce for salt and pepper.
