The Pressured Cook: Over 75 One-Pot Meals in Minutes, Made in Today's 100% Safe Pressure Cookers

No one else works wonders with a pressure cooker as does Sass (Cooking Under Pressure). In this collection of expert recipes for one-dish meals, she turns away from her vegetarian-specific recipes to create an appealing overview of the world's cuisines. Not only are today's pressure cookers not the sputtering, sometimes explosive devices of the past, but Sass's recipes are not the usual monochromatic, single-flavored one-dish meals. Beef Stewed in Coconut Milk with Rice Noodles and Green Beans is colorful and spicy; meatballs and tiny pasta bob along in Italian Wedding Soup. Although the ingredients are cooked together in a single pot, they are sometimes separated after cooking for greater variety in texture. For example, the recipe for Short Ribs in Pasta Sauce with Olives and Parmesan Potatoes calls for removing the cooked potatoes and mashing them, then serving them as a bed for the ribs. Unusual combinations such as Asturian Beans and Clams, with saffron and kale, are as tempting as the heartier Pork with Sauerkraut, Mushrooms and Potatoes. Even when Sass falls back on old favorites, she adds little touches to make them new: Split-Pea Vegetable Soup is topped with a mint cream made with sour cream or yogurt, and Proven al Vegetable Soup receives a few tablespoons of Pernod. Tips for using and storing pressure cookers and recipes for such basics as broth, beans and grains make this collection complete. (Mar.)