We need cooked black-eyed peas for a recipe, so we followed this easy method for cooking 1 lb dried black-eyed peas in the Instant Pot: https://beanrecipes.com/instant-pot-black-eyed-peas/ We followed the instructions for manual timing and manual release (despite warnings to the contrary on the Instant Pot panel). The peas turned out very well: perfectly cooked but…… Continue reading Black-eyed peas, Instant Pot style
Tag: method
Pasta with store-bought pesto
This is an easy weeknight meal that is barely a recipe. I’m posting it mainly to record our method and additional ingredients that brighten the dish. We love Severino pesto (available at Whole Foods in 6.5 oz containers), Sartori shredded parmesan, and grape tomatoes. First, cook 1 lb pasta (we prefer gemelli or penne) until…… Continue reading Pasta with store-bought pesto
Classic scrambled eggs
We make scrambled eggs only a few times a year. This is one of those dishes that we take for granted as basic, yet has mixed results if the proper technique isn’t followed. This was a good opportunity for us to refresh best practices: https://www.seriouseats.com/fluffy-scrambled-eggs-recipe (Oct. 2025)
Basmati rice, stovetop method
We are away from home, without access to my beloved rice cooker. We followed this stovetop recipe for basmati rice, and we are impressed how well it turned out: https://www.recipetineats.com/how-to-cook-basmati-rice/ Our modifications: first, we did rinse the basmati rice a few times and soaked for a few minutes (this is based on great tips from…… Continue reading Basmati rice, stovetop method
Simple broth for frozen dumplings
This post is more of a shortcut method than an actual recipe. We made a simple lunch from frozen dumplings (purchased from a local dumpling shop). For the broth, we combined 6 cups water, about 1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor, 1 Tbsp yondu seasoning (Korean vegetarian liquid seasoning), and 1 Tbsp Korean soup…… Continue reading Simple broth for frozen dumplings
How to blanch kabocha squash
This is not a recipe, but a method for blanching winter squash including kabocha. We followed this for 1/2 kabocha. Because kabocha is more delicate than other winter squash, we blanched for 2 mins (not 3 mins). We plan to use this blanched squash for a sabzi or Japanese curry recipe next week. (June 2022).
Black-eyed peas, pressure cooker style
We soaked 2 cups of dried black eyed peas overnight in the fridge (changing the water midway), and then we followed these instructions from Hip Pressure Cooking by Laura Pazzaglia: first, rinse and drain the soaked peas (which have significantly expanded overnight), and place in the bottom of a large pressure cooker. Add one onion… Continue reading Black-eyed peas, pressure cooker style
Strawberry plum jam
While on vacation with a limited pantry, I had a sudden craving for peanut butter-jelly roll-ups. Because we did not have jam or jelly, I decided to make a micro-batch based on what we had on hand: 6 strawberries (cut into quarters), 1 plum (peel-on, pitted, and cut into ½" pieces), ½ cup white sugar,… Continue reading Strawberry plum jam
Quick-soaking cannellini beans, pressure-cooker style
We had 1 lb dried Great Northern aka cannellini beans, and we tried this quick-soaking cooking method: https://www.hippressurecooking.com/cannellini-and-mint-bean-salad-lesson-4-quick-soaking-beans/ We found that 1 lb dried yielded 2 1/3 cups dried, so we added ½ tsp salt (down from 2 or more tsp) and 9 1/3 cups water. We made sure not to fill the pressure beyond… Continue reading Quick-soaking cannellini beans, pressure-cooker style
Blanched spinach
We bought 1 lb of fresh baby spinach, but we don’t have an immediate use for it. We tried this simple blanching method: http://beyondwonderful.com/how_to/preparing/blanch_spinach.htm After plunging the cooked spinach in a large bowl of ice water, we moved it to a large wire mesh colander to drain for 30 mins. After that, we manually squeezed… Continue reading Blanched spinach
