SEB Pressure Cooker and Mexican Pot Roast Soup

About a year ago my grandmother sent me a pressure cooker she had that she wasn't using. I figured, hey, I don't have one of those, sure I'll take it! Now it took me until about a month ago, to muster up the nerve to use it. Yes, everyone has heard a horror story about them at one point in time so of course I was a little nervous. Another thing is that, this cooker, didn't come with a manual and it's fairly old. I'm not sure how old but it was made in France, and they don't sell them here in the U.S. anymore. SEB Group owns a more well known company here in the U.S. called Tefal. They make and sell different kinds of small cooking appliances. After finally finding the SEB website, and using the wonderful Google translate, (It was all in French. And although I took 4 years of French in high school, I still needed some help.) I was able to find a pdf manual for my cooker. It is also in French... good ol' Google translate to the rescue!

Since I have now been doing quite a bit of canning lately, I have been interested in a pressure canner to can vegetables and meats. I was hoping I might be able to use this bad boy for that purpose as well. Unfortunately, it's not recommend to use for canning. Bummer. I'm sure it might work, but according to the USDA health guidelines for canning, it may not kill all the bacteria if not used at the correct pressure. This pressure cooker is just that, a pressure COOKER not a pressure CANNER, and there is a difference. It's still an awesome hunk of stainless steel though. It's definitely not like the thin aluminum cookers they make today. But, I digress...

So far I have made rice, black beans, and this wonderful recipe I'm about to give you, and it hasn't blown up in my face! I promise, they aren't as frightening as they have been made out to be. Most cookers these days have a number of safety features to keep that from happening. So don't be afraid to break out your pressure cooker anymore!

I found this recipe in the little book that came with the cooker, "The Magic Pot Cook Book". I have not been able to find any information on this lovely little recipe book, so if anyone knows any more than I do, please feel free to inform me so I can link to it appropriately. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

small chuck roast
Chili powder
Flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 Tbs oil
1 cup good dry red or white wine
5 cups hot tap water
2 (14 or 15 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes, with liquid
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
One medium onion, chopped
A few yellow summer squash or zucchini  (I used 1 yellow squash and 1 zucchini)
1 medium can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (2.25 oz. -small) can sliced black olives  (I omitted these because my husband absolutely hates olives!)

Directions:

Trim all visible fat from roast. Generously sprinkle the roast on both sides with chili powder. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Dust roast with flour. Gently heat oil in the pressure cooker over medium heat. Brown roast gently in pressure cooker over medium heat, with the lid off. When roast is brown on both sides, add the wine, hot water, 2 cans stewed tomatoes with liquid, can diced green chiles, minced garlic, and chopped onion. Bring to boil. Close lid and bring to pressure*. Lower heat and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size of roast. Meanwhile, wash and cut squash into 1/2 inch slices. Remove cooker from heat and open lid**. Check tenderness of roast and, if necessary, pressure cook another 15 minutes or so, adding liquid if needed. The roast should be very tender so that by the time the vegetables are cooked the roast is nearly falling apart.

Now remove from heat, reduce pressure and open lid. Stir to break the meat apart into shreds or chunks. Remove any bones. Add the sliced yellow summer or zucchini squash, the drained can of corn and drained sliced olives. Simmer with lid open for 5 minutes. Check seasonings and serve. Makes 4 generous portions.

*Please follow the directions in you pressure cooker's manual for bringing your pot to pressure. For my cooker, I put the lid on, tighten it, then turn the heat to high. I wait for the pressure valve to make a FWHEEEEE noise and start spinning around rapidly. Then I lower the heat until the valve makes 2 full rotations about every minute.
**Do not open the lid until the pressure is has been fully released. See your cooker's manual for directions on how to release the pressure for your cooker. On mine, I can either take it off the burner and wait until the pressure is released on its own, or to quicken the process, I can run cold water over the top of the pot. I know when the pressure is fully gone when no steam comes out of the pressure valve when I tip it slightly. (I use a wooden spoon for this so as not to burn myself with any steam that may be trapped.)

Although there are many safety features on pressure cookers these days, please always read your cooker's manual before using it and follow all safety measures to ensure proper working order.

Now, don't be afraid to use that pressure cooker in the back of your cupboard! It really does save time and effort!