Pressure Cooker Spanish Rice with Sausage

Well, tonight it was another incredibly quick and delicious meal courtesy of my Pressure Cooker!

I pulled another recipe from the Pressure Cooking For Everyone cookbook, and was very pleased with the results. The recipe, Spanish Rice with Sausage, was cooked perfectly at high pressure for ONLY 6 minutes. The rice had a bit of creaminess that made this feel like another comfort food dish. I did end up subbing a green bell pepper for the celery since I didn't have any, and I think I'll continue to use that substitution.

Another change I made to the initial recipe was to use half sweet sausage and half hot sausage because that was what I happened to have on hand (trying to use what I have in the freezer before I forget it exists!). I would definitely use that combination again as it added just a bit of spice to the dish, which I tend to associate with many of the Spanish foods that I have had in the past.

It did make quite a lot for a family of 4 (being that the 2 youngest are not huge eaters... yet), so I will most likely cut the recipe in half next time and I am sure I'll still have leftovers for lunch the next day.


I also wanted to post about a wonderful white wine that I enjoyed with dinner tonight. It's called La Spigola. It's an Italian wine that a friend of mine found last summer when we were planning an outdoor antipasto and grilled pizza evening. It is a really light wine, with just a touch of sweetness that is not overpowering. On top of it, the label is really cool. My friend was nice enough to give me a bottle to enjoy and I only broke it open recently and each glass brings back summer and that wonderful evening we had together.

Pressure Cooker Spanish Rice with Sausage

Recipe by Adapted from Pressure Cooking for Everyone, Rick Rodgers & Arlene Ward

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 2 medium celery ribs, chopped (subbed one large green bell pepper, chopped)
  
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  
• 1 pound sweet Italian pork or turkey sausage (used 1/2 pound sweet 1/2 pound hot turkey sausage), casings removed
  
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
  
• 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
  

Cooking Directions

1. In a 5 to 7 quart Pressure Cooker, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with the side of a spoon, until it loses its raw look, about 7 minutes. Pour off any excess fat from the cooker.
   
   
2. Add the rice, oregano, salt and pepper and stir well. Add the stock and the diced tomatoes in their juice.
   
   
3. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain the pressure. Cook for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and quick-release the pressure. Open the lid, tilting it away from you to block any escaping steam. Stir well. Serve immediately.