Jan 7th - Tonight's dinner courtesy of Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass

Some really old people tell horror stories about the old pressure cookers.  I think they were always a point of comedy in old cartoons where the food would blow up.  New pressure cookers are great.

I am (of course) modifying this recipe to accomdate 3 kids and account for what I actually have in the house...

This recipe was fabulous--even with my crazy modifications.  I pureed the onion after the meal cooked so that it was palatable to the kids.  My daughter ate it up and so did one son.  Only the picky eater made a fuss but ended up eating some and liking it.  What I really liked was it satisfied this craving I was having for Indian food--especially this chickpea dish I used to get down at the college.

Chickpea Stew with Onions
1 cup  dried chickpeas (soaked overnight or speed soaked)
1/2 cup black eyed peas (soaked)  (Sass' recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas but I only had a cup)
1 tlb canola oil
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tbl ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp saffron threads
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
pinch ground cinnamon
some thinly sliced onions (her recipe calls for 6-7 loosely packed cups of Bermuda or Vidalia--I don't have that many onions nor would my kids accept that many for dinner)
1 cup drained canned tomatoes
salt to taste

I plan to serve it over rice.

heat oil over medium-high heat in the cooker.  sizzle cumin seeds until they begin to pop 5-10 seconds. Add stock remaining spices (except salt) and chickpeas/blackeyed peas.  Set onions on top of the chickpeas and tomatoes on top of onions--do not stir.
Lock the lid in place.  Over high heat bring to high pressure and lower heat enough to maintain pressure.  Cook 18 minutes.  Allow pressure to come down naturally (or quick release).  Check - if chickpeas are not tender, return to high pressure or just simmer until they are done.
Transer 1 cup of chickpea/onion mixture to blender and puree.  Stir the puree back in to create a thick sauce.  Add salt and serve.