Once again, I’d have a photo of the dish that I just cooked in my pressure cooker but I was too hungry to stop and shoot it. It also wasn’t the most beautiful looking dish but it certainly hit the culinary mark for me.
Now that I am satiated, I can write more clearly about what I just cooked and why it matters to anyone but me. (Or maybe it doesn’t?)
Yesterday I was shopping at Trader Joe’s and did a quick scan of their organic produce. Often I don’t buy produce there because it’s packaged but I never know how I might be surprised so I peruse. I came across a bag of organic Vidalia onions. I don’t know about you but I love onions, and Vidalia onions are only available for a short time. When you cook them, they’re like candy, only better (at least to me).
I already put some of those sweet onion slices on last night’s salad so I was trying to conjure up what I might do with the remaining part of that one today. I looked in my vegetable bin and found crimini mushrooms, the last of the season asparagus, one stalk of green garlic and an onion scape (which is the part of the onion that shoots up when the onion is still green).
I pulled out my pressure cooker and heated it over medium heat. And here’s what I put in to make my
Seasonal Sweet Onion, Mushrooms and Asparagus Melange recipe
The dish exemplifies late spring produce with the sweetness of the onions offset by the umami flavor of the mushrooms, which get firmer with pressure cooking, contrasted with the green freshness and brightness of the asparagus. It seems so much more than the ingredients would lead you to believe.
Makes 2 servings
1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
1 cup sliced Vidalia onion
1 green garlic stalk sliced, or 2 cloves minced garlic
1 onion scape, sliced, if available
1 to 2 tablespoons water or broth
1 cup chopped asparagus
Salt and pepper, to taste, or 1 teaspoon miso
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
Heat the pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and dry saute for a minute or so. Add the onion, garlic and onion scape and stir and cook for another 30 seconds. Turn the heat up to high and add the water or broth. (Mushrooms exude a lot of liquid so if you add much more, you end up with a watery finished dish.) Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and bring to high pressure for 1 minute. Quick release the pressure and add the asparagus. Bring back to high pressure over high heat for 1 minute more. Quick release. Open the lid, tilting it away from you. Add salt and pepper, or stir in miso. Garnish with the Italian parsley.
I served this over cooked quinoa but it would be delicious over any other grain or as a side dish with grilled tofu or tempeh.
I only wish that I had photographed it before I ate it all.
c 2011, The Veggie Queen
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