Oh--you asked for recipes. Here are two from Lorna Sass, either of which would justify the purchase of a PC: Curry in a Hurry This recipe from Lorna Sass’s Pressure Perfect is a quick and easy way to make a pretty tasty curry. You can make it with chicken, beef, lamb or pork, and vary the hotness by using mild or hot curry paste. 2 tablespoons of mild curry paste makes a pleasant-but-wimpy curry; 4 tablespoons of mild paste makes it pleasantly zingy; 4 tablespoons of hot curry paste makes it very hot, near my limit of tolerance (and I really like hot food). I generally use 2 tablespoons of hot and 2 tablespoons of mild curry paste. This is another recipe that’s ridiculously easy yet produces delicious food. If you don’t want to mess with the yogurt, peas and cilantro, don’t bother—the dish will still be very tasty, but the sauce won’t be as rich or velvety-smooth. ( I personally don’t like cilantro, so I don’t use it.) The recipe calls for 3 pounds of bone-in chicken; I find it easier to use about 2 or 2.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs. –Once you get the pressure cooker up to pressure, make a pot of rice. By the time the rice is done, so is this. 1 cup water 4 tablespoons Patak’s Mild Curry Paste 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs or breasts, or 2-2.5 lbs boneless skinless thighs, or 2 lbs. other meat (see chart below) 1 cup plain yogurt 1 ½ cup frozen peas 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional) Pour the water into a 4-qt or larger pressure cooker and blend in the curry paste. Place on high heat and add the onion and meat of your choice. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat bring up to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for the time indicated in the chart. Turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. (If cooking chicken, release any remaining pressure after 4 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. If the chicken or meat isn’t tender, cover again and simmer until done. If necessary, skim off the fat that rises to the surface or degrease the broth in a fat separator. Blend the yogurt into 1 cup of the broth. Stir the peas into the curry and simmer until they are defrosted, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir the yogurt mixture into the curry. Stir in the cilantro and salt to taste. Serve in bowls over rice. Meat choices and Cooking times Chicken (see notes above) 8 min high pressure, 4 min of natural release, then quick release Beef (boneless chuck, 1” cubes) 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release Pork shoulder (1” cubes) 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release Lamb (boneless, 1” cubes) 12 minutes high pressure, then natural release If using beef, pork or lamb, trim off excess fat and cut the meat into approximately 1” cubes before cooking.. Osso Buco alla Milanese (Braised Veal Shanks, Milan-style) Serves 4 This recipe for Osso Buco is from Lorna Sass’s Cooking Under Pressure. I have made Osso Buco both as a slow braise (traditional), and made it in the pressure cooker. I actually prefer the pressure cooker version. Even if you’re only cooking for two and using just two veal shanks, don’t halve the remaining ingredients; the sauce is wonderful by itself, and any leftover sauce will make a great pasta sauce for the next day. Once you get the Osso Buco started in the cooker, cook up some pasta or rice to soak up the sauce. The gremolata garnish is traditional, but I don’t care for it; some authorities, such as Marcella Hazan, don’t use it. 4 veal shanks, about 10 oz each 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 large onion, coarsely chopped ½ cup dry red wine or dry vermouth 1/3 cup beef or chicken stock or bullion 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped 1 stalk celery, sliced thinly 1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced One 14 oz can tomatoes, coarsely chopped, including juice 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg (optional) ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (less if using canned bullion) Freshly ground black pepper to taste Gremolata: (optional) 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest ½ cup finely minced fresh parsley Rinse the veal shanks, pat dry, and dredge in flour, pressing the flour into the veal with the heel of your hand. Shake off excess flour. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the cooker. Over medium heat, brown the veal on both sides and set aside on a platter. Add the remaining oil and sauté the onions until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the red wine and stir, taking care to scrape up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, browned shanks, carrots, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, oregano, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Lock the lid in place and over high heat bring to high pressure. Adjust the heat to maintain high pressure and cook for 18 minutes. Let the pressure drop naturally or use a quick-release method (venting the steam or putting the cooker in the sink and running cold water over it). Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. Prepare the gremolata, if used, by combining the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. When the shanks are done, stir in the gremolata and simmer for a few minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Note: if using smaller shanks, check for doneness after 15 minutes of high pressure.

Glenda this is tried and true by me, who doesn't like to fool around much with desserts so if I can do it, anybody can! Sol's recipes are all great - as are Marilyns! Molten Lava Cakes -Sol ½ pound bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped ½ pound butter 6 whole eggs, room temperature 1 ½ cups sugar ½ cup flour Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter the bottom and sides of 8 6-ounce ramekins and sprinkle with baking cocoa, tap to remove excess cocoa. Set aside. In the top of a double boiler or in a microwave, gently, melt the chocolate and butter. Whisk until completely melted. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until just blended. Gradually whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Evenly divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are firm and beginning to crack and the edges are set. Remove from oven and serve immediately, with ice cream, your favorite chocolate sauce, a few chocolate-covered coffee beans and giddyap baby!. I can almost feel my zippy-self coming back to life, just thinking 'bout it ;-à Note: I didn't use ramekins. Instead I used mini wonder-molds for these cakes 'cause I liked their shape. These molds are quite a bit larger than the ramekins, so for me, this recipe only yielded 5 servings. Chocolate Sauce 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1/3 cup light brown sugar 1/3 cup light corn syrup 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or liqueur Heat the cream, sugar, salt and corn syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Allow to stand a few minutes until the chocolate has melted, then whisk gently until smooth. Whisk in vanilla or liqueur. Note ~ I know you love Valrhona, so do I. But for this, I used Lindt because it's another favorite, and it's what I always have around. As long as the chocolate tastes good and the texture is silky to begin, then it'll be a good candidate for this sauce. If you end up using another type of chocolate and you notice tiny lumps in your finished product, don't panic. Just strain the chocolate mixture through a fine sieve, it'll be fine.

If I'm planning to cut up my leeks anyway, I cut them up then put them in my salad spinner, fill it with water, swish them around, then drain. I do that two or three times, until they're clean. It's much easier than trying to clean them whole. I saw that technique on America's Test Kitchen, but I think they used a colander and bowl. I rarely buy them because they are so expensive. I need to try growing them instead. Nancy, if you're still reading this thread, there's no reason to use different fertilizers for your veggies than your flowers. Your flowers deserve the good, organic stuff too, not just your veggies. Think about it, they need the same things. Take your toxic stuff to the hazardous waste dump, and give your flowers the same things as your veggies. Sally

Chi, at some point I would like to talk to you about your recipes. Yours looks a bit intimidating to me, using dried beans etc. I am always looking for really good vegetarian casserole recipes. Back in the day, I worked in a camp in upstate NY. On days off I went to Woodstock where there was an amazing vegetarian shop/restaurant. They made a different casserole each week. Lots of grains. They always served up as a nice square piece. (not sloppy, dished out with a spoon) Sometimes they served a sauce on the side. If you have any recipes like these, can you share?