ShareThisDebra Murray is something of a home-cooking evangelist.
So it is fitting that she's preaching the gospel of good food and good cooking in a hall at Our Savior Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"Let me tell you," Murray says to about 60 people gathered for her recent "Rethink the Way You Cook" class, "an artichoke in a pressure cooker is a religious experience. I'd rather have that than lobster."
For 12 years, Murray has been the food stylist and on-air cooking aide for Wolfgang Puck and Suzanne Somers when they appear on HSN. Puck has written the introduction to her self-published cookbook, "Let's Celebrate," which is available online at Amazon and HSN.
But this night, Murray is flying solo. She's careful to tell the audience she's not a trained nutrition expert, just a passionate proponent of home cooking that cuts back on fat and salt. ("You know you need to start cooking when you have a cup of canned soup and you can't take your ring off later.") She follows mostly a Mediterranean diet, whose hallmarks are olive oil, lean protein such as seafood, plus lots of fruits, vegetables and legumes. A display of foods on her "good" list attracts attention.
She also loves flaxseed, a plant substance that contains omega-3 fatty acids that can help lower cholesterol and keep blood pressure in check. She grinds it to a powder and adds it to yogurt and even cookies.
During the free class, Murray extols the virtues of the pressure cooker, which can cook food quickly and helps preserve flavor. Many in the audience remember the old cast-metal pressure cookers from their mothers' kitchens and recoil a bit. That steam vent with the funny little cap conjures frightening memories. "My mom used to make us leave the kitchen when she used the pressure cooker," said one man.
Murray demonstrates Beef Stew in an electric Wolfgang Puck pressure cooker that looks no more scary than a Crock-Pot. In fact, push-button ease has lots of people rethinking their concern. Murray tempers her natural sales-pitch personality by telling people there are plenty of new pressure cookers on the market that work just as well.
Murray's beef stew has no flour thickener or added fat, just a bit of barbecue sauce at that end to add depth. When we arrive at the class, she has a pot available for sampling but makes another batch during class. The tough stew meat is rendered tender in about 20 minutes, while the vegetables cook in another five.
Beef stew in 30 minutes? That's a recipe for a busy weeknight, for sure.
"The benefit with pressure cookers isn't how rapidly it cooks, but that it keeps everything in," she says. "There's more flavor in the food because nothing leaves the pressure cooker."
By the end of the class, Murray has some converts.
To flax seed and pressure cookers.
PRESSURE-COOKER BEEF STEW
2 pounds lean beef stew, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 medium onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups beef stock (homemade or organic)
1 cup red wine
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch pieces
8 creamer or other small potatoes, quartered
2 stalks celery, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
Place the beef, salt and pepper, thyme sprig, onion and garlic into the pressure cooker.
Add the stock and wine and secure lid. When the pressure cooker comes to pressure, set a timer for 20 minutes.
When the cooking cycle is complete, carefully remove the lid and add the remaining ingredients. Secure the lid. When cooker comes to pressure for the second time, set a timer for 5 minutes.
When completed, open carefully, remove thyme sprig and taste for additional seasoning.
Serves 6 to 8.
-- Debra Murray
(Reach Janet Keeler at jkeeler(at)sptimes.com. For more stories, visit scippsnews.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)
Must credit St. Petersburg TimesWith sidebar: PRESSURE-BOX
