Lana Under Pressure

A is for Authentic

• The recipes you will find here are about being as authentic as possible. Actually, it’s the reason I started this whole thing to begin with. I went looking online for Cuban recipes for the Instant Pot, and kept seeing ingredients that were not only nontraditional, but changed the dish into something completely different.  Fusion is great, but sometimes I think the best recipes are those that are passed down from generation to generation. Pressure cooking is not a new phenomenon. Other cultures have been using it in their cooking for decades and there are so many great family recipes that can easily be modified for the Instant Pot and still keep the authentic flavors and ingredients just as if they were being cooked in your abuela’s kitchen.
• Blog Tip: I recognize that ingredients from different cultures are not readily available to everyone. A great thing about Cuban and Jewish cooking is that they come from humble beginnings and most ingredients are easy to find in just about any grocery store. However, when I post my recipes, those ingredients that are not always easy to come by, I will list directions for a substitute in red. 

B is for Budget

• Everyday cooking for a family has to be economical. Good food doesn’t have to cost a lot! Most of the recipes I chose to share are quick (thanks to the Instant Pot) and cheap (thanks to my lack of funds). Both Cuban and Jewish cultures stem from people surviving and thriving, at times, on what they had available to them. Which often times was very little. But the food is delicious none the less. This makes these two cuisines perfect for the typical family table.

C is for Comfort

• These Instant Pot recipes are all about comfort food, either passed down from my family and friends or from cookbooks that have been passed down. I also want to share recipes that I love that aren’t necessarily from my family. I love baking, but apparently my family wasn’t big on baking because I couldn’t find many recipes. So, I will have a separate section for my baking concoctions. These are recipes from either cookbooks or online that I have tried and are a big hit with my family.
• Blog Tip: I will make sure to include the source of the recipe I have posted. This will be written at the top in blue.