The pumpkin steamed with the pressure cooker is one of the most versatile vegetables of the autumn season, perfect for both sweet and savory preparations. Thanks to its sweet flavor and soft texture, it is ideal for enriching soups, mashes, or salads, and steaming in a pressure cooker is a simple and quick method to cook pumpkin while maintaining its taste and nutrients.
Using a pressure cooker allows you to significantly reduce cooking times, preserving the natural flavor and nutritional properties of the pumpkin, such as vitamins and antioxidants. The result will be a tender and tasty pumpkin, ready to be enjoyed as a light side dish or base for other recipes.
Why choose steaming?
Steaming is one of the healthiest cooking techniques: it not only avoids adding fats but also keeps the taste, color, and nutritional benefits of foods intact. In particular, steamed pumpkin remains firm and doesn’t fall apart, making it perfect for use in various preparations or simply seasoned with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.
If you have a multicooker, here’s the recipe for steamed pumpkin in the multicooker.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: for 500 g of pumpkin
- Cooking methods: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for steamed pumpkin with pressure cooker:
- 1.76 lbs pumpkin
- 1 cup natural water
Tools for steamed pumpkin with pressure cooker:
- 1 Pressure Cooker
- 1 Knife
- 1 Steamer Basket
Steps for preparing and cooking steamed pumpkin:
The steamed pumpkin with the pressure cooker can be cooked in two ways:
– whole with skin
– in pieces without skin.
For whole cooking with skin:
clean the pumpkin’s skin well with a damp cloth, remove the inner strings and seeds.
Divide the pumpkin into two parts and place them in a steamer basket.
In the pressure cooker, place the water, insert the basket, and close the cooker.
Put it on high heat and when the red valve rises, lower the heat and cook for 12 minutes.
After the time has passed, let the steam out by turning the valve, and when the red valve lowers, open the pressure cooker.
Check the cooking with a fork, it should be soft; if it’s still hard, return the pressure cooker and cook for another 2/3 minutes.
With this type of cooking using the whole pumpkin, its use is recommended for fillings or savory pies (it remains quite dry).
For cooking in pieces without skin:
Take the pumpkin, place it on a wooden cutting board, and with a sharp knife, remove the skin of the pumpkin, then cut the pumpkin into small pieces (depending on the use you need).
Place the pumpkin pieces inside a steamer basket, put it in the pressure cooker after adding 250 ml of water.
Close the cooker, bring it to pressure as described above, and once the cooker reaches pressure, cook for 7 minutes.
After the time has passed, turn off the gas and let the steam out; now your pumpkin is ready for use, you can also consume it plain seasoned with a little oil and salt or sauté it in a pan for a few minutes, in this case, cook it for only 6 minutes instead of 7.
