Jeffrey Eisner Photo by Aleksey Zozulya Jeffrey Eisner ‘s love of cooking took his career in a direction he never could have imagined.
The founder of Pressure Luck Cooking, Eisner is the bestselling author of the “Step-by-Step Instant Pot” series of cookbooks. “Pastabilities, released on September 17, is his fifth and first non-Instant Pot-centric cookbook. Filled with his signature user-friendly style of instruction–and chapters that include farm and garden, soups, salads, stir frys, one-pot dishes and more– “Pastabilities” is a comfort-food palooza.
“I always loved to cook,” Eisner, whose previous career as a video producer kept him behind the camera, told the Journal. “At the end of the day, when I was super stressed out from work and living in {New York] City, I would take trips to the supermarket late at night … walk up and down the aisles listening to really bad covers of muzak on the system and seeing what … comfort I could bring myself that evening.”
When the Instant Pot started becoming popular in the mid-2010s, Eisner took it as an opportunity to try something new.
“You think of a pressure cooker [as] something from the old school days that looks like a torture device that goes on the stove and it has these clamps,” he said. “[When] this thing comes out and it’s completely electronic, nothing to do with the stove … I figured a lot of people had it, but were afraid to use it.”
Eisner filmed himself making mac and cheese in the Instant Pot and put it on YouTube just for fun. He had no expectations; he just wanted to see if people would find it when they did a search.
“Everyone started seeing my video and then I very quickly got a following,” he said. “The next thing I knew it was just building, like a pressure cooker, and I started getting television appearances, then I got a cookbook deal and it became my career.”
Eisner, who has been doing this now for eight years, said his love of cooking came from his Grandma Lil. She was a free-spirited cook, known for making her stuffed cabbage during Jewish holidays.
“It was always fascinating to watch her cook,” he said. “She would take a little bit of this, a little bit of that; there was never a measurement, it was just how she did it.”
Eisner takes the opposite approach.
“I feel [using measurements] is the easiest way to have something totally foolproof,” he said.
“Pastabilities” is loaded with visuals; every step in each recipe has accompanying photos, as well as a final shot of what the recipe looks like. He also notes which ones are vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free, as well as modifications, such as how to make a recipe gluten-free. Note: this is not a kosher cookbook, but many of Eisner’s recipes can be adapted.
“A big bowl of pasta on the couch [is] one of my favorite things,” he said. “[The book] really is a warm hug with every single recipe.”
“Pastabilities” spans all different types of cuisine. It ranges from classics, like marinara, pesto and Alfredo to unique dishes like lemon poppy mascarpone.
Eisner’s pride in being Jewish also shows in the book.
“My Judaism is about the food and the traditions,” he said. “I touch on some Jewish dishes that incorporate pasta.”
This includes noodle kugel (“The kugel actually is very deserty in this book; it’s practically like a Jewish cheesecake,” he said.) and also kasha varnishkes (that recipe is below).
“[It’s] essentially bow ties with buckwheat groats and caramelized onion that you typically saute and schmaltz, which is rendered chicken fat, [or] you could use vegetable oil,” Eisner said. “Kasha varnishkes brings [memories] of growing up, and I feel like a lot of other Jewish people can relate to that if they’ve had this dish before.”
Eisner believes cooking should make you feel accomplished. And anybody can do it!
“All it takes is to follow a recipe and prep your ingredients ahead of time,” he said. If you read [the recipe] properly and do everything [it says], you’re going to have an unbelievable meal in your hands.”
Learn more at PressureLuckCooking.com and follow @PressureLuck on YouTube, and @PresuureLuckCooking on Facebook and Instagram.
For the full conversation, listen to the podcast:
Kasha Varnishkes
Dairy Free: (if using schmaltz, vegetable oil, or margarine)
Vegetarian: (if using vegetable or garlic broth and not using schmaltz)
THE PASTA
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound farfalle (bow ties) or mini farfalle
THE VEGGIES
6 tablespoons schmaltz (rendered chicken or duck fat, see Jeff’s Tip), vegetable oil, margarine or salted butter, plus more to taste
4 yellow onions, roughly chopped
8 ounces baby bella or white mushrooms, sliced (optional)
THE KASHA
1 cup medium-size granulated kasha (buckwheat groats; I use Wolff’s brand)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2½ cups chicken, vegetable, or garlic broth (e.g., made from Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base)
2 teaspoons seasoned salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper, plus more to taste
Prep Time: 10 min
Pasta Cook Time (farfalle/bow ties or mini farfalle): 7-11 min
Caramelizing Time: 20-30 min
Kasha Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 45 min-1 hour
Serves: 4-6
- Boil the Water: Fill an 8-quart pot halfway with tap water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Caramelize the Onions: Heat the schmaltz (or other fat) in a nonstick 4.5 to 5-quart sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once melted or shimmering, add the onions and sauté for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they caramelize (which means they become syrupy and golden in color).
- If using, add the mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes, until they are browned and their juices have released.
- Transfer the cooked veggies to a bowl to rest and place the pan back on the stove.
- Start the Kasha: In a mixing bowl, mix the kasha, egg, and garlic until combined.
- Transfer the coated kasha to the now-empty sauté pan and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until it begins to break up, toast, and separate, 3-5 minutes.
- Add the broth, seasoned salt, and white pepper to the kasha and bring to a boil. Return the onion mixture to the pan and stir well.
- Cook the Pasta: Add the salt to the pot of boiling water and reduce the heat to medium. Add the pasta and stir. Set a timer to cook until al dente (per the package instructions), or to the shortest amount of time given. When done, drain the pasta in a colander in the sink without rinsing it.
- As the pasta cooks, cover the sauté pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the cover and see if the broth has been absorbed by the kasha. If not, cover again for a few minutes until it has. If the kasha is done before the pasta, just remove from the heat and keep the pan covered.
- Marry It All: Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauté pan of cooked kasha, onions, and (maybe) mushrooms and toss until combined. Feel free to add more schmaltz (or vegetable oil or butter), seasoned salt, or white pepper to taste before serving.
Excerpted from PASTABILITIES by Jeffrey Eisner. Copyright © 2024 by Jeffrey Eisner. Photographs by Aleksey Zozulya. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.
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