I should start by explaining my definition and the dictionaries definition of the word "slop".
As a noun, the dictionary defines slop as an
unappetizing semiliquid food.
"They fed us some slop in a bowl".
Well, I most certainly have made my fair share of slopped throughout my time with the Ninja Foodie XL. Sometimes you over pressure cook something or you combine a bunch of things into a one-pot recipe that just don't quite work out.
I will say, however, slop is not always unappetizing!!! The ninja foodie xl's ability to marry flavors is incredible! If you have all the right ingredients and flavors in the pressure cooker whatever comes out will be magically infused. The slop comes from a lack of textures.
To counterbalance the loss of texture and pressure cooking I found adding some ingredients after the pressure cook ensures some textural elements throughout a dish.
A good example of slop I recently made that still maintain some textural elements was this medley of potatoes, breakfast sausage, mixed vegetables and tomato sauce.
I started off by browning 1lb of breakfast sausage on the sear setting. I mixed in a bushel of diced green onions and 1 lb of diced potatoes. I topped off the pot with one jar of extra garlicky pasta sauce & use the same jar to throw an equal amount of hot tap water water in.
I pressure cooked that for 1 hour, knowing the outcome would be mushy slop, but really flavorful mushy slop!
What originally came out after an hour of pressure cooking was reminiscent of mashed potatoes with a great garlicky and tomato sausage flavor!
I decided to fortify it with some tri-colored vegetable based rotini pasta. Then, threw in a bag of Frozen peas, green beans, corn and carrot medley.
I replaced the pressure cooker lid and left it on warm for another 30 minutes. This gave the frozen veggies just enough time to fall but remain Al dente as the warm setting continues to heat the pot to about 120°. The pasta absorbed all of the moisture and the noodles maintain their structure.
Definitely a bowl of sausage, mashed potatoes, pasta, vegetables! Also, a bowl of slop!
But, cover it with some shredded cheese and maybe some bonus seasoning or maybe even some fresh herbs to give it some life and the flavors are ridiculously amazing. Spoonful by spoonful the joy of eating this slop became more amazing. The sausage still tasted like sausage but it's flavor infused into everything else. The mashed potatoes were a perfect filler, along with the pasta. Vegetables still tasted fresh and clean, yet combined perfectly with the meter and potatoes. This particular bowl of slap had three layers of texture. Mushy, a baby could easily eat this or an old old person with no teeth. Yet, they could also get a bit of resistance out of the pasta and a bit of that distinct pasta flavor. Finally, the veggies which maintain their consistency, crispness of flavor and still managed to give me something to chew.
Slap is still slop but the ninja foodie XL really does make the best!!!
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