Meatball Spinach Pasta Soup

I like blogging for a number of reasons, but one is that you get to experiment.  I do search other recipes online and adapt them or change slightly, occasionally  or even remain the same exactly, but I always try to give credit.

And every once in a while, I just go out to the kitchen, and kinda make it up.

And sometimes I come in from the kitchen, after just having thrown away my "creation"....  but I learn from it.

But here's the deal. Every once in a while, I go out to the kitchen, and kinda make it up, and I hit a home run.

And this time I did.  It's kind of an Italian Wedding Soup theme, but man, this soup just rocked. And you don't have to take my word for it. 5 people at A Terrible Beauty tried it, loved it, and two guys I work with tried it and raved.

I'm calling it Meatball Spinach Pasta Soup. OK?

So I'm pleased to share.

And it's nice to come out of the kitchen, with something you want to share. Ya know??

And here, don't even look at the ingredients yet.

Just imagine a warm fragrant chicken broth, with a touch of Italian spice, the depth of onion, garlic, and leeks, the sweetness of tomato,  chewiness of the pasta and the fall apart tender meatballs who have their own seasonings, and then you get the spinach and dill that roll over your tongue,  balanced by a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan/Reggiano cheese.

And yeah, you gotta make your own meatballs for this. (Well, you don't have to, I guess) I know, a pain, but once you make them, try them in the soup, you'll be making meatballs forever with my recipe.  They are the same meatballs you can use in spaghetti, grinders, BBQ appetizers.... they are versatile.

And they're easy.... Here's the link:

Also if you'd like to make your own Chicken Broth, here is my link for that.

Ingredients and Method:


 6 - 10 meatballs from my recipe or store bought (Par-bake mine for 12 minutes at 350 to render some fat)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium leeks, washed and thinly chopped (white and pale green part only)
5 cups chicken broth (or a cup or two more if it's not enough)
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
1 15 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes with puree
1 tablespoon salt (add more as needed for taste)
1 tablespoon pepper (add more as needed for taste)
1 cup prepared al dente pasta (elbow macaroni, rigatoni, or any tubular pasta)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or one tablespoon dried
grated parmesan/reggiano cheese

I made this in a Pressure Cooker, as I seem to be making all my soups in recently. To cook it traditionally, follow the instructions but cook at low heat for 90 minutes in a large heavy saucepan or dutch oven until vegetables are tender. The balance of the instructions are the same.

Heat pot or cooker over medium heat and add olive oil.  Saute onion and leeks until onions "sweat" and become translucent and add garlic and saute for three minutes more. Add broth, oregano, basil can of diced tomatoes salt and pepper, and meatballs. If broth doesn't cover the contents by at least an inch, add more chicken broth or plain water. Turn heat to medium high (on Pressure Cooker) cover, and watch until it begins to steam constantly. Immediately turn heat down to medium low, and let cook under pressure for 12 minutes. (15 p.s.i. if adjustable)

Carefully place pressure cooker in sink and run a stream of cold water over it until it pressurizes. Place back on stove, remove cover, and gently stir. (don't break up meatballs) Immediately add the cooked pasta, spinach and dill. Stir a bit until spinach completely wilts, and dill is incorporated. Slowly season to taste with salt and pepper. What I mean is, do a little of each, stir, let soak in, and then taste again before adding more. It's so easy to oversalt. I've done it more than a few times, and should know better.

Let steep for 10 - 15 minutes.

Ladle into bowls with one or two meatballs, sprinkle with parmesan/reggiano and enjoy!

Lemony Curried Chicken and Rice soup with Mint and Dill Accents

I had to sit home for a few days recovering from Dental Surgery. When I was finally able to get up and around, I tried to catch up on my recipes and what I should probably make. Being in quite a bit of pain, soup sounded good, in fact, chicken and rice soup sounded divine, so I decided to make some. I have already posted one recipe for Chicken and Rice Soup but I wanted to try something a bit different. And lo and behold I came across a Food Network recipe for Curried Chicken and Rice Soup. I adapted it a good deal, using a Pressure Cooker and I made my own Chicken Broth.

As I read the recipe I became more and more intrigued by the ingredients. In addition to the curry powder, it called for dill, and also for fresh mint leaves and fresh lemon juice!  Are you kidding me?  I HAD to make it.

Now, the verdict is in. This is an absolutely delicious soup. Full of flavor, and yet pulls you one way and the other as you eat it. Ever had a soup that is "fun to eat"?    THIS soup is fun to eat.  Please try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients and Method:


1 bone-in chicken breast (Unless you made Chicken Broth, then use the chicken from that)
2 tablespoons butter plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely diced
2 carrots, washed and sliced
2 celery stalks, washed and sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup rice
3 tablespoons chopped mint
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 lemon, quartered
Additional salt and pepper to taste

I used a Pressure Cooker to make this soup, but if you don't have one, just use a heavy pot, or dutch oven on stove top and simmer for 90 minutes until vegetables are soft after the saute step. If using a chicken breast, cook with the soup in either method, and then cool and shred and return to soup.

Melt butter and olive oil over medium heat in Pressure Cooker (or pot of your choice). Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 10 - 15 minutes until onions are translucent. Add curry, salt, sugar, bay leaf, chicken broth and chicken of your choice and rice to vegetable mix. Stir well.

 Turn heat to medium high, cover and monitor until it becomes fully pressurized (approx. 15 psi). When it begins to steam constantly, turn down to medium low and let steam for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, remove and cool down by pouring cold water from faucet over Cooker. Remove cover, stir and add mint and dill and let steep in the soup for 20 minutes. (If you made it a conventional pot, do the same, turn off heat and let the spices steep). Note: We don't cook the spices in the soup because they will get "worn out". We want them bright and fragrant when we serve.

Slightly salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls, with the lemon wedge. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into soup, and, as usual, enjoy!

Bewley's Tuscan Tomato and Bean Soup

 I know the photo doesn't look like much, but trust me, this soup will make you famous.... I live in Seattle, Washington and have begun frequenting an Irish Pub in West Seattle called A Terrible Beauty.  I really enjoy it there, the staff is very friendly and attentive, and the food is really very good. No argument there.

But, let's assume you work there. No matter how good the food is, you can get tired of the same menu choices over and over after a while.

Since I like to cook and have to service this blog with a post every once in a while, I've started to occasionally bring them in something different to try.

One week I brought in my Potato Chips, and another time my Chicken and Rice Soup.  

This time, I decided to go with an Irish dish adapted from Bewley's Grafton Street Cafe Tuscan Tomato and Bean Soup from Dublin, Ireland. I daresay it came out well and was consumed by the staff rather quickly.

And although I am certainly a meat eater, this is a wonderful vegetarian soup also.

I might also add, I scarfed a few bowls at home, myself. And, once again, I made it in the Pressure Cooker in only 15 minutes!

Give it a try.

Ingredients and Method: 

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 yellow onions, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, washed and diced

3 carrots diced

1or 2 large diced fennel bulb(s) (Video on how to prepare a fennel bulb)

1 28-oz can Marzano crushed or diced tomatoes with puree
4 fresh plum tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 quarts vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste (Cook first then season, it will take quite a bit of each but test after each addition)

2  15 oz cans Cannelloni Beans (white Italian kidney beans), rinsed and drained. (Get that scum off them ha ha)

Now, throw that olive oil in the bottom of that pressure cooker, and turn the heat up to medium....  (If you're doing this in a traditional pot or dutch oven, just do everything the same, except, cook it for like 3 hours, until all the vegetables are very tender.)  Otherwise, exactly the same...

Saute, the potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and fennel, until the onions wilt.... 10 minutes, stir 'em up occasionally....

Now, here's the cool part. Well, Cool Part No. 1.  Dump everything else into the pot except the beans.... Yeah, just do it....  I love this recipe and I love a Pressure Cooker....That's it below.... just heap it in...

Now stir a few times, turn the heat up high, put on the Pressure Cooker cover and valve....and wait until that sucker starts steamin'...... Turn the heat down to low, and let it steam for 15 minutes....  (Or stir and wait three, hours, I'm jus' sayin'.... ha ha, love you slow cookers, I'm one myself)

After 15 minutes, remove, and place under faucet and do the quick cool down with cold water over the top....

Don't get it in the vents, of course....  Now.....  open carefully.... return to mild heat on the stove...

Add the Beans, (remember them?)  And stir gently and heat a bit for ten minutes....

And then get your Immersion Blender. (Here's the second cool part)   (Don't have one?  What's wrong with you?  ha ha....  Anyway then,, move hot liquid from pot to bowl and puree about half and pour it back in.  (Apparently I have a Pressure Cooker bias, I do. you have to try it.)

Take your Immersion Blender, and be careful now, you want to leave about half the soup with bite, and vegetables, and onion, and delicious fennel, yet you also want a firm and delicious background to the beans....with vegetables.... If you pulse too long..... (just a thought) it'll pulverize the soup and you'll have no vegetables and beans, ya know?

So, it's easy.  Put that sucker in the hot pot of soup, way down, and pulse it like six quick times. Stop, and check, and eat, and salt and pepper, and if it's not how you want, pulse 3 more times.....  You're done...!

And not to totally horrify my vegetarian friends, but you could cut up some boiled Kielbasa, and heat it up there too, ya know what I mean?   :)

Now, 

Stir, and salt and pepper some more, you want it just right.

And spoon some into a bowl, with a dollop of sour cream, or, as I did last night, I heated the soup with a slice of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar....  delicious....

Thank you Ireland....

p.s. Joni, thanks for the kind words. You should post them as a comment. You might be my new Food Critic, ya know?

Let me know what you think. Soup with Fennel is cool. There's a sentence I thought I'd never say.

Curried Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Spring is springing. So this will be the last of one of the soups I made over the winter. Actually, this soup is one of my favorites because it has such a unique blend of flavors. The nuttiness of the squash with the depth and gentle heat of the curry, coupled with the tiny sweet goodness of the apple.

I'm telling you, it's all about mouth feel and taste with this soup. Liquid velvet goodness, with a kick. (Did I just really type that?)

Quick and easy, especially in the pressure cooker.

Served with a crust of bread, and little dollop of sour cream?  What could be better?


Ingredients and Method:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 large chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 butternut squash, chopped (See my note about preparing Butternut Squash below)

3 sweet McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and chopped.
2 cups water
2 cups apple cider. (Don't skimp here, not apple juice, good and fresh apple cider)
Salt and pepper to taste.


First a note on butternut squash. I find it a pain to peel and cut up the squash. So what I do is, is pierce it several times. and microwave for 8 minutes until it begins to soften. It is then much easier to cut it open, cut into manageable sized chunks, and the the thick tough skin is easy to just cut off with a knife.


Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat in pressure cooker. (Or stock pot or dutch oven) Saute onions and curry powder until the onions are translucent. 


Add the squash, apples and water to pot. Bring up to pressure, and cook for 12 minutes. Let cool down normally. (If not using a pressure cooker, cook over medium heat for an hour until vegetables are very tender)


Open up pressure cooker and use a hand blender (or food processor) to combine mixture. Add cider and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsley and a small dollop of sour cream.

 Enjoy.

Curried Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup with Peanut Butter

I see spring around the corner so I thought I should catch up on my winter soups that I've made, photographed, and haven't yet posted.  I'm behind on everything.

I was looking for some inspiration for some soup with a bit of kick.This is a uniquely flavorful soup that everyone seemed to really enjoy. It's different, hearty, and simply delicious.

Adapted from Sing for Your Supper.

Ingredients and Method:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
6 carrots, washed and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
heaping 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, and a bit for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

First a note on butternut squash. I find it a pain to peel and cut up the squash. So what I do is, is pierce it several times. and microwave for 8 minutes until it begins to soften. It is then much easier to cut it open, cut into manageable sized chunks, and the the thick tough skin is easy to just cut off with a knife.

Heat oil in your dutch oven or heavy duty pot. Saute garlic, onion, and ginger until onions are softened and transluscent. Add the vegetables and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally,  until vegetables are soft, about 45 minutes. (Conversely, this is a perfect pressure cooker soup also.  Saute onions, garlic, etc.  in the pressure cooker, add vegetables and chicken broth and heat under pressure for 12 minutes. Let pressure reduce naturally.)

Add tomato paste, cumin, cayenne pepper, curry powder and cilantro. Stir spices in, and then, using a hand blender, or a regular blender, blend soup mixture until smooth.

Stir in peanut butter.

Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with cilantro as a garnish. (I like to add a small dollop of sour cream also)

 Enjoy!

The Merlin Menu Top 10 Recipes for Year 2010

I know, it's February, not January. This is the kind of post that, were I up on things, would have been posted right around the New Year. But, I've been a bit distracted trying to find a new position at my company. That's my excuse, anyway.

But here's the deal. As I looked through my newsreader in 2011, I noticed a number of blogs posted their top recipes from the previous year. And I found, that I liked being able to just click on whatever recipe I wanted to without having to scroll through page after page of blog. I figured therefore, that other people probably like this convenience also, so I decided to do one for my blog. And here it is. Hope you find at least one or two things you'd like to try, and maybe catch up on a recipe or two you might have missed over the last year.

Salted Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars Decadent and delicious.

Dutch Oven Bread A little baking magic from a Dutch Oven

Cinnamon Currant Bread Another Dutch Oven Bread

Eggs Benedict Who doesn't love Eggs Benedict. Make them at home for 1/10th the price.

Homemade Potato Chips Delicious and easy and fun to make.

Irish Brown Bread Authentic and delicious.

 Lime Cake with Strawberry Compote Light, refreshing, and a great flavor combination.

Salted Caramel Butter Bars Decadent and delicious.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies Just the title says it all.

Three Ingredient Tomato Sauce 3 Ingredients and knock your socks off good.

My personal Top Ten from my Blog for 2010.

Cheddar Beer Soup with Truffle Oil

I know, the photo doesn't look like much. But this soup EXPLODES in your mouth with flavor.

So here's the deal. I went to Portland to have dinner with my daughter and her fiance for Thanksgiving  in their new home. (My first visit).

I was enlisted to make the Turkey, Dressing, and a casserole, and I threw in a pie just for good measure. (Photo link here: Just Click.)

Wonderful weekend. Met some of the future in-law family and we had a great time.

Next day, during the Alabama Auburn game we went and had a beer at a Brewpub in downtown Portland.

And I saw, Beer Cheese Soup.....  I love Beer Cheese Soup..... and it occurred to me I've never blogged it....and haven't even made it in years.....  What have I been thinking?   So I ordered a bowl, it was exquisitely good.....  and planned an update and counter attack.

And guess what happened?  Yup, I nailed it.  Believe me, there are many times I fail, I just don't post them. But this time, I got it right. You have got to try it. And, it's got a "secret ingredient" that truly put it over the top. Read on....

Ingredients and Method:
1/2 stick butter
2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 leeks (pale green and white parts only) sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1 12 oz. bottle Bass Ale
1 teaspoon dry mustard
pinch of cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 8 oz packages shredded Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese
White Truffle oil
Smoked Paprika for garnish

Add butter to pressure cooker (or large saucepan) over medium-low heat. When melted and foamy, saute celery, leeks, and garlic for five minutes, until leeks are limp. Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir and cook for two minutes more. Add bay leaf, milk, chicken broth, ale,  dry mustard, and cayenne. If using pressure cooker (as I did) cover, bring to pressure, and cook for 10 minutes. If cooking stovetop, cook over medium heat, stirring  occasionally, for 40 minutes until all vegetables are tender. Cool pressure cooker, release, and salt and pepper to taste. (same for saucepan)

Using a hand blender, or a food processor, puree soup until fairly well blended. (I tend to leave a bit unblended so it has some "texture")

Return to low heat, and add cheese, (reserve some for garnish) and stir constantly until well blended.

Pour into bowls.

Now the magic!

 Pour 6 -8 drops of white truffle oil into each bowl. No more, as this stuff is potent. Garnish with cheddar cheese and smoked paprika (if you have it, if not omit). Or, crumbled bacon, green onions, etc. whatever you like in your cheese soup.

Enjoy some of the best Beer Cheddar Soup I've ever had!

Red Beans and Rice

Saints in the Superbowl?  The Saints?  This one's easy. I'm having Red Beans and Rice!

I used Smoked Kielbasa for the sausage but authentic Red Beans and Rice contain Andouille sausage, it's your preference.

I made this in the Pressure cooker. If you are cooking traditionally, cook for 1 1/2 hours until beans are tender. The rest of the recipe remains the same.

(Adapted from About.com)

Ingredients and Method:

1 pound dried red beans or 2 cans drained and rinsed canned red beans. For dried beans, soak overnight in water
1 pound smoked kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces

1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 quart chicken broth
2 tablespoons parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Scallions and white rice for accompaniment

Add oil to pressure cooker over medium heat. Brown sliced sausage on both sides, approximately 5 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add onion, celery and garlic, and saute for 10 minutes until onion is translucent and celery softens.

Add cumin, thyme and cayenne pepper and saute one minute more. Add chicken broth, beans and sausage.

Cover, turn heat up and bring up to pressure, 15 p.s.i.  Once the cooker begins to steam steadily, turn heat down to low, and let cook for 10 - 15 minutes under pressure. Remove from heat and let cool naturally.

Remove cover and check to make sure the beans are tender. (No need if you used canned beans) If the beans are not done, repressurize and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over freshly cooked rice and garnish with green onions.

Sauerbraten German Pot Roast

So I came across this recipe. I've heard of Sauerbraten but have never made it nor tried it. What intrigued me about making it was marinating the cut of meat for 3 days, perhaps adapting it for the Pressure Cooker, and the addition of crushed ginger cookies to the marinade to thicken and make a gravy for the meat.

Will I make this again? You bet! The meat was deliciously tangy sour (hence the name Sauerbraten) and as tender and delicious as could be.

The gravy however, I guess I expected it to be more of a contributor than what it was so I "doctored" it a bit. I added a bit more sugar because it was still very sour, and I added some ground ginger to give it some "bite".  It accompanies the meat wonderfully since it's the marinade for the meat, it just needed a boost. Feel free to experiment with your own thoughts or preferences.

That being said, this was the most tender, delicious cut of roast I've had in years and years.

Adapted from:  Joelen's Culinary Adventures. 

 

Ingredients and Method:

1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 cup Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 carrot chopped thinly
1 teaspoon ground mustard
2 bay leaves
6 minced cloves
2 - 3 pound bottom round roast
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
15 gingersnaps, crushed
1 teaspoon ground ginger

All right, so here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna make a marinade, and marinate the roast for 3 days.  Yes, 3 days!   It'll be worth the hassle, believe me.

(Pressure Cooker note. The only difference in the recipe directions if you're NOT using a pressure cooker, is to bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for 4 to 5 hours until fork tender)

In a saucepan combine both vinegars, water, salt, pepper,  carrots, onions, bay leaves, cloves and ground mustard. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, let cool.

Pat the roast dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add 1 tablespoon olive oil  to a medium frying pan and brown meat on each side until browned, approximately 10 minutes per side.

Remove from heat.

Pour marinade into non-reactive dish. Add roast to dish. If the roast is not covered with marinade simply plan on turning the roast once a day so both sides get equally marinated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 days.

When ready to cook/bake, remove roast, and pour all of marinade into pressure cooker (or baking dish). Cut any exposed fat from the roast. Add the roast, turn up heat, cover and bring up to 15 p.s.i. When the cooker begins to steam steadily, turn the heat down to low, and let cook at pressure for 60 minutes. (Or, as stated earlier, bake at 350 degrees for 4 - 5 hours). Let cool naturally.

Remove roast to cutting board and let rest.

Strain marinade mixture into bowl. Don't be afraid to mash solids through the mesh to give the gravy some "body".

Pour into saucepan, add sugar, ginger, and crushed ginger cookies. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and continue to stir and simmer, until gravy thickens.

Remove from heat and skim any visible fat from surface.

Slice roast against grain into approx. 1/4 inch slices, arrange on plate, and ladle gravy over. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

Curried Lentil Soup

Here's a soup I think you'll enjoy.What kicked this off is some Curried Butternut Squash soup I had for lunch from a bakery close by my work.  It was so good and I'm not normally a curry person, but I am now. Especially after making this Curried Lentil Soup. The taste of the soup is intriguing. At first it's just the delicious flavor of the lentils, broth and spice blend, which then gives way to the curry flavor and finishes with a touch of heat from the cayenne. Give it a try, it's delicious. Adapted from Epicurious.

3 cups lentils, soaked in water overnight, and rinsed
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, washed, trimmed, and chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with puree
3 chicken bouillon cubes mixed with one cup water
5 cups water
a pinch of cayenne pepper (or two)
1 tablespoon salt (more to season to taste when soup is done)
2 teaspoons pepper (more to season to taste when soup is done)

I made this in a Pressure Cooker, but if you want to make it conventionally on a stovetop, follow the instructions, and just cook over medium heat for 45 minutes until lentils are soft.



Pour olive oil into cooker over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and celery for approximately 10 minutes until onions soften. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 3 minutes. Add curry powder, stir, and add bouillon liquid, and 5 additional cups of water and tomatoes. Stir in lentils and salt and pepper.

Turn heat to high, cover, lock and add thermostat. Bring up to pressure. When cooker begins to steam constantly, turn heat down to medium, and cook at pressure for an additional 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and let de-pressurize normally. When cooled down, uncover, add pinch of cayenne, stir, and taste. Add salt, pepper, in small increments, stir and taste again until it tastes how you want it.

Serve in bowls with a touch of sour cream and parsley for garnish.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

If you've been reading my blog, you know I'm about Pressure Cooking now. I'm just loving it. It still blows my mind how fast things will cook and yet the taste is still what you are searching for.

Have you ever slow-cooked Spaghetti sauce for instance for hours? You know delicious it is, the flavors so well blended together, the velvety sauce? Ya know? TEN minutes in a slow cooker!

But today, we are tackling an American Sunday Staple. Pot Roast.

For a pot roast we generally use a cheaper cut of meat, which then requires a longer cooking time (hours) in order to break down the meat and have it become tender. It's ok, because we usually add potatoes and carrots and cook them right along with it, so it all comes out tender with a form of gravy already made. Delicious.

In a pressure cooker? 45 minutes! And some of the best gravy I bet you've had. Check it out.

Ingredients and Method:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 3 lb chuck roast

1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped (I like chunks of onions in my gravy)

1 package brown gravy mix

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 package italian dressing mix
1 can beef broth
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 beef bouillon cube
salt and pepper to taste
12 small red potatoes, halved
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves

Turn heat under Pressure Cooker to medium and add olive oil. Sprinkle roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Place into cooker and brown all over, about 10 minutes per side.

Add onion, gravy mix, ranch dressing mix and italian mix , beef broth, paprika, worcestershire sauce, garlic, and beef bouillon cube all over the roast in the cooker. The pressure cooker will distribute everything just fine.



Turn heat to high, let liquids come to a boil, and then seal the pressure cooker. Wait until a steady stream of steam is being emitted, and immediately turn to medium low, and begin timing 30 minutes from this point.

After 30 minutes of a steady stream of steam from the cooker, remove from heat and run cold water over the cooker until pressure recedes. Open cooker, and add bay leaves, carrots and potatoes to the liquid surrounding the roast.



Place cooker back on stove and bring to high heat and a boil. Seal cooker with cover, wait until it's emitting a steady stream of steam, turn to medium low and time for 15 more minutes to continue cooking the roast and cooking the carrots and potatoes perfectly.

After 15 minutes, remove from heat, and let cool down naturally. Remove cover.

If the "gravy" is not to your liking or too thin, remove the roast and vegetables, and stir in 2 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water, and stir in over medium heat until gravy thickens....

Let roast rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes, and slice and serve with potatoes, carrots and gravy.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Swiss Cheese Soup

There's a bakery here in Seattle close by my work called Macrina's Bakery. They offer a wide selection of all types of breads, sandwiches, rolls, pizza and desserts and pastries.

One of the things I discovered though, for lunch is their soup.  Their soups are so, so good. Last week I had a bowl of Cauliflower Swiss Cheese soup that was delicious.

I cobbled together a recipe and made it and it came out surprisingly close to the one I had at Macrina's. Give it a try if you're looking for a hearty, cheesy soup to warm you up.

Coming soon, I hope, is two more soups I tried there. One is Beet and Apple soup and the other is Curried Butternut Squash soup.  Both were just delicious.

This recipe is done in a pressure cooker, my newest toy. But you can prepare in a standard pot. Just adjust the cooking time until the cauliflower is very tender so it and the other ingredients will blend well.

1 sweet onion, chopped
2 peeled and sliced carrots
2 sliced celery stalks
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
1 package frozen cauliflower
1 cup milk
pinch of red pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In pressure cooker over medium heat, add olive oil and saute onions until they begin to soften and turn translucent. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Add celery, cauliflower, carrots, chicken broth, thyme, and red pepper.

Turn heat to high, seal pressure cooker, and wait until it comes to 15 p.s.i. (When the steam vents continually) Turn down to medium to low (just so steam gently vents) and time for 12 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool down slowly. Remove cover and using a hand blender, or a regular blender, blend until all vegetables are liquefied.

Return to stove and turn heat to low, and add one cup of milk and swiss cheese. Cook, stirring until milk is incorporated and cheese is fully melted.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with parsley and enjoy.

Sweet Potato Carrot Soup

Allright! It's officially Autumn. I know because I live in Seattle, WA and it's freaking raining on me like 4 times a day.

But, I have to admit, a lot of the time, I don't really mind the rain. I like waking up, and it's still dark, and raining outside, and the sounds lull me back to sleep.

Ever walked through a gentle rain? Like mist? It's refreshing.

And the cool snap in the air? I like it.

Know the other thing I like this time of year. SOUP! Hearty, tasty soups.

I've posted Crockpot Yankee Beef Stew, Crockpot Split Pea Soup, Black Bean Pumpkin Soup, etc. and I personally believe they are all post-worthy.

But this soup I made today, adapted from the ubiquitous All Recipes, is the best ever!

And here's why, Pressure Cooker. Yup, made this soup in FIFTEEN minutes! Let it cool, dollop of sour cream, and it was soooo good. And the beauty of the pressure cooker, (as I'm learning to use one, see my earlier posts) is that it cooks with steam instead of heated ambient air, or convection heat so it not only cooks faster, but retains nutrients, and flavors and spices, and blends just like it was cooked for hours. I'm amazed.

Do you like thick, nutty, naturally sweet soups, with a tang, and a slightly unidentifiable delicious taste to it, and a bit of a bite? The kind you remember having eaten?

Then make this soup. I'm not joking. It's that good. And if you don't believe me, read the ingredients.... Yeah, kind of intriguing..... Allright, I'll stop, here ya go....

Ingredients and Method:

2 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon cardamom (rounded)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (rounded)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (rounded)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (rounded)
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 14 oz can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, and chopped into chunks
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
salt and pepper
sour cream for garnish and finish
parsley for garnish


Melt butter over medium heat in pressure cooker and saute onions until they soften. Add all
the spices and saute with onions until they warm and release their fragrance. Add broth, water, sweet potatoes and carrots.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Turn heat up to medium high and bring to a boil, cover and seal pressure cooker and wait for cooker to come up to pressure. (i.e. steady venting of steam from valve)

Turn down to medium low and begin timing for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and let it cool until pressure is totally reduced.

Process in batches in food processor or hand blender.

Taste and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with spoonful of sour cream and parsley for garnish.

If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can use a slow cooker. Saute onions and spices in a pan as directed above. Add to slow cooker with balance of ingredients. Cook on low for 6 - 7 hours until vegetables are very tender. The rest of the instructions remain the same.

Enjoy.

Pressure Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs in 10 minutes and it tastes like it was slow cooked for hours. I'm not joking.

A deep, tangy and robust taste, sauce as smooth as butter, and the most tender meatballs one can make I think.

You can slow cook this same recipe for hours and if you do. Save half the sauteed onions and half the spices to be added during the last hour of cooking. Slow cooking tends to flatten the taste of spices and such and reserving half and adding late in the cooking cycle will "brighten" the taste once more.

That being said. Use a Pressure Cooker. I admit I just bought one and am learning to use it myself, but this recipe came out so good, I would recommend you have to try the pressure method. It may very well be the only way you make spaghetti sauce from now on.

Ingredients and Method:

1/2 package frozen italian meatballs (I found a full package to be too many)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 8 0z cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 large sweet onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon basil
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Pour olive oil into pressure cooker, and bring to medium heat. Saute diced onions until they soften and start to become translucent. Add garlic and continue to saute for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the balance of the ingredients to the cooker. Tomatoes, paste, sauces, wine, spices, and brown sugar. Pour the meatballs right in. Even frozen will work fine.

Turn the heat up, uncovered, and stir until the sauce begins to bubble vigorously. Place the top on the cooker and seal, still on high heat. Leave on high until it begins to steam continuously, then immediately turn to medium low, just enough to have a constant gentle flow of steam escaping for the cooker.

Begin timing the 10 minutes once you turn the heat down as explained above. When the time has elapsed, quick cool the pressure cooker by running it under cold water.

Uncover, and what I like to do is, is turn on a gentle low heat, and let the sauce bubble gently while I prepare the pasta, and bread, and salad or whatever you are serving it with. It's done, but a little gentle further cooking never hurt a spaghetti sauce.

Ladle spaghetti sauce and meatballs over freshly cooked pasta and top with Parmesan cheese, or my current favorite, Parmesan Reggiano.

Enjoy.

Pressure Cooker Rice Pudding

So I went and bought a Pressure Cooker. I've never cooked with one so I'll be playing around with it and trying different things which you'll see blogged in the upcoming weeks.

Here it is. Presto 8-Quart Triple Clad Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker.

The very first thing I made was Old Fashioned Rice pudding. I remember eating Rice Pudding as a child, usually prepared by my Grandmother on her old cast iron stove, and cooked all night long. Then served warm, with a bit of melting butter and sprinkled with cinnamon. Creamy and delicious.

Guess what? I cooked rice pudding in the Pressure Cooker in EIGHT minutes and it was so, so good! Creamy and delicious, and "just like Grandma's"

I spooned it into bowls and dusted some of the bowls with cinnamon and the rest with nutmeg.

So if you've got a pressure cooker gathering dust somewhere, break it out, dust it off and try making this easy recipe. You won't be disappointed. (Recipe is from the Presto pressure cooker cookbook)

1 T Butter
1 cup long grain white rice
1/3 cup plus two tablespoons sugar
1 cup water
2 cups milk
1/2 t salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in cooker and pour rice in and cover totally with butter.

Add the sugar, milk, water and salt.

Pressure cook for 8 - 9 minutes at 15 p.s.i. Don't begin timing  minutes until the cooker is fully up to pressure and constantly emitting a gentle stream of steam.

In a bowl mix 1 egg with 1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk and 1/2 t vanilla.

Temper egg mixture by adding a bit of the hot rice mixture and stirring. Repeat several times at least. Then mix the egg mixture into the pot and cook (uncovered) until it just begins to bubble a bit.

Let cool slightly and dust with cinnamon or nutmeg. A touch of whipped cream would be perfect.