Quick Ragu (Instant Pot)

Lamb or pork, either works nicely.

2 pounds lamb or pork, cut into thick steaks
olive oil
salt and pepper

1 med onion, chopped
1 med carrot, chopped
1/4 c fennel stalks, chopped (I skip this unless I can find fennel)
1/4 c diced thick cut bacon (or pancetta)
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 can (28 oz) San Marzano tomatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp red chili flakes


Brush steaks with olive oil and season with s & p.

In 1 tbsp olive oil, saute on high, about 3-4 minutes per side,until browned.  I do this in pairs.

Remove steaks and add onion through baking soda.  Cook about five minutes until tender.

Add garlic and tomato paste and stir for about 45 seconds.

Add wine and simmer for a minute.

Return meat and juices to pot, top with tomatoes and chili pepper flakes.  Pressure cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.  Natural release for 15 minutes, then release pressure.

Remove steaks and shred.  Bring sauce to a simmer using SAUTE function and remove any fat that pools.  Return meat to pot, season with salt and pepper.

Serve with fresh mozzarella.

Italian Pork Sausage and Bean Casserole

Copied directly from Pushing Rubber Downhill, Adam Piggot's excellent blog.  Copied because he doesn't use tags so it can be very difficult to find old posts.  Now I have it at my fingertips.  Sorry Adam.

Picture to follow as the one I took didn't look particularly appetizing.  I commented on my pictures a few years ago but nothing has changed so if you are a competent photographer, follow the link as there is still an opening

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500g cannellini beans, (2 tins).

Extra virgin olive oil

4 large pork sausages

6 rashes of top quality bacon cut nice and thick, sliced into 6cm lengths.

4 small onions quartered top to bottom

8 whole garlic cloves, peeled.

3 long and thin carrots, peeled and cut into 3cm sections, (slightly bigger than you normally would cut them).

3 bay leaves.

Some fresh sprigs of oregano.

1 red chili, deseeded.

500ml fresh chicken stock that you made yourself and which was sitting in your freezer ready for a momentous occasion such as this.

2 tablespoons of tomato paste.

You need a good sized pot for this one, large and low. Splash some olive oil around and fry the sausages for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and reserve.
Take the pot off the heat and layer the bacon over the base of the pot. Add the onions, garlic and carrots and season well with cracked black pepper. Put the sausages on top and then add the bay leaves, oregano and chili. Cover with the beans.
Mix the stock and tomato paste together and then pour over the other ingredients. The contents won’t be covered with the liquid at this stage. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for 4 hours over a low heat. Give the pot a gentle stir every 45 minutes or so. If the liquid level remains below the beans after about 1 hour, top it up with some hot water.

Venetian Lamb with Rice (Instant Pot)

1 3/4 pounds leg of lamb, 1-inch cubes

2 T olive oil
1 med yellow onion, chopped
1 med carrot, chopped
1/4 c dry white wine
2 c chicken broth
1 1/2 c diced tomatoes in puree
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 c short grain rice
1/2 c grated Parmesan
2 T unsalted butter








In the Instant Pot:

Toss lamb with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.  Brown about six minutes in three batches, setting aside browned meat.  Return all meat to pot and add onion and carrot.  Cook about four minutes, stirring frequently.  Add wine and cook for one minute.

Add broth, tomatoes, cnnamon, cloves and stir.  Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.

Quick release pressure, stir in rice and pressure cook on high for ten minutes.

Natural release the pressure for ten minutes and then quick release the rest.  Stir in butter and half the cheese.

Serve with remaining cheese.

Balsamic vinaigrette

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Combine in a shaker bottle and shake well before serving.

Chicken pot pie

1 1/2 pounds chicken, mixture of white and dark meat, cubed

1 c sliced carrots
1 c peas
1/2 stick celery (or you can substitute 1 tsp celery salt and reduce salt a bit)

Steam or boil for about 15 minutes (I prefer the former but have done both)

Cook until onions are translucent:

1/3 c butter
1 small chopped onion

Add and stir till combined:

1/3 c flour
1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (adjust to taste as you try this recipe)
1/2 tsp celery seed

Add, stirring constantly:

1 3/4 c chicken broth
2/3 c milk

Bring to a slow boil, mixture should thicken.  Takes about ten minutes or so.

Line pie dish with crust, add chicken mixture and pour sauce over top.

Top with crust and cut slits in top crust.

Bake at 425º for 30 to 35 minutes.  I usually cover the edge with a crust ring for about half the cooking time so that it doesn't get too brown.