Pasta and Greens, Sausage and Beans

Pasta and Greens, Sausage and Beans

Pasta and Greens, Sausage and Beans might sound like a carb overload, but after tasting this deceptively simple dish, you won’t care.  Beans and greens are a classic pairing in Italian cucina povera (poor food).  Adding sausage and pasta elevates  the dish some, but not too much. This is comfort food, meant to be easy on your budget and something you can just throw together in a hurry.

Usually this is made with Swiss chard, but I am not a fan. You can use any green you like. Even collards.  You will need to adjust the cooking times depending on the greens you use. The magic of this dish is in the different textures. To this end, do not overcook the pasta and use Parmesan shavings and not the shaker cheese stuff.

 

Servings: 4-6

Time:  Active time: 15 minutes; Cook: 40 minutes; Dinner in under an hour

Hardware:  a large pot, a colander, measuring cups and spoons, a cutting board and knife, a large skillet with a lid, a plate, tongs, a can opener, a large ladle

 Ingredients

• 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 4 sweet Italian sausage links
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1-15-ounce can cannelloni (white kidney) beans
• 8 ounces of baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons of shaved Parmesan
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• water
• salt

1.  Wash the spinach.
2. Place links in the skillet and add enough water to cover them.
3. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 -12 minutes.
4. Pour off about half the water and return the skillet to the stove. Cook on medium high, uncovered, until the water evaporates. Continue to cook, turning often until the sausage is browned. Turn off the heat and remove the sausage to the plate. Allow the sausage to rest while you put on the pasta water.
5. Put the pasta onto boil and cook following the package directions. DO NOT overcook. Throw the spinach in during the last 2 minutes of boiling.
6. While the pasta is boiling, slice the sausage into bite sized pieces. Return the sausage, all the juices, the rosemary and the entire contents of can of beans to the skillet over medium low heat. Add 2 ladles of pasta water and the pepper flakes. Bring to a very low simmer. You are just allowing the flavors to meld; you are not cooking anything. Don’t allow this to cook for more than 2 minutes.
7. Add the drained pasta, spinach and Parmesan cheese to the sausage and gently toss everything. Taste and adjust the salt.
8. Serve right away with crusty bread.

Chicken and Gnocchi Stew for the Instant Pot®

Instant Pot Chicken & Gnocchi Stew

I live in Florida. We don’t get an Autumn, but we can pretend. If we lived somewhere with seasons, it might be getting a little cool by now. Everyone would welcome a velvety stew.  Here, it is almost 5 pm and 90˚. I still love this stew.

I made this in this Instant Pot®. You could use roasted chicken, but I think the pressure cooker gave it extra flavor. I also made the chicken the night before, so the flavors would meld. Cooling the chicken overnight also allowed me to remove most of the fat from the liquid. Use thighs and not breasts. The thighs have a hearty flavor and it is okay if you overcook them a little. Finally, you can substitute chicken stock for the water and chicken base, but the base is so much richer than normal stock.

Servings: 6-8

Hardware: A knife and a cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, a veggie peeler, Instant Pot Duo® (IP), silicone oven mitt, tongs, a large bowl, a small bowl, a fork, food safe gloves and a wooden spoon

Time: Active time: 15 minutes; Cook: 35 minutes; Stew in about an hour

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken thighs
• 2 large carrots (8 ounces)
• 2 celery sticks (4 ounces)
• 1 small onion (4 ounces)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 sprig rosemary
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon chicken base (I used Better than Bouillon)
• 1 cup + 4 cups water
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1-pound gnocchi
• Salt and pepper

1. Peel the carrot and wash the celery. Cut them into pieces that are 2-3 inches in size. Peel and crush the garlic. Peel and quarter the onion. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.
2. Put the white wine, 1 cup water, rosemary and 1 tablespoon soup base into the IP. Turn on the sauté setting and allow the liquid to boil. Stir to dissolve the chicken base.
3. Put the trivet into the pot. Place the carrots, celery, onion and garlic on top of the trivet, put the chicken on top of the veggies. Place the lid on the IP, making sure the valve is set to ‘sealing.’ Turn on the pressure setting and set for 10 minutes. When time is up, allow it to release for about 15 minutes and using the silicone oven mitt move the valve to ‘release.’
4. When the float falls, move the chicken to the large bowl. Fish out the rosemary and discard. Remove the trivet.
5. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, put on the food safe gloves and remove the meat from the bones. Discard the skin, fat, gristle and bones.
6. Pour 4 cups water and the rest of the chicken base into the IP. Return to a boil. Put one tablespoon of cornstarch into the very cold cup of whipping cream. Use the fork to stir until the cornstarch dissolves. Pour the cornstarch-y cream into the soup. It will thicken as it boils. Return the chicken to the pot and add in the gnocchi. As soon as the gnocchi floats (3 minutes) the soup is done. Stir in the dried parsley. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

 

Chicken and Gnocchi Stew for the Instant Pot®

 

Tomato Bisque

My summer ended today. I returned to my day job as a teacher.  The morning faculty meeting lasted some three hours and change. Then I helped direct an hour-long computer training. Then I took another hour-long class online. Then I attempted to start a three-hour training given online by Cambridge University. For some reason, my school system was blocking Cambridge University because they claimed that their site wasn’t properly secured. I gave up.

Tomato Bisque

When I finally arrived home, I wanted to cry just a bit. Then I wanted dinner. Something comforting. Something easy. Something warm. Something that would nourish me and help me get ready for another 3-hour meeting tomorrow.

Tomato Bisque was the answer to my long, boring, no good, very bad day. Easy, warm, comforting, nourishing and scrumptious. Do you remember eating tomato soup and cheese sandwiches when you were young?

I used canned tomatoes and dried basil because I was exhausted and they were handy. You will not be able to tell everything wasn’t fresh.

Servings: 4 cups

Time:  Active time 10 minutes; Cook: 50 Minutes, Soup in about an hour

Hardware:  Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a can opener, a wooden soon, a 10-inch skillet, a blender (or an immersion blender) and a tea towel

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ small onion (2 ounces)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1-28 ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes-do not drain
• 2 cups veggie broth (or water)
• ½ tablespoon dried basil
• Salt & pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream
• Croutons and cream for garnish

1. Dice the onion and the garlic. Heat the butter on medium and sauté the veggies until the onions are translucent.  Stir occasionally. Everything should be bubbling, not browning. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add the entire contents of the can of tomatoes to the skillet. Add the veggie broth, a pinch of salt and the basil. Cook at a low boil for 30-40 minutes. Stir just enough to keep anything from sticking. You can break up the tomatoes if you want.
3. When the soup has reduced some and is thickening then remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Taste and adjust the salt. Pepper to taste. I like my tomato soup peppery.
4. I used an immersion blender to make this step easier. Add the sour cream to the skillet and use the stick blender to completely liquefy the soup. Everything should be as smooth as you can get it.
5. If you are using a regular blender, add the tomatoes and the sour cream to the blender jar. Remove the little detachable cup in the center of the lid. This is called fill cap. Fold the clean tea towel into a small square and hold it over the open hole in the lid. If you don’t then the heat from the soup will blow the lid off and make a big mess. Blend everything until the soup is a smooth as possible.
6. Serve warm. You can garnish the bisque with some croutons and a tiny drizzle of cream.

Instant Pot Black Beans

Instant Pot Black Beans

I promise that every recipe isn’t going to be in my Instant Pot®. Still, it is so easy to use. So very easy.

We just returned from Las Vegas. We had so much fun. We ate at Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen and Blossom. (We did other stuff, but that stays in Vegas.) But now we are home, my husband has a terrible cold and my students’ Advance Placement Psychology exam is in less than a month. So busy, so tired.

I MacGyvered this from a few pantry items and the veggie drawer. It was so delicious and took no effort.

I didn’t soak the beans before cooking them. Remember the plan here is less effort. Allow the beans to naturally release for at least 10 minutes, they continue to cook. You can find Goya Sazón in the the Hispanic food section at your grocery store. I use the Coriander & Annatto flavors. You can control the heat with the type of Ro-Tel you use. If you do not like spice, chose Ro-Tel mild. Original is spicier than mild. Ro-Tel hot is Very spicy. Of course, that is what I used.

Servings: 6-8

Hardware: A cutting board and knives, measuring spoons and cups, an Instant Pot®, a can opener, a wooden spoon, a silicone oven mitt

Time: Active time: 10 minutes; Cook: 40 minutes; Beans in about an hour

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dried black beans, rinsed and picked through
• 1 large onion (8 ounces)
• 1 bell pepper (8 ounces)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
• 6 cups veggie stock
• 2 packets Goya Sazón
• Salt
• 4 cups of hot, cooked white rice, diced Spanish onion, cilantro and hot sauce

1. Roughly chop the onions, peppers and garlic. Open the Ro-Tel.
2. Pick over the beans and place them in the Instant Pot. Pour in the veggie stock. Stir in the chopped veggies and tomatoes.
3. Make sure the lid is in the sealing position. Seal and pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Allow the steam to naturally release for at least 10 minutes. That means that you just leave it alone. After 10 minutes, you can put on the mitt and change the valve to release. Wait until the float drops. Carefully, with the opening facing away, open the lid. Turn the IP off (cancel.) Stir in the Sazón and use the sauté feature to bring the beans back to a boil. Salt to taste. Turn the IP off.
4. Serve right away over rice, garnished with diced onion and a little cilantro. Offer hot sauce to your guests.