Linguine and Pressure Cooker Meatballs

I will have to admit I was not too excited when I got the request for spaghetti and meatballs as a dinner at the beginning of July.  But it ended up raining (and I quote, “a real frog strangler”), which actually made it the perfect meal for the evening! I also love an excuse to use my pressure cooker.  It is fast (although not as fast as they advertise since it has to reach pressure before it will cook at those speeds), it doesn’t produce extra heat in the kitchen, it adds flavor to things as if they had been simmering all day (the original recipe called for these meatballs to simmer for three hours) and who doesn’t love one pot meals!  Meatballs always remind me of my grandma and dad who are very good at making this meal.  They more fly by the seat of their pants when it comes to adding this and that…I, however, need a set of rules and found this set on food.com (AWESOME website where foodies share their recipes).  While shopping, I decided that I would “spice up” the regular ol’ spaghetti and meatballs with Linguini instead.  Mmm mmm good!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground Sirloin
•  1 Egg
•  ¼ C Milk
• ½ tsp Salt
•  1 tsp Oregano
•   1 tbsp Italian Parsley
•  ½ tsp Garlic Powder
• ¼ C  Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Ground Pepper to taste (I did about 4-5 grinds)
• 1 jar of Prego Heart Smart Original
•   1 small can of Tomato Sauce 
•   1 box of Linguini

Recipe:

Mix all the above ingredients (sans linguini and sauces) by hand in a bowl.

Turn on pressure cooker and let the jar of Prego start to simmer.  (Don’t do this too soon or you will end up like me with a burned sauce and have to start over with another jar L)

Pack the meat into small balls, a little larger than a golf ball.

Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce.  Then poor the small can of tomato sauce on top.  Add a small amount of Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder to the sauce at this time. (Not too much since flavors are intensified in the pressure cooker).

Start the pressure cooker.  The meatballs with need to cook for five (that’s right FIVE) minutes once the cooker reaches pressure.

Once the pressure cooker reaches pressure, start to boil the water then add the linguini.  Cook to el dente approximately 10 minutes.

Drain the pasta and serve with the meatballs, sauce and extra Parmesan.

We ate with a small side salad.  For dessert: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups…My boyfriend’s addition when he had to run by the store to get me the extra jar of sauce since I burned the first!

What is your favorite pressure cooker meal?

Summer Chicken and Orzo

I thought my first blog post should be about one of the first recipes I ever decided to make when I first started cooking.  I got it from The Black Dog Cook Book and have evolved it (minorly) over the past few times I have made it.  In the cook book it is under the "vegetable" category but I have turned it into a main dish by adding protein, shredded chicken.  The nice thing about this dish is it can be served cold or hot and is delicious both ways.  Last night we ate it hot for dinner, but today I ate it cold as a side with a sandwich.  The balsamic vinegar and olive oil help prevent it from clumping up when it gets cold like plain orzo tends to do.  I love this dish because it tastes so fresh and refreshing.  The tomatoes and spinach give a back garden feel while the lemon zest and flat leaf parsley keep the flavors crisp.  Adding the toasted pinenuts on top give it the perfect crunch.  This dish is always enjoyed by the people I have made it for...a fantastic summer deck dinner!

Ingredients:

· 2 Tbsp olive oil (You will need one Tbsp to toast the pine nuts and the other for the dressing.)

· 1/3 Cup pinenuts (They are expensive but I think a necessity for this dish...They are also great on salads, balsamic asparagus, etc.)

· 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

· 1 Clove minced garlic (I prefer the garlic from the jar.  All the taste, no work, and you don't have to worry about it going bad like you do with fresh)

· 1/2 Cup stemmed spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

· 1/4 Cup flat leafed (Italian) parsley, coarsely chopped 

· 1 Cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped (Squeezing out the seeds makes the tomatoes more "meaty")

· 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (I slice the lemon up after and put it in a Tupperware to use for drinks in the future.)

· 5-6 Oz of feta, crumbled

· 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken (pull bite sized pieces off)

· 1/4 tsp salt

· a little more than 1 cup of orzo

· salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a saute pan until hot.  Add pinenuts, saute and lightly salt.  Mark sure you are moving the pan frequently to make sure they are lightly browned evenly (2-3  min).

When done, place them on a plate with a paper towel to drain.

In a medium sized bowl whisk the other 1 Tbsp of olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.  Add the spinach. parsley, tomatoes, lemon zest and feta.  Toss together gently.

My boyfriend thought this part alone looked good enough to eat.  It smells so flavorful!

Boil water, add salt and orzo.  Cook for 12 minutes.

While orzo is cooking, pull the chicken from the bone and add it to the tomato mixture.

Drain the orzo and add it immediately to the tomato mixture.  Toss lightly.  I always keep the pinenuts on the side so people can add the amount they want and so they don't get soggy.

Bon Appétit!  We had the orzo with a glass of white wine and for dessert had store bought cookies 'n cream brownies from Publix. MMmmmm.

Do you have a favorite summer deck meal?