Going To Eat This

I'm making Swedish Meatballs for dinner tonight.

What starch should I make with them?

Mashed potatoes

Scalloped potatoes

Grits

Mac & Cheese

Other...

 
knapplc said:
I'm making Swedish Meatballs for dinner tonight.

What starch should I make with them?

Mashed potatoes

Scalloped potatoes

Grits

Mac & Cheese

Other...
Click to expand...
I would think potatoes would go better with them.  Probably mashed.

My wife's boss cooked us a brisket.  So....I'm going to have some very good BBQ for supper.

 
knapplc said:
I'm making Swedish Meatballs for dinner tonight.

What starch should I make with them?

Mashed potatoes

Scalloped potatoes

Grits

Mac & Cheese

Other...
Click to expand...


I'm feeling dumplings or a dense homemade noodle. Serve the meatballs and sauce over them and you got ya some excellent cold weather comfort food.

 
JJ Husker said:
I'm feeling dumplings or a dense homemade noodle. Serve the meatballs and sauce over them and you got ya some excellent cold weather comfort food. 
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Dumplings would have been really good. I ended up making this. It's super good, but mine do NOT look as lovely as the picture.

Hasselback Potato Gratin

ZPTTB4L.jpg


I heated the leftovers up last night, made a Caesar salad, and served the meatballs over some really creamy mashed potatoes. 

 
I've been using my Instant Pot a lot lately. It really cuts down on prep time, and if used correctly, produces results about the same as a crock pot in about 1/4 of the time.

I made this recipe the other night:

Beef Shank Osso Buco

4 cross-cut, bone-in beef shanks (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
1 stalk celery, diced (about 3/4 cup)
2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
Pinch ground cloves

For the Shanks: Pat shanks dry using a paper towel. Place 1 cup flour on a plate. Season beef with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until lightly smoking. Add meat and cook without moving until well browned on first side, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on second side, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer to a slow cooker.

Add onion, carrots, and celery to the Dutch oven, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin have softened, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and garlic. Stir and continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot using a wooden spoon.

Transfer the contents to a slow cooker and add stock, vinegar, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, and ground clove. Season with salt and pepper and cook on low until meat is tender, about 6 hours.

Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Skim fat from the sauce and transfer 1/2 cup of gravy to a medium saucepan. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour into the reserved gravy until no lumps remain. Add the rest of the sauce to the saucepan. Whisking frequently, bring the sauce to a rolling boil over high heat and cook until the sauce achieves a gravy-like consistency, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Since there isn't much liquid to it, I didn't cut back from the crockpot recipe to the instant pot.  I've also never understood the reasoning behind using thyme sprigs and discarding them rather than 1) using dried thyme, which I always have on hand, or 2) using fresh time leaves stripped from the sprig. It's so easy to grab the top of the sprig, pinch, and strip the leaves off by running your fingers down the little branch. Why discard that flavor?

Anyway, this turned out very well. Most people won't eat shank, instead opting for steaks or roasts. But beef shank, especially when the tissues are allowed to break down, is a very beefy and tender meat. Plus the marrow is yummy. 

I hit this in the instant pot for 35 minutes after a few minutes of sear/saute.  Opened it up, let it relax a couple of minutes, then hit it again with seven or eight minutes more of high pressure. I've found that the second blast of pressure really breaks down tough tissue.  The cartilaginous bits were all gooey and there were no stringy tough bits.

10/10 would make again, especially since shank is such a cheap cut of meat. Fine dining for very little cash. Can't beat that!

 
Another recipe I've just made, and have the leftovers to prove it, is this instant pot take on masala.

Chicken and Chickpea Masala

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 pound fresh spinach leaves, trimmed
1/4 cup fresh juice from 2 to 3 lemons
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 pounds chicken drumsticks and thighs (4 to 6 of each)
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt

Heat butter in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat ("sear" setting on an electric pressure cooker) until foaming subsides. Add onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until pale brown, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and spinach. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

Add half of cilantro, chicken stock, and chicken pieces. Stir to combine. Seal pressure cooker and heat to high pressure. Once high pressure is reached, cook for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool, release pressure, remove lid, add heavy cream, drained chickpeas, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened. Stir in remaining lemon juice and season to taste with salt. Serve immediately, garnished with remaining cilantro leaves.
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Served this in a bowl, no rice, with a side of Trader Joe's frozen naan.  I used only thighs, because there's just so much more meat than on a drumstick, but next time I make this I'm using boneless thighs.  There's zero benefit to using bone-in thighs, with the possible exception that, unless I de-bone the thigh myself, the boneless thighs I buy are also skinless, so you lose that fat/flavor.  Boning thighs is easy, but it's not something I always want to do.

 
This is my favorite thing in the pressure cooker so far.  The store I shop at often has Beef Short ribs discounted because they're close to their freshness date. If I ever wander by and see that, I snatch them right up.  This recipe justifies buying the pressure cooker, no question. 

Pressure Cooker Short Ribs

3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
2 cups dry red wine or beef broth
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Additional salt and pepper, optional

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Select saute setting on a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker and adjust for high heat. Add oil. Working in batches, brown ribs on all sides; transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Add onions to cooker; cook and stir until tender, 8-9 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in beef broth, wine, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; cook 8-10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add ribs back to cooker, partially but not fully submerging them. Lock lid in place; make sure vent is closed. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high and set time for 40 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer's directions. Add carrots; bring back to full pressure and cook 7 minutes. Quick-release pressure according to manufacturer's directions.

Remove ribs and vegetables; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Select saute setting and adjust for high heat; bring cooking juices to a boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into juices. Return to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional salt and pepper. Serve with ribs and vegetables.
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One modification that's absolutely necessary - cut WAY back on the wine. In total the recipe calls for three cups of broth & wine.  I followed it explicitly the first time I made it, and the wine overpowers everything.  I've ended up using 2 1/2 cups beef broth & 1/2 cup red wine. 

 
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