Vegetable Beef Soup with Pasta in the Instant Pot

With beef so expensive, I rarely buy it. Lately, they have been slicing it thinner and thinner, so I snagged a one-pound package of thin-sliced top round for around seven bucks. My intention was to somehow stuff it, roll it, and bake in some kind of sauce.

Several days later . . . it was still staring me down ... every time I opened the fridge. And then a period of overcast weather moved in which dampened by culinary creativeness. And excitement.

So, I made soup.

Perhaps that was the Universe's intention all along. It gave me the opportunity to lessen my pantry and refrigerator space. I had everything on hand--always a nice feeling.

To make things even easier, I used the Instant Pot. Normally, I enjoy my soups slow simmered on the stove, a handy chunk of baguette nearby to dunk and taste, then re-season, as the afternoon progresses--especially in the winter. But I got a late start, so the IP it was. It's amazing how fast the IP is when it comes to soup!

As soup goes, this is not complicated. My intention was to add some frozen egg noodles I've had for too long. But they seemed too fussy. I had several boxes of Ditalini pasta in the pantry. Perfect to nicely cradle into a soup spoon without being messy and they cook quickly in the IP.

Notes. Please read:

--Had I fresh green beans, they would have been a great addition.

--Not all Italian seasonings are the same. The least expensive are mostly oregano with no details as to what kind: Greek? Mexican? Italian? On its own, oregano is assertive. Even bitter. I use a blend called "Little Italy" from the Spice House out of Chicago. The blend is wonderfully balanced and mellow: oregano, basil, garlic, lemon, thyme, marjoram and savory. If you need a Christmas gift for someone who loves to cook, a gift certificate from www.thespicehouse.com is unique and will be well received.

--While the soup was good as I tasted it over and over, something was just off a bit and not quite right. It had a "bite" I didn't quite like. So I lightly sprinkled on some sugar and stirred. Better. But still not what I was looking for--so I sprinkled on a bit more and, just like that, it was the permission all the flavors had been waiting for to dance as one!

--By "floret" I mean the little stem of needles that grows off the main stem of the rosemary branch.

--I'm a great fan of Aleppo pepper. It is similar to red pepper flakes but not as hot and, to me, has much more flavor. I order mine from Spice House. I always use it in place of cayenne or red pepper flakes.

--Pasta, like rice, can make your recipe "starchy." Just before adding the pasta, it give it a quick rinse in a sieve. Do this just before you need it. If you rinse and allow it to sit, it will glue itself into a sticky mass.

The next day, this soup was even better! My neighbors liked it, too! When storing leftovers, be aware the pasta will continue to soak up the broth making it thicker.

• 1 lb. thin-sliced beef, cut up (or any beef)
• 1 heaping cup celery, diced
• 1-1.5 cups diced yellow onion
• 1 heaping  cup carrot, slice/diced
• 1-1.5 cups peeled red potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 4-5 peeled garlic cloves, sliced
• About 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Few good pinches dried thyme leaves
• About a 2-inch snipped basil top stem
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 can water 
• More liquids if you want it "soupy"
• 1 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, cut up. Add juice
• 1 14.5 oz can diced roasted tomatoes. Add juice
• 4 florets of rosemary, minced (not stems)
• A piece of Parmesan rind
• A squirt or two tomato paste in a tube (if needed & optional)
• salt, pepper
• About 1-2 tablespoons beef Better than Bouillon 
• Aleppo pepper
• About a dash or two of Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
• Ditalini pasta, about 1.5 cups, raw, rinsed in a sieve just before adding; less if you want more of a "soup" 
• 1-1.5 teaspoons white sugar

Turn IP to medium sautee mode. Add a bit of olive oil (I use bacon grease). When hot, add your beef and vegetables. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and  pepper Sautee just until soft and meat has lost its color. Add garlic, and dried seasonings. Add tomatoes. Stir through. Add a bit more salt and pepper. Add broths and water. Cook until warmed through. Add bouillon, rosemary, a few shakes of Aleppo pepper (or a pinch or two of red pepper flakes), a dash or two of Worcestershire. Warm through. Taste for seasonings. Add tomato paste if you think it's needed. Add Parmesan rind and basil stem.

Turn off sautee mode. Lock lid into place. Push "soup" option and process for five minutes. Do a quick release. Careful, contents will be hot! Stir. Taste for seasonings. Stir in your pasta. Lock lid back into place and allow to sit without processing until pasta is done, checking after 15-20 minutes. Or process for 2 minutes. If too thick, add more water/broth. I like thick.

Give a final taste for seasonings adding sugar if desired, but small amounts, until it just hits that "sweet spot." Remove basil stem and Parmesan rind (it may have simply melted in to the soup . . .) Ladle into bowls and serve. If desired, top with some shaved Parm. and a side of crusty bread.

Pork Loin Stuffed with Prunes

Prunes were once a staple in American kitchens of yesteryear. They were versatile for desserts, fancy enough for the dinner table, affordable, nutritious and, most importantly, they stored well. "Stewed prunes" were "a thing"; now we have breakfast bars.

Prune cakes were common in our grandmothers' time. Today, you rarely see them. Paging through old cookbooks, a certain prune cake always shows up, one made with spices, often nuts. The one I had my eye on included black walnuts, of which I have a bag in the freezer. So I picked up a small bag of prunes.

I still haven't made the cake. But the prunes are all gone! I cut up a few to mix with morning hot oatmeal. When I baked a half or quarter of a chicken, I threw some around it--I'm now addicted to chicken with prunes. A great combination!

Eastern European countries love prunes. And poppyseeds. I grew up with poppyseed cake and, at Christmas, prune--filled cookies. Impossible to find anymore.

Anyway, I scored a nice pork loin earlier in the week that had, miracle of miracles, a genuine fat cap! I grabbed it. Any roast meat needs a fat cap for flavor and basting to keep it moist throughout cooking. Here in the States, meat is cut lean for health reasons. Now, with meat prices so high, they are shaving off even more fat to cut down on weight/price. (Please take note: a pork loin is not the same as a pork tenderloin!)

Pork stuffed with prunes is nothing new in Poland. Most delis sell a version of it cold. Sliced thin, it is eaten as a sandwich with butter, horseradish, pickled red cabbage . . .

I looked up a few recipes and gave it a try. I'm glad I did. It's a bit tricky to score the hole for the prunes. It just takes some patience. Because most pork loins are more oval than round, I tied my two-pound roast to make it more compact and cylindrical (how-to video is at the end of this article). A roast that is tied and uniform is always more visually appealing. I'm not keen on netting or "meat girdles" for roasts.

Tie the best you can

Method:

Using a sharp knife with a pointed tip (a boning knife is ideal), carefully maneuver into center of your roast and through it. Remove the knife, and re-insert again Using a rounded long-handled implement, such as a dowel, (think wooden spoon), ram the hole to stretch it a bit larger.

Mix your spices in a small bowl. Now stuff the loin, lightly dipping each prune into the spice mixture so it seasons the pork from the inside. Next, tie into a neat, cylindrical shape and roll in remaining spice mixture. If desired, tuck a rosemary frond under the strings. I like to spread the top with a bit of butter and a drizzle of olive oil so it all melts into a rich gravy.

Place loin a bed of thin-sliced onion rounds that have been salted and peppered.  Add a bit of water/wine/stock. Surround the pan with a few prunes making sure they are somewhat immersed in liquid so they won't dry out.

Place in a pre-heated 350 oven and roast until temperature registers about 145 F. I prefer my pork just a tad underdone. You do you. If, at any time, the pan juices seem sparse, add a bit more liquid. Figure about 20 minutes per pound. It cooks quickly, so make sure when you cut your onions they are not so thick that they won't be done.

Spice Rub: Use any combination of the following to taste: Kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme flakes, marjoram flakes, lightly-crushed fennel seeds (you don't need much and do not omit), minced fresh rosemary, sage. I like lemon with my pork, so I zest in a bit and my Italian season blend contains dried lemon, so I use a bit of that, too

When done, remove from oven and place the roast and extra prunes on a dish. Cover loosely with tin foil. If you want a savory, oniony gravy, mash the now-softened onions. Gently heat on low, mixing the "gravy." Remove to a small bowl or measuring cup. Blitz with an immerson blender until smooth. 

Or

Serve onion slices alongside thin-slices of roast with the extra prunes. Strain gravy through sieve and serve. Good with mashed potatoes.

This is great served cold sprinkled with a good salt.

Cube Steak, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes. All in the Instant Pot.

Fork tender cube steak with an incredible, savory gravy!

Meat is not very affordable. Not even ground beef! I really don't trust ground beef anymore, especially if it is ground off site. Instead, when they are on sale, I buy pre-formed hamburger patties from reputable brands that use quality meat. It's a game changer. Sometimes I'll purchase a piece of chuck if it's on sale and I trust the brand/store. Gone are the days when I could pick up a hunk of chuck for 5.99. Today, that is what costs per pound!

I mostly live on organic chicken parts . . . legs and leg quarters and, when on sale or marked down, real chicken breasts with skin and bone--a recipe with ingredients I have perfected IMHO. (Recipe coming soon.) One of my grocery stores carried half chickens that are organic and air chilled, skin on, bones in. I separate the breast and wing for one meal and then the leg/thigh for another. 

I am an advocate of cube steak. No, it's not the best of cuts, (truth be told, you really never know what the cut is)  the reason it is "tenderized" or run through a machine. But, at least, it's beef. And it is still affordable while being very versatile. Check out my recipes for using cube steak to make one of my most popular recipes on this site: philly-style-cube-steak. Also cube-steak-neapolitan is a good choice, too.

Philly-Style Cube Steak

Cube Steak Parmesan

I saw this particular recipe on "The Gravy Channel." It basically uses staple or pantry items you probably already have. The link to the video is below. Of course, I added/deleted ingredients. Man, this was so good I licked the plate!

I don't like beef broth on its own because of the "tinny" taste it has. I always spike it with chicken stock which turns into a tasty liquid. It makes a lot of gravy, so be sure to have ample mashed potatoes or bread/biscuits for sopping! I froze a small container for later use. 

                      

1.5 - 2.0 lbs. fresh cube steak, larger pieces cut in half

1 can chicken broth (I used  a 10.5 oz can of Campbell's

1 can beef broth (I used a 10.5 oz. can of Campbell's

Water to make a total of 3 cups liquid

1 good tablespoon tomato paste 

Red or white wine, a few tablespoons

1 medium white onion, sliced and slices cut into half moons

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 + teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 t. apple-cider vinegar (don't omit)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 

Onion powder, a few shakes

1/2 to 3/4 green pepper, sliced or cut how you wish

1/4+ teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4+ teaspoon celery seed

1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (don't overdo it)

salt and pepper

Butter

Olive oil

3-4 T Sour Cream, room temperature  (optional)

3-4 T Corn Starch 

3-5 Russet potatoes, peeled

Using a damp paper towel, wipe each side of cube steaks. Salt and pepper each side. Turn IP to saute mode, medium to high. Add a bit of olive oil. When hot, add onions, peppers, a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until limp, adding more oil if needed. Add tomato paste and garlic. Stir for a few minutes to cook paste. Add wine and scrape bottom. Simmer until alcohol cooks off. Add Italian seasoning, thyme, onion powder, smoked paprika, celery seed.  Sauté until fragrant. Add three cups of the liquid. Stir in Worcestershire and apple-cider vinegar. Allow mixture to warm through. Taste. Adjust seasonings to taste again. I added more pepper.

Place meat into IP. Lower trivet/rack into IP upside down over meat and liquid mixture. Use meat to help prop up the legs against sides of the pot. It's tricky. (I have an extra trivet, so I criss-crossed both for a bit more sturdiness.) Place potatoes on top.

Turn off saute mode. Turn on pressure cook mode and time for 20 minutes. Turn off "hold/keep warm" button. When done, do a quick release. Remove meat to a platter. Taste gravy for any needed seasoning. Turn on saute mode, medium. 

Inexpensive and versatile!

Stir corn starch into equal parts water or broth, forming a slurry. Slowly pour into gravy mixture, gently stirring until thickened. It won't be super thick. 

If using sour cream, place into a small bowl. Add some of the warmed gravy and whisk until dissolved. Mixture will be a thick sauce. Gently stir into gravy. Some white specks may appear which is normal.

Turn IP off. Return cube steaks to IP. Allow to sit several minutes in warmed sauce.

Meanwhile, remove potatoes to a large bowl. Add butter, milk/cream to make your mashed potatoes, remembering potatoes take a lot of salt.

Remove meat to a serving platter. Place gravy in a separate bowl. (Now is the chance that forgotten gravy boat that sits on the top shelf!!)  Serve with a green veggie such as beans or peas. Even mushrooms. Enjoy.

Notes: You can use an immersion blender if you want really smooth gravy.

Sweet Potato with Cream Cheese, Cinnamon, Maple Syrup

Yes, I'm still moving. Who knew unpacking would be so time-consuming--and boring? LOL?

Of course, I'm concentrating on the kitchen. With a proper dish washer, I have been washing every single dish, pot, pan, utensil, bowl, I own. And it's a lot. Plus, I'm trying to downsize as I go. And keep organized.

As such, and with cluttered kitchen counters, disorganized cabinets, I keep cooking to a minimum. Well, complicated cooking.

One thing North Carolina is known for are sweet potatoes. This time of year, mountains of them, and I mean mountains, fill grocery stores and farmer markets alike. And it's no wonder as we are the country's leader of sweet potatoes and it is, in fact, my state's national vegetable. We produce over 70-80 billion pounds a year. And these ain't no scrawny sweet potatoes!

The other day, I had some cream cheese sitting on the counter and decided to add a spoonful to my mashed sweet potato along with a pat of butter. Wonderful. But it needed something more so I added a drizzle of maple syrup and loved the combo. 

The next day, I ratcheted it up a notch and added a sprinkle of Saigon cinnamon.

I boil my potatoes, but you could just as easily bake them. If you boil them and they come out overdone and too watery, simply add some instant potato flakes to thicken things up. Also works for regular mashed potatoes!

My favorite sweet potato recipe is a combo with apples. 

Truth be told . . . if I have them on hand, I love to simply mix in some frozen sweet peas . . . a bit of butter and yum!