So Many Recipes, So Little Time

So, we have officially made it to 2021, and so far, we are not off to an auspicious start. We still have Christmas decorations up, our girls are taking 1st semester finals next week, and the country has gone to the wolves. It doesn’t feel much like a fresh start. We just keep taking one day at a time.

Some people are really into New Year’s resolutions, like working out more, getting better sleep, being more organized. I am not one for making resolutions, as I know myself and do not stick to them. I have, however, set some goals. I am trying to become more active, to shake off some of the pandemic “fluff”. And I have committed with my church family to read through the New Testament this year. So far, so good, but it’s only been a week.

Another goal I have made for myself is to start cooking through some of the seemingly millions of recipes I have saved on Facebook and Pinterest. Seriously, my collection is a bit absurd. But what’s the point of saving them if I’m not going to try them? So, for a while I hope you will join me on my recipe review reverie.

This week, I thought I would try Instant Pot Bolognese from www.dinnersdishesanddesserts.com. Traditionally, Bolognese is labor intensive and cooks for a looooong time, like all afternoon. I am sure that traditional Bolognese is worth the extra effort, but weekdays aren’t usually conducive to that sort of commitment.

You may wonder what makes Bolognese different than marinara sauce. Bolognese is more meat forward and full of other veggies, like onion, celery and carrots. This is similar to what some Italians call “gravy.” Marinara is mostly tomato, herbs and garlic.

This recipe calls for ingredients I always have on hand, and I love a good red sauce, so it was a great place to start. You need some good ground beef, canned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, herbs, olive oil and some beef broth or red wine.

I have learned from past experience that the key to Instant Pot success is to get every ingredient prepared ahead of time. Dice up the veggies and garlic and set them aside, open the can of tomatoes and measure out your tomato paste and broth/wine.

Once you have all of your ingredients prepped, you can start the process of cooking in your Instant Pot. I have mentioned before that the name “Instant Pot” is really misleading. In fact, this recipe probably took the longest of any Instant Pot recipes I have made, other than yogurt. But compared to making Bolognese all afternoon, it is faster.

You begin by cooking the diced carrots until they are softened and lightly browned. Next you add the onion and celery and use the sauté feature until the onions are translucent. Next, you add the herbs and garlic and sauté for a bit more.

Add the ground beef and brown and crumble the meat until just cooked through. Then you add the tomatoes, tomato paste and the wine or beef broth. I chose a Sicilian Red blend. (Incidentally, many traditional recipes call for white wine.) Mix that all well, scraping the bottom of the pot, and top off with 2 Bay leaves.

The final cooking stage is to set the Instant Pot to Manual and pressure cook for 30 minutes. What this means is that the pot first needs to come up to full pressure before the countdown even begins, so cook for 30 minutes really means closer to 45 minutes. Be sure that the vent is set to Seal.

After it has cooked for 30 minutes, allow it to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then manually release the rest of the pressure. Give it a good stir, then serve it over any pasta you like.

The verdict: The Bolognese was really tasty and a great option if you suddenly find yourself with company staying for dinner. In the Instant Pot, the flavors mingle nicely and the meat stays nice and tender. The added benefit is that you can make a nice green salad and heat up some crusty bread while the sauce does its thing.

Personally, next time I may try a slow cooker version or even go all out for a traditional cook-on-the-stove-all-afternoon recipe. I love the convenience of the Instant Pot, but there are a couple of downsides for me.

Because the Instant Pot is a metal pot brought to intense heat, it can be easy to scorch the sauce when cooking this long. My sauce was not burned, but when I scraped out the leftover sauce, there was some stuck to the bottom that was beginning to burn.

Another downside is that cooking the meat in the pot with all the other veggies does not allow you to drain any excess grease, if you would prefer. It’s a minor thing, but I did have a little more fat on top of the sauce than I like.

I am glad I found this recipe and I will keep it in the collection. It is great comfort food for a cold winter night. If you got an Instant Pot for Christmas, this is a great option.

Choosing to try out new recipes has given me a little extra pep when heading into the kitchen. If you are like me, cooking at home all the time has gotten a little stale. If you decide to experiment along with me, I’d love to know what you think.

You can find the recipe here – https://dinnersdishesanddesserts.com/instant-pot-bolognese/