Cooking under pressure - Turkey Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

I bought a new machine for my kitchen. A pressure cooker. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I love all kinds of kitchen nicknacks and tools, and am always looking for more additions to my kitchen repertoire. But, after I acquired this fairly expensive device, I let it sit in the hallway closet for about 3 months. I didn't even take it out of the box. I was scared. Fearful that it would blow up in my face. A friend told me that, no, it would not. These modern pressure cookers are safe, designed for proper release of pressure. Still intimidated, but almost convinced, I, of course, turned to the web. And read on-line that, yes, she was right. Safe as can be. I unwrapped the large package. Mm...sleek and beautiful. It'll look great next to my food mixer and processor.

So, I gave it a go. First, using the pressure cooker, I made a wonderful Tomato Sauce, thick and rich in flavor. While the sauce was doing its thing, I prepared the turkey meatballs. Then added the uncooked meatballs to the sauce, and put the pressure on again for another 4 minutes. That was it. Done! With gluten-free pasta and a side salad, dinner was served! If you prefer, it's easy to convert the recipe and make it on the stove-top.

For an easy dessert, we had vanilla ice-cream with hot fudge. Another quickie (no, not that kind) recipe!

Turkey Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

adapted from Cuisinart Recipe Booklet ~ Pressure Cooker

Ingredients for Marinara Sauce

2 tsp dried italian herbs; oregano, thyme, rosemary etc. (use what you have)

a pinch of red pepper flakes

2-3 tbsp good olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

3/4 cup finely chopped carrots

1/3 cup finely chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tbsp fresh, finely chopped basil, or 2 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup dry red wine

3 cans (14-15 ounces each) diced tomatoes

1 can (6-ounce) tomato paste

1/2 cup water

2 bay leaves

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions for Sauce

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pressure cooking pot. Select Browning and let oil heat for 3 minutes. When oil is hot, add dried herbs, chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring for 4-5 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.

Stir in wine and cook for another 3-5 minutes to reduce by about half.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, bay leaf, sugar, salt, and pepper, and stir. Turn off.

Cover the pressure cooker with the lid, and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and set timer for 20 minutes. When beep sounds, use Natural Pressure Release. When float valve drops, remove lid, tilting away from you to allow steam to disperse. Stir.

Prepare the turkey meatballs while the tomato sauce is cooking.

Turkey Meatballs

Makes 35 meatballs

Ingredients

1 lbs ground turkey

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp dried red paprika/pepper

1 egg

3 tbsp dried Gluten-Free breadcrumbs

2 tsp dried mixed italian herbs; oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary etc. (same as above)

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg, or dried ground nutmeg

1 tbsp fresh, finely chopped parsley

1/3 cup grated parmesan

Directions

In a large bowl, add all the ingredients.

Mix until blended. Wet hands lightly, and roll the batter into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place the meatballs on a large platter or tray.

Place in refrigerator. When Marinara Sauce is ready, add the meatballs to the sauce.

Stir gently to cover the meatballs with the sauce. Cover with the lid, and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and set timer for 4 minutes. When beep sounds, use Natural Pressure Release. When float valve drops, remove lid, tilting away from you to allow steam to disperse. Stir.

Cook the pasta. Ladle the turkey meatballs and the sauce over the pasta. Serve with a delicious salad of Romaine lettuce, avocado, mango, and beets, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Bon Appetit ~

Smaklig Måltid

Voila, dinner is ready!