Veggiecelli IP

This is a quick “Dump” side dish for all kinds of Main dishes, or you can just put some parmesean on it and add a few nuts and have a veggie lunch.
Add Tomatoes, or Green Beans, ….or not, or add your favorites.
Add a clove of minced Garlic, some Cumin as well …. whatever your favorite spice is …… So fast! And soo good!
You may also be interested in some of my Mains to go with this… Air Fried Chicken or Pork Steak etc. Air Fry Chicken Thighs or Breasts IP Duo Crisp, Pork Steak from Pork Shoulder Air Fryer , Baby Back Ribs IP, Sous Vide, and Air Fryer combo, includes from frozen or. Country Chicken Air fried. Duo Crisp 8+ air fryer or any air fryer really

You will need about 1 cup of each:
Frozen Peas.
Frozen Corn.
Chopped Celery.
Chopped Carrots.
Onion.
Water.
***** Pause here and read Directions
1 1/2 c Vermicelli noodles
1 Tbsp low Sodium Better than Bullion Chicken.
1 Tbsp Butter.
Salt and Pepper to taste after.

DIRECTIONS:
Toss everything except for the Noodles inside the Pot, then add Noodles last, and try to gently mush them down into the Veggies, but don’t mix them in to the bottom. (They may stick).
Set your time to 3 min. When the timer beeps, CR (controlled release, tap tap tap until you are sure it won’t spit.) Then QR the rest of the pressure out.
Stir, and add more seasonings if you like. Enjoy!

Lasagna IP including Zucchini version

Try Gluten free Lasagna noodles for a change up.

These recipes can also be assembled in a cassarole dish and baked in the oven. 350° For 30 min. Remove, uncover and cover in cheese, return to the oven 10-15 min until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Makes enough for an 8 1/2” spring form pan, which fits in the 8 q IP. You will have some leftover if using the 6q IP and 7 1/4” pan.

The most tedious part is breaking the noodles to fit. When doing so, turn pan to fit the next layer so that they alter and hold together when cutting.
Make sure to use your good judgement on the sauce and cheese…more cheese will mean a bit thicker filling. If you think that it may end up too thin, use less sauce or just stick a couple noodles on the sides to soak it up..☺️ In fact Tip….if ANY time you make lasagna and it seem that it’s going to be too thin, just tuck dry noodles in between the pan side and filling or even bread works to soak the extra liquid up.

Sauce can be used for Lasagna, spaghetti, or spaghetti squash.

2 c At least …Mozzarella cheese, grated (I buy a big Costco bag and just put about 1/2″ thick because it squishes down with next layers) or two regular bags from the grocery.

1 pkg of No Boil lasagna noodles

1 c of Parmesan cheese to Use 2 Tbsp per layer

*Optional: Sometimes I make an extra filling of egual amounts of 1/2 c Cottage Cheese. 1/2 c Parmasean, 1/2 c Ricotta, 1/2 c Mozzerella, 1 minced clove garlic, 1 egg Egg, 1 Heaping Tbsp fresh Basil or a 1/2 tsp Italian season . I even use spinach.. but spinach must be cooked and drained and squeezed dryish if you use it. You will probably have leftover lasagna makings of all. I use it to make manicotti filling as well, and it freezes. If you use this , you may have enough left for another half of Lasagna. See pic.

This is the cheese blend that I use sometimes. I didn’t add it to the one in the main pic, but as you can see there are many versions and options . It is delicious though, I also use it in manicotti, with the meat filling.

You will need a Long handled trivet or an Aluminum foil sling (1- 15 ” long piece of foil, folded over and over leaving you with about 1 1/2″ wide strip.. should be strong enough to hold your lasagna…don’t throw it away after using, save for other stuff)

Spaghetti Sauce for Spaghetti, lasagna, Spaghetti Squash etc:

For the Meat Filling:

3/4, lb hamburger

3/4 lb Italian sausage (add kielbasa too if desired)

1 chopped onion

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning(Tonight I’m using fresh basil but will use 3 tbsp minced plus a bit for garnish)

4 cloves minced garlic

3/4 of jar favorite spaghetti sauce (28 oz). (Only Use half for the Zucchini version) I use a whole jar but reduce it down.

2 Tbsp olive oil.

I use a frying pan but if you want to use the pot, Turn pot to Sauté More and saute hamburger and sausage, then add chopped onions, and garlic, Saute Onion and Garlic in evoo until soft. Add kielbasa (if using) and heat through.
Add sauce and Italian seasoning. REDUCE sauce, it needs to be a little dry. The pot read hot a few times, so I turned it off for a minute and hit sauté again low. (See below pic for consistency.)

Mix Parmesan and mozzarella together for ez distribution or use it separately.
Spray a LEAKPROOF Springform pan with cooking spray. Spread a very thin layer of sauce on the bottom, just to get noodles to stick, then layer the DRY No Boil Noodles, (break to fit well and even overlap a little to be sure all gaps are filled. Alter the layering pattern on ea layer, this is the most tedious part), Sauce, Cheese, Noodles, (gently push down after each layer to blend the layers), Sauce, Cheese, etc, finish with noodle, and sauce then cheese. (I got 4 layers of noodles, noodles to meat sauce ratio is important.)
Rinse the pot out.

Center pan of lasagna on the sling.

Pour 1 c water in the 6 q inner stainless pot, or 1 1/2 in the 8q. add trivet, using the sling, lower lasagna in the IP. Cover with Foil. Tuck the handles in a little so they don’t poke out of the pot.

Check seal, Lid on, vent to sealing. Hit manual 25minutes, 10 min NPR. Using sling, remove lasagna, put under broiler for 3-5 min till cheese is slightly brown. let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Sauce should be thick
Layer like this to assemble. (This is the zucchini one but the meat sauce should look similar to this on the noodles)
Cover with Foil

SEE BELOW FOR ZUCCHINI VERSION : Or use Sweet Potatoes, I have even used “Big Ugly” Carrots.

This recipe fits in the 8q IP I use a 8 1/2” pan.

Some of the filling slipped out, it’s on the back side, but I got it back?
This is after I put it into the refrigerator over night, so you can see the three separate layers. It was thicker …about 3” before I cut it.

For this Zucchini version, you will need 3-4 Straight 2”x 8” Zucchini’s. Maybe 4 if your slicing by hand. I have a kitchen Aid Veggie Sheet Slicer, and I used the Thick Slicer, so you will need to slice thin, 1/16-1/8” thick. You will be making 4 layers, including the bottom and the top. It will not want to hold together as well as the lasagna with noodles so use the TIPs if you need to. Don’t forget to layer the zucchini North to South per say on the bottom and East to West on the second layer and then back to North and South, etc. Do this so that it will hold together better when you cut it.

Tip….if any time you make lasagna and it seems that it’s going to be too thin, just tuck dry noodles in between the pan side and filling. Or even bread works to soak the extra up.

RECIPE:

3-4 Zucchini’s 2”x 8” straight. Sliced 1/16”-1/8”thick

1 bunch of Spinach steamed down, drained and squeezed out.

2 tsp Corn starch for Meat filling

Meat Filling recipe from above EXCEPT …after it’s cooked along with the onions and garlic and herbs …sprinkle the meat with the 2 tsp of Corn Starch, stir and add the spinach before adding the sauce, sauté and stir to incorporated the corn starch.

Half of a jar of sauce (14 oz)

Cheese Filling from above

Cheese filling
This is a thin layer 1/3 of the filling.

Slice enough of the zucchini’s (skin and all), 1/16” to 1/8” thick, and pre steam them. They should still have some body to them but still be handleable so not falling apart. You want them tender. These will be your noodles. Drain and pat dry well.

Spray the inside of your leak proof pan, layer some of the Noodles, remember the tips.
Spoon a thin layer of 1/3 Meat Filling, then dot with 1/3 Cheese filling, and 1/3 Mozz/parm Cheese mixture. Repeat two more times, finishing with top layer of Zucchini.
cover with foil. Set Lasagna pan on long handled trivet.
Add 1 1/2 c water in your 8 q pot or use 1 c in the 6q Pot, and if using a smaller 7 1/2” pan.

lower Trivet with Lasagna into the IP and set Pressure cook/manual for 15 min and then let it NR 15 min and the pin has dropped. Remove foil, add top layer of cheese. Turn pot off and Switch lids to the Air Fryer Lid… press Air Fry, and adjust the time to 6 min. Open the lid and place it on its protective tray, remove Lasagna from the pot and let it set 10 min before trying to remove from the spring form pan and before cutting. I left mine in the pan for the first servings.

See how thin the zucchini is, I don’t mind overlapping it to make sure there is a real layer. This is the top layer and I did not add cheese before covering it with foil, until it was cooked because I wanted to use paper towels to sop up any extra moisture off the top before adding cheese.
Cover with foil, or a lid or stainless steel plate to keep the pots moisture out.
6 min under theDuo Crisp Air fryer lid
Some of my filling slithered out as I served it up. Believe me, I got it scooped up and back onto my plate?

Red Eye Gravy…Knock Sop Gravy

Typically made thin…with more than one story on how it got its name, one story is that to dip a tablespoon into the middle of a serving of Grits, where the middle forms the Red Eye……while another Story is that General Jackson once told a cook whom had been drinking moonshine the night before, to bring him some country ham with gravy as red as his eyes …. play with the thickness if you want.

You need to fry a nice Ham Steak, in a couple of Tbsp of oil or Bacon grease

Allow good caramelization to coat the pan, don’t let it burn.

Remove the Ham set aside,

Use 1-2 cups of strong Coffee to deglaze the pan, make a slurry of the flour and water listed below and stir til creamy and smooth

Or do it from a rue …mix the following…

1 Tbsp Bacon grease or butter or oil in the pan

1 Tbsp flour

Slightly brown the flour,

Add all the coffee, and stir quickly until the gravy is smooth and creamy.
serve with Ham Steak, Biscuits and Eggs, Grits or Jarney Cake. A lil instant coffee makes it stronger . I use Medaglia Doro..(green lid and red and gold and green lable)

Salt and pepper to taste .

Jarney .. Johnny Cake


1 c stone ground white cornmeal
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 c boiling water

Mix and let set for awhile
Med/Hot Griddle (Griswold button Bottom)
I like bacon grease
Teaspoon onto the griddle.
Cook on the griddle til they dry out some and flip.
I like mine browned a bit.
Serve with Butter n Syrup (stirred together)

For a different version:

1/2 c finely ground corn meal, better yet, corn flour
1 c regular white flour,
1/2 tsp salt.
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder.
1 egg.
1 1/4 c to 1 1/2 c milk. More if needed

Mix together well and spoon onto med hot and well greased griddle. I still like bacon grease but butter or oil or both works great. Wait until it starts to dry out on top, flip and fry until done.

I make a mix of all the dry ingredients and store it in a sealed container until I want to make them, then I just add an egg and about 1 c cream or milk and spoon some of the dry mix in and make them like thinner pancake batter. 212° is quicker but watch them.

Scotch Broth IP… prepare Bone Broth the day before

This pic is from the next day after for this soup and even better than the first day!


Do you remember Campbell’s Scotch Broth Soup? You know, that flavor and the chewy Barley in it? This Soup is much more hearty and more concentrated than the canned, and so flavorful…Good ol comfort food.
You can make this all in one day if you want but I do it in two.
You can make your own Chicken Broth and You can also cut most of the Meat off the Bones if you want to before roasting the Lamb. You will just need to season it and Sauté it before adding it to the Soup so that you get all the flavor that you can from that Meat.
It’s important to note that if your Lamb ends up being a bit tough, no worries…simply toss it in and cook along with the Veggies for the 4 min at the final cook.

FIRST DAY:
MAKE THE BROTH .
FOR THE BROTH:

Oven 375°.
1-2 Lamb Shanks …. season well with Slap ya mama or Johnnies Seasoning Salt or equivalent like Lowery’s.
1 Carrot chopped into large pieces.
1 onion chopped into 1/8.
1 Celery Stalk chopped into large pieces.
6 c Chicken Broth for the Instant Pot ( hold aside for after Veggies are Roasted)

Season Veggies and drizzle with EVOO . Place in Roasting Pan and Place into the Oven for an hour.
Remove roasted Meat and cut the main Meat off the Bones and set that aside.

Add the roasted Veggies and Bones into the Instant Pot with the 6 c of Chicken Broth.
Set the Lid onto the Pot and set the time to Hi Pressure and for 2 hrs. Allow at least 20 min NPR.
Pick the Meat off the Bones and then discard them along with any sacrificial Veggies that you are not keeping from when you made the Broth. (you can keep them though, if you want them in the soup they may just disappear).
Check the Meat for toughness, if it is a little tough, then you will want to toss it back in the Pot along with the fresh Veggies to cook rather than hold it out to add at the end. If it’s tender, then there is no need to run it through the Pressure cooker the second time, So at this point, decide weather or not to add the Meat to your final cook along WITH New Veggies, or if you will hold it out until after the Soup is done. You will use this Broth plus 2 more c Chicken Broth (8 c total) in the Soup, because your flavor is coming from this Bone Broth.
Pour Broth into a refrigerator container and use it next day to make the Soup. Remove the Fat after it sets in the Refrigerator overnight.

Skip the Garlic in this process…. With this batch, I used 2 shanks.
Bones and a few sacrificial Vegetables for the Lamb Bone Broth.
This is the Lamb Bone Broth that will go into the Soup along with the Chicken Broth.
Finished Broth

NOTE: (If you using Raw Lamb, then quickly Sauté it in a couple of TBSP in EVOO. Then add the seared Meat to the IP with the rest of the Ingredients to the Pot. Veggies will be soft like Canned.

FOR THE SOUP:
1 lb seasoned and pre cooked Lamb Meat from above, cut into 1/2” squares.
Set aside to add in after the Soup is cooked unless it is tough, if it’s tough then just add it back into the IP with the new Veggies to cook. OR (1 lb raw, seasoned Meat cut up into 3/4” squares). See NOTE below
2 cups diced Onion…..(about 1 large Sweet Onion)
3 carrots chopped into 1/2” pieces (1 1/-2 cups).
2 ribs celery Chopped into 1/2” pieces
1 c peas (frozen works) optional.
1 large clove Garlic minced.
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.
1/4 Tsp of Rosemary.
1/2 tsp Salt or more, adjust after tasting soup.
1/2 tsp Pepper, adjust to more after soup is done.
1/2-3/4 c Barley (You can pre cook the Barley if you want, in its own water or broth or just add 2 c more Broth, as suggested below….as stated 8c total). Remember, it will keep swelling even after the soup is done, so cook it first if you want.
8 c Regular Chicken Broth (2 c will be soaked into the Barley If you didn’t pre cook it). You are using 6 cups of this for the Lamb Bone Broth. (From the First day Above)
1 bay leaf.
2 Tbsp Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken (save for the end if needed)

Optional:
1 chopped Potato

SECOND DAY:
Make sure to remove the Fat from the Broth before adding it to the IP.
Add all ingredients into the IP except for the cooked Lamb (unless it is a bit tough), the Peas, and Better than Bullion.
Press Soup, Pressure cook or Manual and adjust time to 10 min. Keep in mind that this much Soup will also be cooking on the way up to pressure.
When the Pot beeps, Wait 2-3 min and then do a CR (Controlled Release.. tap tap tap until you know that it won’t spit)
Add the Peas and the chopped Meat (unless the meat is in the pot already). Taste the Soup and add more Salt and Pepper if needed or at this time add the Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken, for even more flavor. Let the Peas and Meat heat up in the hot broth for a few min before serving.
The longer the Soup sets, the more liquid the Barley will absorb.
Serve with a piece of Buttered Bread, a Biscuit or piece of Cornbread.

For this batch I roasted the Meat first and cut it off the bones before roasting the bones again. There is more than one way to make this so feel free to do what you like.
This is lightly seared lamb and ready to go into the Pot with the rest of the soup ingredients.

If you are using precooked Lamb then add your chopped Lamb to the soup and heat it up for 5 minutes. Enjoy.