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12/18/2019 11:01 PMThis was a wonderful week
Well, there was the fact that I wound up at urgent care and the next day at the emergency room. I am just fine now, but the nice P.A. at the emergency room suggested I not sneeze for the next few days.
On the bright side, I got to see Messiah at Harkness Chapel at Connecticut College, visit with some dear friends, and spend Sunday watching football and basketball.
I also bought a new car.
This, even after I promised myself I would never fall in love with a car again. Many years ago, I fell hard for my white VW Wolfsburg edition of my white cabriolet. After that it was more VWs. Then came my husband’s used Subarus and my last Mitsubishi Outlander. You know, somewhat bland, utilitarian small SUVs. Then I bought my new Hyundai Kona. I hadn’t even driven it, figuring it was just one more little SUV. Then, I drove it home, all of five miles, and fell in love again.
I am also in love with the recipe below.
My daughter-in-law Nancy made it recently. It was beyond delicious, but required three saucepans. I made it at home and loved it even more.
But, all those pans.
So I made it in my Instant Pot. One pot. The recipe below is for the top-of-the-stove dish. The paragraph below is for the Instant Pot. Holiday hint: Ask for one as a present. Or just buy it as a present for yourself; some go for as low as $65.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Fennel, and Mushrooms
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Yield: 6 to 8 main-course servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through the core,
thinly sliced lengthwise, fronds chopped
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed, chopped
coarsely. crumbled (I used sweet sausage)
1 8-ounce packages cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 sweet medium onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1 16-ounce package frozen tortellini, pesto or cheese filling
1 5-ounce package fresh baby spinach leaves
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; sauté until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; stir 1 minute, Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot.
Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts, Stir in ½ cup cheese; add more broth by ¼ cup to moisten, if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fronds, and serve with more cheese, if desired/
To make in Instant Pot: with lid off, hit “sauté” and add sausage, chopped onions (I forgot to buy the fennel bulb), garlic, mushrooms, and fennel seeds. When sausage is gray to brown, hit “cancel.” Add broth (I used probably 2 cups of broth). Cover with lid and lock in place. Hit “pressure cook” for 15 minutes. When done, do a fast release. Hit “cancel.” Open lid and add spinach and tortellini. Lock lid and hit “pressure cook” for 5 minutes. When done, do a fast release, open lid and mix in heavy cream and grated Parmesan. It was a bit too liquid for me, so, with lid off, I sautéed for about 5 minutes to reduce the sauce.
Thank you again, Amy Hunsinger. You have made me a believer!