Instant Pot Family Favorites Bolognese Sauce and Taco Chili
I recently discovered Lateral Cooking, the latest cookbook and culinary term to hit the 
airwaves on this side of the Atlantic, written by the author of the Flavour Thesaurus Niki Segnit.
Lateral Cooking is a recipe handbook of sorts and a methodology which leads one recipe to another, with simple adjustments along the way to show how the dishes relate on the continuum. And one phrase stands out more than others in the the forward – “workable substitutions”. In my house there is a need for flexibility in recipes with workable substitutions for meat, to satisfy the lone vegetarian.
This dovetails nicely into the core of our own mission to inspire confidence in the home cook, by providing a clear cooking methodology, which results in a great dish. A dish which has the possibility of becoming a household staple.
So with Lateral Cooking on my brain, I went back to my roots in the Zen test kitchen and reworked two key staple recipes perfect for Family Meals Month, and the Fall. Both begin with sautéed vegetables and ground beef, but following that where they diverge.
Making its debut below is a new Tagliatelle Bolognese, and an updated Taco Chili recipe for the Instant Pot and slow cooker. The Bolognese begins with the basic ingredients inspired by traditional recipes such as “Ragu Di Carne alla Bolognese” from Claudia Rodens cookbook “The Good Food Of Italy”, and the Classic Bolognese Ragù from the “Accademia Italiana della Cucina. The result is a thick sauce without a watery edge, made possible by substituting canned diced or crushed tomatoes for tomato paste. For a vegetarian alternative, substitute the ground beef in either recipe for 2 x canned green or brown lentils with no added salt, rinsed and drained.
Head on over to our shopping site to purchase a pantry staple and get started today with #FamilyMealsMonth using our Multi-Cooker Spice Blends. Alternatively, for a variety pack of 6 single flavors you can purchase online at our new Amazon store here.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 oz pancetta or thick bacon, diced
- 1 cup / 1 medium onion, small dice
- 1 cup / 1 medium carrot, small dice
- 1 cup / 2 ribs celery, small dice
- 1 lb lean ground beef, minced ** vegetarian substitution
- 1 Mediterranean blend or 1/2 tsp each of oregano, basil, rosemary, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 6 tbsp / 1 x 5oz can tomato paste
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 1/3 cup water
- tagliatelle
- parmesan cheese
- heat oil in Instant Pot on medium sauté function and cook bacon, onion, carrot, and celery for 5 minutes
- add ground beef and brown for 3 minutes
- turn off sauté function
- stir in Mediterranean blend, tomato paste, red wine, and water
- secure Instant Pot lid & set pressure valve to Sealing
- cook on Manual / Pressure Cook for 15 minutes
- once cooked turn the dial to Venting to Quick Pressure Release
- leave to rest for 3-4 minutes
- serve over freshly cooked tagliatelle noodles topped with Parmesan cheese
- heat oil in a skillet on medium: brown bacon and sauté onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes;
- transfer mixture to slow cooker
- sprinkle in Mediterranean blend, stir in tomato paste, red wine, and water
- cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hrs or HIGH for 3 hrs
- serve over freshly cooked tagliatelle noodles topped with Parmesan cheese
- ** 2 x cans brown / green lentils, rinsed and drained
“The basis of Lateral Cooking, then, is a set of starting points which, once you’re familiar with them, will prove almost infinitely adaptable, according to whatever is in your fridge, in season, on offer at the market, or you feel like making” – Niki Segnit, Lateral Cooking
