Subtle House's Cookbook

28 oz jar pasta sauce (or 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes plus 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning)
water
18 oz (one and a half 12-oz boxes) pasta
whatever you want to add to your pasta

Pour the pasta sauce into a nonstick pot. Add 1.5 jarfuls of water. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring and checking pasta consistency often, until pasta is mostly cooked. Add any add-ins that need to cook a bit (such as frozen peas or fresh spinach). When pasta is cooked and sauce is thick, add any add-ins that just need to be warmed (such as ricotta, fresh basil, or chicken that's already cooked) and cook over low heat until hot. Serve. Keeps in the fridge for 3–5 days.

Ingredients

1 pound potatoes, scrubbed (not peeled) and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 pounds roastable vegetables (brassicas, root vegetables, alliums), cut to about the size of a Brussels sprout or baby carrot
3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, breasts, and/or drumsticks
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp peanut oil
4 tsp + 2 tsp dried herbs (a standard Italian seasoning blend works well) or chopped fresh herbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

Cutting board and chef's knife
Measuring spoons
Small mixing bowl
Large mixing bowl and wooden spoon
Silicone brush
Oven
Sheet pan (liner optional)

( Instructions )

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes (russet are best but any will do), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided into 4 and 2
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
1 ½ pounds 93 percent lean ground beef, ground lamb, or ground turkey
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
¼ cup glutinous rice flour
1.5 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas

Equipment

10-inch cast iron skillet with lid
Large saucepan
Oven
Stove (two burners)
Measuring cups and spoons
Small bowls

Instructions

0) If you don't have a broiler or torch, preheat the oven to 350F.

1) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Peel the potatoes and roughly chop them into one-inch pieces. Put them in the saucepan, cover with water, and bring to simmer. (They'll cook for 8–10 minutes while you do other things.) Chop onions and carrots and sprinkle ½ tsp salt over them. Measure out other ingredients. (The Worcestershire, broth, and thyme can all go in one two-cup pitcher together.)

2) Cook the meat and veg. In the cast-iron skillet on the stove, over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Cook the onion and carrots until softened, about 5 minutes. Make a space in the middle, put in the tomato paste and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the meat, using a wooden spoon to break up chunks, and cook until just browned.

3) Make the mash. At some point while the meat and veg are cooking, the potatoes will be done. Drain them, return them to the saucepan, and mash them thoroughly with the milk and the remaining 4 Tbsp butter butter. They should be very smooth. Leave the mashed potatoes in the pot for now.

4) Finish the filling. Now the meat and veg should be done. Sprinkle the flour over everything, stir in, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth, Worcestershire, and thyme. Scrape up browned bits and smooth out any lumps. Increase heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the peas.

5) Top the pie. If you feel fancy, put the mashed potatoes in a pancake batter dispenser, pastry bag, or corner-snipped Ziploc bag and pipe them over the filling, covering it completely. Otherwise, dollop the potatoes over the pie. Smooth them out with a silicone spatula. Draw lines with a fork to make lots of little sticking-up potato bits that will get brown and crispy.

6) Brown the pie.

If baking in an oven: Place in rimmed baking sheet to catch any spills. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until top has browned.

If broiling or torching: Carefully broil or torch the top of the pie until it's evenly browned.

7) Serve and store. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Portion out and eat immediately. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to five days and can be reheated in the microwave.

Sources:
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/9886-cast-iron-shepherds-pie
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/5476-skillet-shepherds-pie

Note: This doubles the original recipe and makes about ten servings.

Note: Since this nearly fills the pressure cooker, don't go over the stated quantity of vegetables.

Note: Expect this to take about 2.5 hours from starting cooking to putting stew on the table. It takes nearly as long to come up to pressure as it does to cook under pressure.

Ingredients

4 lb beef roast, trimmed (weight is before trimming) and cut into stew-size chunks, or 3 lb stew meat
2 Tbsp olive oil
scant salt and generous pepper
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning or 2 Tbsp English roast rub
1.5 tsp minced garlic or 1 tsp finely crushed garlic
1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
up to 2 lb carrots, peeled and chopped
up to 2 lb red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 25 oz jar Cucina Antica tomato basil sauce
5–6 cups Imagine vegetable broth (regular, not low sodium)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
6 Tbsp cornstarch
6 Tbsp water

Equipment

8 quart Instant Pot with nonstick liner
Vegetable peeler
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Measuring spoons and cups
Small bowl
Wooden spoon

Instructions

0. Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Make sure the Instant Pot lid gasket is properly seated and the red float valve moves freely. Peel and cut the carrots and onion. Scrub and cut the potatoes. Trim and cut the beef and season it generously with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

1. Brown the meat. Set the Instant Pot to Saute, High. Pour in the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the beef and brown it on all sides, stirring often.

2. Add everything else (except cornstarch) and cook. Add the garlic and cook it briefly until just aromatic. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce, 5 cups broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Add more broth if needed to cover the vegetables, but make sure the liquid level does not go past the MAX line on the inside of the pot. Give it all a good stir. Close the lid and set the release valve to Sealing. Press Pressure Cook, set it to High pressure, and set the timer for 35 minutes. Wait about 30 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure and make sure the float valve rises properly. After the pressure countdown finishes, turn the pot off and let it rest 10 minutes to naturally release pressure.

3. Finish. In the small bowl, stir the cornstarch and water into a slurry. With a long-handled wooden spoon, turn the Instant Pot release valve to Venting and depress the float valve to release any remaining pressure. Stir the slurry into the stew and continue stirring until it thickens. Serve immediately.

Source: https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/best-ever-instant-pot-beef-stew/