Pressure Cooker Lamb Meatballs with Spanakorizo

After spending a few hours outside yesterday, I was craving something warm and comforting and opted for Pressure Cooker Lamb Meatballs as shared by Mark Bittman in the New York Times. These meatballs, made in the pressure cooker, were both fast and delicious and the rice simmered easily on the stove while I pulled them together.

Pressure Cooker Lamb Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds ground lamb
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ⅓ cup bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons milk or water
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onions
• 1 medium green pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• ½ cup dry red wine or dry vermouth
• ½ cup water
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in purée (or substitute a 28-ouncecan of plum tomatoes, including liquid, combined with a 6-ounce can oftomato paste)
• ½ to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅓ cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese, plus more for garnish
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, blend the first 9 ingredients for the meatballs. Moisten your palms with water, and shape the mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.
2. In a 4-quart or larger pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onions and green pepper, and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the cooker. Boil until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in the water, and add the meatballs in one or two layers. Pour the tomatoes over the meatballs. (Do not stir.) Sprinkle on the garlic powder.
4. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure, and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat. Quick-release the pressure by setting the cooker under cold running water. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow the steam to escape.
6. Split a meatball in half to check for doneness. If necessary, cover the cooker, and simmer until done.
7. Gently stir in the olives, feta, parsley, crushed red pepper, oregano, cinnamon and a tablespoon of olive oil, if needed, to give the sauce a rich finish. Simmer a few minutes. Season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, as the olives and feta have plenty). Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with feta.

Spanakorizo

This is loosely adapted from The Complete Greek Cookbook The Best From 3000 Years OF Greek Cooking by Theresa Karas Yianilos.

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby spinach, washed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• ½ cup long grain rice
• 2 cups water
• crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Instructions

1. Chop onion
2. Warm olive oil or butter and saute onion a few moments until soft
3. Add spinach, stirring to mix with onion
4. Add salt to taste
5. Sprinkle rice over the spinach onion mixture
6. Add water and bring to a boil
7. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally
8. Adjust seasoning and serve topped with crumbled feta

Notes

1. Our local store did not have ground lamb so we used beef.  It was delicious but I am anxious to try this with lamb.
2. I did not have any crusty bread on hand, which would have been very useful for sopping up the excellent sauce.
3. I thought that the spanakorizo was delicious but I think I should have used more spinach.  I'm going to add more (maybe double) the spinach the next time around.