Notes about Recipes in this book

• Rosemary focaccia

  • Zosia on August 24, 2020

    Despite its appearance- the author warns it won't look like bakery focaccia - the flavour and texture were actually pretty good and it did make some tasty croutons for the Umbrian lentil soup from the same book. I used an 8" x 2" round pan. The dough filled it completely while it proved and the foil prevented the dough from rising more during cooking. The author doesn't specify pan height but I think 3" would be a better choice.

• Minestrone

  • Zosia on September 14, 2019

    This was very good with a rich, slow cooked flavour.

• Umbrian lentil and crouton soup

  • Zosia on August 24, 2020

    This soup had lots of flavour for very little time and effort. The Puy-like lentils I used held their shape well but the arborio rice almost completely disintegrated; perhaps that was intentional and its purpose was to thicken the soup. I made the suggested Instant Pot rosemary focaccia croutons and they added a nice crunch. Family really enjoyed it.

• Rigatoni alla vodka

  • aceedubs on June 08, 2024

    I cook it a minute longer than the recipe suggests to prevent hard noodles

• Farfalle with sausage meatballs, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula

  • Zosia on January 09, 2021

    Lighter and fresher tasting than other sausage-based pasta dishes I've made - I particularly liked the bright pops of flavour from the sundried tomatoes - and everything was perfectly cooked. I added a few handfuls of baby spinach along with the arugula at the end. Delicious.

• Shrimp scampi linguine

  • Zosia on May 28, 2020

    It's a wonder this turned out at all with the changes I made. I used fettuccine and smaller shrimp (31-40), deveined but still in their shells which I hoped would protect them. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the shrimp was just a little more done than I would have liked. The flavours were good, family liked it very much, and I didn't have to heat up my kitchen to make it!

• Sausage lasagna

  • IowanCorn on September 02, 2025

    Very tasty, and an extremely easy lasagna to make. The only puzzle was making the square dry noodles fit into the round pan - using the kitchen shears to snip the corners helped. Definitely a good recipe if you need a small lasagna in a hurry.

• Farro risotto with wild mushrooms

  • Zosia on October 20, 2020

    The flavour was rich and meaty and the farro was nicely cooked but it was a little watery; I wasn't expecting it to be creamy but the liquid didn't thicken much after the cheese was added.

• Pesto roasted chicken

  • Zosia on May 02, 2020

    It wasn't pretty, even after a stint under the broiler, but it was fantastic. Both texture and flavour were excellent.

• Chicken cacciatore

  • Zosia on October 30, 2019

    The chicken was tender and the sauce was richly flavoured with a very nice consistency. This will be repeated.

• Chicken piccata with spaghetti

  • Zosia on July 18, 2020

    My chicken breasts were large so I cut them in half as directed; they were overcooked. Also, though the recipe didn't specify, I placed the chicken in the pot uncooked side down. Not all of the flour dissolved into the broth so there were gummy areas on the meat. It's a shame the chicken didn't turn out well because the pasta and sauce were very good.

• Chicken saltimbocca with cheesy potatoes

  • Zosia on January 08, 2019

    This turned out very well. Someone got into the prosciutto the night before I made it so some of the thighs were wrapped in Black Forest ham instead. They were still delicious as were the potatoes cooked in the garlicky broth. The cheese wasn't necessary but it was a very tasty addition.

• Chicken peperonata

  • IowanCorn on May 16, 2026

    The sauce is the entire reason to make this recipe! Pleasantly thick - even after I added an extra half a cup of water before closing up the cooker, the sauce is velvety and nicely seasoned without being spicy.

• Braised pork loin with milk and sage

  • Zosia on July 16, 2019

    My roast was over 3lbs (1570g) so I followed the cook time for a 2.5lb roast thinking that underdone was better than overdone. It was overcooked and dry. Fortunately, there was sauce, which was quite good after it reduced for a few minutes to intensify the flavour. The issue with the meat may have been the cut I had; the recipe called for a "well-marbled" pork loin roast but mine was lean with a 5mm fat cap. The photo in the book looks like pork tenderloin. These were minor issues as everyone really enjoyed it so I do think this recipe is worth trying again.

• Pork roast with wild mushrooms and potatoes

  • Zosia on January 23, 2019

    The meat and potatoes were perfectly cooked and delicious. The meaty sauce was quite thin, more like a jus than a gravy, but that was fine with us; it was rich in flavour and a little went a long way. I did think fresh mushrooms would be a nice addition....maybe next time.

  • jenmacgregor18 on February 02, 2023

    This is great. As Zosia mentioned, it's perfectly cooked. The gravy is rich in flavor, but it didn't feel fatty or greasy. This is what I love the IP for. It feels like something that slowly cooked all afternoon, but it only took 30 minutes under pressure, natural release, and then the time to thicken the gravy to taste. I subbed fennel seeds for juniper. And used about 1 1/2 pounds of pork.

• Vanilla budino with balsamic strawberries

  • Zosia on May 15, 2020

    The budino was quite luxurious and the strawberries were just the thing to cut its richness. It didn't cook in the time given in the book but was done after an extra 2 minutes high pressure and 10 minute natural release.

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