In Honor of Wolfgang Puck Birthday!

I've been a huge fan of Wolfgang Puck! 

I was fortunate when I worked in a  Santa Monica,CA Dental  office (yes, one of my many facets in life!) Our boss (Dentist) treated us on Christmas Eve took the whole office to Wolfgang Puck's "Ma Maison" restaurant. That's when I feel in love with his cooking expertise! I've personally found that you can  never go wrong with his recipes  and became a fan of his  throughout the years.

So in Honor of Wolfgang Puck's Birthday,on July 8th I used my latest favorite tool in the kitchen!

 Wolfgang Puck's Pressure Cooker,it's amazing! I've always been intimated by my Mother's Pressure Cooker for some reason..It just seemed like it would explode!  So with my Christmas money, I bit the bullet and bought Wolfgang Puck's Pressure Cooker. It's so easy and I love the slow cooking results!  I wish I had this when I was a working Mom, so if your a Mom get this it will save so much time and you won't regret the yummy results!

To top it off, it's a multi purpose appliance. It  steam vegetables and cooks rice. So one less appliance in the kitchen! Another goal I have this year is to  de-clutter our house!

  With that in mind, I made a Minestrone Soup that came with the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Cooker. I think it's better than other Minestrone soups that I've tasted in restaurants. I've done several variations to this recipe: sometimes I slice the baby carrots,used both  pancetta  and bacon but not together. I've used all variations in the liquid, I prefer the white wine myself! A little more savory and depth to it! love the fresh Thyme in this recipe, it's one of my favorite herbs this year!

And to top it off! Try dropping a teaspoon of fresh pesto and some olive oil in each bowl of soup right before serving...IT'S SOOO YUMMY!

 Even if your not a fan of Pesto, it's a MUST TRY!:)

 I hope you  will Enjoy!:)

 Sharon

Minestrone Soup
INGREDIENTS:

6-8 Servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 slices pancetta (or bacon),chopped

2 stalks celery,thinly sliced

1/2 cup baby carrots (sometimes,I slice them)

2 small potatoes,cubed

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice

4 cups liquid (white wine,stock or water) 

1/2 cup dried great northern beans, washed

3 sprigs fresh thyme

salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach

1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced

1/2 cups small pasta shells

Method

1. Select Soup function. Add oil to cooking pot. When oil is hot, add onion and pancetta. Cook, uncovered,until brown.

2. Add all remaining ingredients, except for spinach, squash, and pasta.

3. Lock lid in place. Select Soup function again, and set timer for 30 minutes.

4.When cooking cycle is complete and all pressure is released, open lid.

5.Add spinach,zucchini and pasta.

6.Lock lid in place. Select Vegetable function, and set timer for 5 minutes. 

7. When cooking cycle is complete and all pressure is released, open lid. Taste for seasoning before serving.

Presentation

This low-calorie and low-fat soup is wonderful hot or cold.  Try dropping a teaspoon of fresh pesto and some olive oil in each bowl of soup right before serving.

Recipe courtesy Debra Murray, Wolfgang Puck HSN Host hsn.com