Instant Pots or multi-cookers are all the rage. It seems every other cookbook that lands on my desk is for the Instant Pot multi-cooker.
For those unfamiliar — I can't imagine there are many who aren't — an Instant Pot is a multicooker that combines the functions of a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a rice cooker and yogurt maker into a single appliance. The units also have brown, saute, steam and keep warm settings. Some models even have bake, sous vide, fermentation and boil functions.
The cooks I know who have them, love them.
I don't have one. And I don't have plans to get one anytime soon.
Part of it is real estate. I simply don't have space for another appliance. Even if it supposedly replaces several other appliances. Because I would then need multiple multicookers. And the units are rather large, more than a foot tall and just as big around, which leads me back to kitchen real estate.
All that is to say I made the following vegetable beef stew using a traditional pressure cooker on my stove top. But you could just as easily prepare the recipe using an electric pressure cooker or multicooker.
Because celery tends to breakdown into fibrous strings when cooked in stew, yet I consider the flavor it imparts to be essential, I opted for using celery seed rather than trying to fish out the celery. If you'd rather use fresh celery, one medium rib should be sufficient.
What I love about this recipe is it has all of the flavor of a stew that cooked all day, but is on the table in about an hour.
Beef Stew
(Pressure Cooker Version)
1 pound stew beef, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup dry red wine
2 cups beef stock or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic paste or minced fresh garlic (look for garlic paste with the herbs in the produce section)
1 onion, cut into thick wedges
½ pound carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (can substitute baby-cut carrots), divided use
Generous pinch celery seed
1 ½ pounds small potatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup frozen lima beans
1 cup frozen green peas, defrosted, optional
Toss beef cubes with flour, salt and pepper to coat. Brown beef on all sides in butter in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Remove beef to a plate. Add wine, broth, bay leaves, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and garlic to the cooker and bring mixture to a boil, scraping up any browned bits, over medium heat. Boil 2 minutes.
Return the beef to the pot, add the onion, a couple of the carrot pieces and the celery seed. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, seal pressure cooker and bring to high pressure. Cook for 30 minutes, then rapidly release pressure according to manufacturer's instructions and open cooker.
Add potatoes, carrots, lima beans and, if necessary, a little more broth, reseal cooker, bring to high pressure, and cook 15 minutes more. Rapidly release pressure.
Stir in peas, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate overnight for up to 5 days and reheat to serve.
Makes about 4 servings.
Food on 01/16/2019