There’s nothing like curling up on the couch with a hearty beef stew. It’s the perfect comfort food that will warm your heart during the winter season.
But nobody wants to stand and cook a pot of stew for a couple of hours. Especially not in this weather. That’s where the Defy Multifunction Pressure Cooker comes in. This appliance will cut your cooking time in half, so you can sit down and enjoy dinner in just an hour. Although cooking time is reduced your beef stew will still hold those rich, authentic flavours, as if it were slow cooked on the stovetop.
When it comes to cooking a beef stew the key is to braise the meat which will turn the cuts into juicy, tender bites. However, rather than buying pre-cut beef you might want to opt for a piece of boneless beef chuck that you can cut into uniform pieces that will cook evenly and quickly. Plus you can easily get rid of gristle, so that your meat will be even more tender.
We have a mouthwatering beef stew recipe just for you, but there are some key things that you need to keep in mind. Since this stew is being made in one pot, you want everything to cook for the same amount of time. So you’ll need to cut the carrots and potatoes into large chunks otherwise they’ll overcook and just fall apart. Key tip: they should be about the same size as the beef cubes.
Instead of using flour to thicken the sauce, this recipe uses cornstarch, keeping this stew gluten-free, but just as delicious. Before serving you can add a handful of frozen peas to the pot and stir them in, which will add a touch of sweetness and pop of colour to the rich, savoury flavours.
You can garnish your yummy beef stew with some freshly chopped parsley, and pair it with fresh, crusty bread or a bowl of egg noodles, so you can savour every bite.
Beef Stew Recipe
Recipe credit: Christine Gallery
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves 4
Ingredients:
● 1 Yellow onion
● 2 Garlic cloves
● 1 kg Boneless beef chuck
● 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt, plus more as needed
● ½ tsp Freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
● 2 TBSP Vegetable oil, divided
● 3 Medium carrots
● 3 Medium potatoes
● 1 TBSP Tomato paste
● 1 tsp Dried thyme
● ½ cup (125 ml) Beef broth
● 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
● 1 TBSP Cornstarch
● 1 TBSP Water
● ¾ cup (175 ml) Frozen peas
● Fresh parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)
Method:
- Dice the onion, mince the 2 garlic cloves, and place both in a medium bowl.
- Cut the beef chuck into 4cm pieces and toss it with the kosher salt and black pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a pressure cooker on the Sauté setting until it starts to simmer.
- Add half of the beef and sear undisturbed until browned on the bottom for 7 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer with tongs to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
- Add the onion and garlic to the Cooker and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Cut the carrots into 3cm pieces and the potatoes into 3cm chunks.
- Add the tomato paste and dried thyme to the onions and cook until the tomato paste is darkened in colour, about 1 minute.
- Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce to the Cooker and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, seared beef, and any accumulated juices from the beef to the Cooker and stir to combine.
- Lock the lid on and check that the valve is set to seal. Set to cook for 25 minutes on high pressure. It will take 7 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure.
- When the time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch and water together.
- Coarsely chop some fresh parsley leaves for garnish if desired.
- Release the remaining pressure and thicken the sauce. Quick release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully open the pressure cooker and turn on the Sauté function. Stir in the peas and the cornstarch mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the parsley if desired.
