This basic beef stew is a versatile recipe that can be cooked in a pressure cooker in no time at all, or in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid over several hours.
This recipe was originally published as “Stewed Steak” in “The Basic Basics Pressure Cooker Cook Book” by Marguerite Patten in 1977.
Ingredients
1 – 1/2 lbs or 500 – 750gms of stewing steak. You might know it as stewing beef. Gravy beef will also work well. Cut this into rough cubes, about an inch square.
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium sized onions, chopped
2 turnips, peeled and diced
40 gm or about 1 1/4 oz of dripping or other fat. I used vegetable shortening in the video.
420 ml or 14 1/2 fluid oz of beef stock. You’ll need an extra cup if cooking in a regular saucepan.
Your choice of herbs and spices. Click here for great chart that shows you which spices goes with your choice of meat.
25 gm or 1 oz of plain or all purpose flour.
Method
Heat the fat in your pressure cooker or saucepan.
Lightly cook the onion for a minute or so.
If cooking in a regular saucepan, coat your meat with the flour. Don’t do this if you’re using a pressure cooker
Add the meat and brown quickly.
Add the stock. If using a pressure cooker keep a few tablespoonfuls aside to mix with your flour.
Add the vegetables and seasonings and stir.
Put the lid on and cook on a low heat on the stove-top for 2 – 2 1/2 hours if using a regular saucepan and serve when done.
If using a pressure cooker, bring to pressure and cook for 15 minutes if you have a 15 lb pressure cooker. Cook for 20 minutes if you have a 10 lb pressure cooker.
When cooked, reduce the pressure quickly by putting in a sink of cold water.
Mix the remaining stock with your flour. Put the open cooker back on the stove, add the flour/water mix and stir over a gentle heat until thickened.
This is a very tasty stew that you can change to suit whatever you have handy at the time.