Beef Stew (Pressure Cooker)

Ingredients

  • 1kg Craig's round steak, cut into 1.5 – 2cm cubes
  • 1 tablespoon dripping
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • ½ cup hot water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Coarsley ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 parsnip, diced
  • ½ small turnip diced
  • 2 medium potatoes diced
  • 1 stick celery, diced
  • 1 cup peas (can be frozen)
  • 2 cups tomato passata or puree
  • ½'teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • Cornflour and water paste to thicken

Method

  1. Heat dripping and oil in bottom of cooker until hot, brown meat well in batches and removing from cooker as you go.
  2. Add more oil if necessary, heat, then add onion and cook until soft.
  3. Add ½ cup hot water and deglaze the cooker, scraping the tasty bits from the bottom.
  4. Return meat to the cooker.
  5. Add salt and pepper and stir
  6. Bring cooker up to pressure and pressure cook 10 minutes.
  7. Cool cooker under cool running tap.
  8. Add diced vegetables, tomato passata and sugar.
  9. Bring cooker up to pressure and pressure cook 5 minutes.
  10. Again cool cooker.
  11. Add parsley
  12. Add cornflour and water paste to thicken to desired consistency and cook for 3 minutes without cover.

Tips:

  • A "soup pack" of vegetables from the green grocer or supermarket, supplemented with an extra potato, will usually contain all the vegetables used here except for the peas.
  • Serve with crusty bread — the Beer Bread from the bakery near Craig' shop matches well.
  • You can use all oil rather than dripping and oil if preferred.
  • Can be frozen in serving portions. Thaw before reheating gently.