Recipe: Pressure Cooker Beef Stew - Brrr! Winter is finally here!

Brrrr! Winter is finally here.

Living in upstate NY we all know that we will never escape winter but it took its own sweet time coming this year. As of yesterday the grass was still green, buds (unfortunately) were forming on the lilac bushes in Highland Park and we even saw a Robin! But, today we've come full circle into winter as I know many of you in the northeast and upper midwest have in the days before this.

I snapped a picture of the new view from my office window to share with you. The cornfield across the street is covered in snow and my little goldfinch (I call them my "outdoor pets"), which are brown right now, are having a feeding frenzy.

Bob and I have been fighting nasty colds for the past week so we've been living on light meals and chicken soup and we had one run to our local China Panda for their Hot and Sour Soup - which really helps clear the sinuses! Last night we had beef stew that I made in the pressure cooker. Here's the recipe I use for anyone interested:

Beef Stew (Presto Pressure Cooker Manual, 2006)
Beef Stew Presto Pressure Cooker Manual 2006

I follow Presto's basic stew recipe but I don't use the green beans or tomatoes. When the stew is done, before making the gravy, I remove the meat and vegetables to a bowl. Then I add more liquid to the pot (beef broth) if there isn't enough and make a gravy by heating it and whisking in a thick mixture of flour and water, cooking it down until getting the right consistency (we like thick stew). Pour the gravy over the meat and vegetables and it's ready to serve. I do it this way because I found that the pressure cooker softens the potatoes to a point that if I try to make the gravy with everything in the pot the stirring can crush the potatoes.

We'd love to hear how you're doing in your neck of the woods and what's cooking in your kitchen. This is when our friends in warm climates really get to rub it in ☺

Have a happy day,

Betsy