INGREDIENTS
2 lb beef stew meat (I got this ready-cut from Green Bow Farm but can always cut your own)
1/3 c all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz bacon cut into small pieces—we always have lardons of pepper bacon in the freezer so I used that
1 TBSP oil
1 onion, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press
1 TBSP tomato paste (a good squirt from a squeezy tube is what I did)
1 TBSP (approx) pulverized porcini mushrooms (I ground to a powder in a coffee grinder)
1 c stout or ale
1 1/2 c beef stock
2 large carrots cut into half-moons
4-5 medium potatoes (I used Yukon gold) cut into a small-medium dice
1 10-ounce bag frozen riced cauliflower (or maybe half a head of cauliflower you rice yourself)
Smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar or other flavor enhancers as needed to finish
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the beef by cutting into 1 inch chunks (or so) if needed. Put in a dish and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper and the flour. If I had patted my beef dry the flour would have been less of a paste on it but I don’t think it really mattered that much. Set the beef aside
Turn a 5 or 6 qt Instant Pot onto Sauté mode. I just use the medium setting and add the bacon. Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, then remove the bacon and set aside
Add about 1/3 of the beef chunks and fry on several sides until it is seared then remove and add the next third, continuing until all the beef is seared and removed from the pot. You should have a pretty thick, crusty layer on the bottom of the Instant Pot and this is a good thing
Leaving the Instant Pot on Sauté mode, add the oil and then the onion and sauté until it has softened, then add the garlic and cook a minute or two until it is fragrant
Add the tomato paste and cook another minute, then sprinkle in the porcini powder
Pour in the ale and deglaze the Instant Pot. You might want to turn the heat up to high for this part. You want some of the ale to evaporate but not all of it
Add the beef and bacon back into the pot, then pour in the beef stock
Turn off sauté mode, put the lid on the Instant Pot and use the Meat/Stew setting for 30 minutes at high pressure. I haven’t forgotten the veg! We’ll add it later so it doesn’t get mushy
Once the beef has cooked for 30 minutes, release the pressure and add the carrots and potatoes. Put the lid back on and either use Meat/Stew or Manual for an additional 3-4 minutes at high pressure
When the cooking time is up, let the pressure drop naturally (about 10 minutes) and then open the lid and stir in the cauliflower. The residual heat is more than enough to cook it
Taste and adjust to your preference. Good flavor balancers include smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar and regular or mushroom soy sauce
Cool the stew to room temperature and then refrigerate
Once it’s cold, you are ready to put it into pie shells or put in a dish and top with potatoes or breadcrumbs or whatever you fancy
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