Pressure Cooker Italian Beef Stew

Name: Pressure Cooker Italian Beef Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Veal knuckle 2.25 lbs; Yellow onions 0.7 cup; Carrots About 3/4 cup (rounded for ease of use) ¾ cup; Celery ¾ cup; Tomato paste 2 tbsp; Water 0.7 cup; Red wine 2 tbsp; Sage 1 bunch; Rosemary 2 sprigs; Bay leaves 2 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil 1.8 tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Gluten Free
Lactose Free

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Average
Note This recipe uses a 6-liter pressure cooker.

PRESENTATION

Beef stew is one of those dishes that rewards patience — or, if you have a pressure cooker, rewards the decision to use it. The same braise that would take two hours on the stovetop is done in under forty minutes in a pressure cooker, with the same result: veal or beef cut into chunks, a soffritto of onion, celery, and carrot as the base, and a cooking liquid that reduces into something worth spooning over everything on the plate.

The technique follows the logic of the classic Italian spezzatino: brown the meat first to build color and flavor, build the soffritto in the same pan, add liquid, seal, and let the pressure do the work. The meat comes out tender enough to cut with a spoon and the sauce concentrates naturally without any reduction needed at the end. Serve with polenta, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes alongside — all three work, and the choice usually comes down to what's already in the kitchen.

How to prepare Pressure Cooker Italian Beef Stew

To prepare the pressure cooker stew, start by cleaning the vegetables. Chop the onions 1, the carrots 2 and the celery 3. Set aside.

Now take care of the veal. Cut it into 3/4-inch pieces 4 and meanwhile pour the extra virgin olive oil into the pressure cooker 5. Put the cut meat into the pot 6.

Season with fine salt 7 and a grind of black pepper 8. Cook over medium heat, stirring well to brown the meat on all sides 9; this will take about 7 minutes.

Once the meat is browned, add the chopped vegetables 10. Cook for another 3 minutes and deglaze with red wine 11. Now scent your stew with a small bunch of aromatic herbs consisting of sage, bay leaf and rosemary 12.

Add the tomato paste 13, pour in the water 14 and mix well 15.

Close the pressure cooker lid 16 and, from the moment steam begins to escape, count 45 minutes of cooking. After this time, open the valve and cook for another 15 minutes, open the lid and check that there is enough cooking liquid 17. Remove the herb bundle 18.

If you want a drier stew, keep the pot on the heat for another couple of minutes 19. Serve it with fresh sage leaves 20 and your pressure cooker stew is ready to be served 21!