- 1 pound beef chuck cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ¾ cup red wine
- 1 ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon reduced sodium Beef Base
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and cut into small pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 large Yukon Gold potato, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 package Better Than Gravy Beef flavor
Set multicooker on brown setting. Season beef with salt and pepper. Add drizzle of olive oil to multicooker pot. When it starts to shimmer, add half of the beef. Brown on both sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with other half of the beef. Add onion to pot and sauté until translucent (about 7-8 minutes). Add garlic and tomato paste. Sauté for a minute. Add wine and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes. Add water. beef base, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mushrooms, parsley, onion and garlic powders, and a grind or two of black pepper to pot. Return beef to pot.
Put lid on pot. Set mode control to pressure cook (high) and set timer to 25 minutes.
When timer expires, unplug the multicooker and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and remove lid. Add potatoes and carrots. Plug the multicooker back in and replace lid. Set mode control to pressure cook (high) and set timer to 15 minutes.
When timer expires, unplug the multicooker and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and remove lid. Plug the multicooker back in. Set mode control to brown and bring liquid to the boil. Add peas and cook for 3 minutes. Add gravy mix and stir thoroughly. Cook 1 minute.
Serve. I made some biscuits to go with the stew. I made some honey butter for the biscuits by mixing 3 tablespoons of salted butter with 1 tablespoon of local Malibu raw honey and 1 teaspoon of New Zealand Honey Co. Raw Manuka Honey.
I still use my trusty Fagor multicooker. Sadly, you can't get them anymore, but the Zavor LUX 4 Quart Multi-Cooker is a good substitute.
We drank a 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from our good friends at Smith-Madrone Winery. Deep purple. Powerful bouquet. Intense flavors with a long finish. Drinkable now with smooth tannins, but there's plenty of structure to support cellaring. If I drink another bottle in the near future, as I'm very likely to do, I would loosen it up a little by double decanting and allowing it to breath for about 30 minutes. Plenty of rich, dark fruits. Black currant, blackberry, and black cherry. There's also a green element that I associate more with left bank Bordeaux than Napa cabernets. Herbs and green bell pepper. Complex. Tasty. Excellent.
