Pressure Cooker Ragu

Stews and braises. The perfect end to a tough cut of meat.

For the times when I don't have half a day to simmer a stew low and slow, I turn to one of my trusty pressure cookers to help me bend time. Using a kind of ragu pasta sauce as an example, I'll demonstrate a way to get a decent stew in just over half an hour.

Ingredients

• 1lb cubed stew meat. Beef, lamb, goat, venison, pork -- whatever you have handy.
• 1 12oz can tomatoes (diced, crushed, whatever)
• 1/2 an onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic crushed or chopped
• Any other vegetables finely diced (I often use carrots, capsicum / bell pepper, zucchini)
• 1/3oz dried porcini mushrooms
• 1tbsp dried thyme
• 1tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato paste

Steps

1. Reconstitute the mushrooms in a small amount of hot water.
2. For a smoother texture, blend the tomato and vegetables (optional).
3. Over high heat, brown the meat in some oil in the open pressure cooker.
4. Reduce to medium-high heat and add the onion until translucent.
5. Add the garlic, tomato and vegetables.
6. Finely chop the now-soft porcini mushrooms and add to the pressure cooker along with the liquid.
7. Add the herbs, tomato paste, the wine and the worcestershire sauce.
8. Close the pressure cooker lid and bring up to pressure.
9. Once at pressure, reduce the heat to maintain pressure and cook for 20-25 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to dissipate.

It will need a stir once the lid comes off and if there's too much liquid a quick simmer should take care of that. A knob of butter never hurt matters either :).

Serve with pasta and parmesan cheese or cracked pepper to your liking.

The tomato paste, worcestershire and porcini mushrooms give you a big umami kick right in the glutamates.