Beef and Red Wine Stew

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 400ml red wine
• 4 beef cheeks (about 1kg in total), sinew removed and trimmed
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, cut into 1cm rounds
• 1 x 10cm pieces of celery, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, bruised and chopped
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tbsp cognac or brandy
• 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs and 3 parsley sprigs tied together with kitchen string)
• 4cm strip orange zest
• 500ml beef stock
• 150g speck, cut into lardons
• Salt and pepper
• Mashed potatoes, to serve

#everydaygourmet #pressurecooker #healthy #weeknightdinner #entertaining

This recipe was created in partnership with Everyday Gourmet.

Beef in red wine is the king of all stews. And rightly so as this classic French dish is very flavourful, rich and oh-so-delicious. One of the best tips to making a delicious stew is to make sure to brown the meat as it will caramelize and lend flavour to the dish, so make sure not to skip it! This recipe uses beef cheeks, which usually takes 3 hours of slow cooking but only about 45 minutes with the ClipsoMinut' Perfect pressure cooker. The ClipsoMinut' Perfect comes with a timer which lets you know when it is time to release the steam. It is great for batch cooking and for those families with big appetites as the pot is quite large.

1. Bring the wine to a boil in a saucepan and simmer for 5–8 minutes to cook off the alcohol.

2. Remove the cheeks from the fridge 1 hour before cooking and season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker. Sear the beef cheeks, in batches ensuring they are well browned on each side and then remove.

4. Now cook the vegetables (onion, carrot, celery and garlic) for 4-5 minutes to soften and lightly caramelise. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste and cook off then return the beef cheeks and any juices left on the plate. Add the flour and coat the meat and vegetables and cook for a further minute.

5. Add the brandy and wine, bouquet garni, orange zest and stock. Season with salt and pepper and lock the lid. Pressure cook for about 40-60mins (timing will depend on the size of the beef cheeks).

6. While the beef cheeks are cooking, put the speck into a frypan. Place on a medium heat and fry until the fat begins to render and the speck becomes crisp.

7. Carefully remove the meat from the sauce and cover. Discard the bouquet garni. Simmer the sauce for 4-5 minutes if you’d like the sauce to be a little thicker.

8. Portion cheeks between plates and pour the sauce over. Garnish with crispy pancetta with serve with a dollop of creamy mashed potato.