Instant Pot Beef Stew

I had heard about the Instant Pot and was intrigued because I had never cooked with a pressure cooker.  I liked that it was electronic and less scary than stovetop pressure cookers and the Instant Pot seems to have a cult following.  Amazon Prime Day sealed the deal- W and I both saw the IP for a great price and texted each other at the same time.

I've had a good amount of success with the IP thanks to Facebook groups and online recipes, and I appreciate the amount of time I've saved with it.  I made this Instant Pot Beef Stew for some friends and it got rave reviews.  

Thanks, Jennifer Robins of Predominantly Paleo!  I didn't make this recipe paleo but it was great as written.

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces tenderloin, cut (or stew meat -aka chuck roast)
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 3 yukon gold potatoes chopped (replace with sweet potatoes for AIP)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 cups beef bone broth, organic or homemade (make sure AIP compatible if observing)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil, ghee, or lard (stick to avocado oil or lard for AIP)
• 1-2 teaspoons sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon pepper (omit for AIP)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (omit for AIP)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (omit for AIP)
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour - I used cornstarch
• Worcestershire sauce to taste (omit for AIP)
• Optional: sweet potato, parsnip, turnips

1. Turn your Instant Pot onto “Saute” and put in your oil and tenderloin
2. Saute until the meat is no longer pink then toss in your remaining veggies
3. Stir to combine then add in the broth and seasonings
4. Stir once more then place the lid on your Instant Pot and press “Stew/Meat”
5. The setting should automatically set itself for 35 minutes on high pressure
6. Make sure your steam valve is closed and let it cook as indicated by the display
7. Once cooking is complete, your Instant Pot should automatically switch over to warm – You can leave it as is or quick release the pressure. I let mine rest and release the pressure on its own slowly.
8. After about 20 minutes passed on the “Warm” setting, you can then open the top
9. Carefully ladle out about 1/4 of the liquid and combine that in a small bowl with the arrowroot flour
10. Add the slurry back into the pot and stir to thicken
11. At this time you may taste the stew and see if you’d like to add in additional salt; it is better to start low and add then to over-salt from the beginning
12. At this time you may serve the stew or leave it on the “Warm” setting until ready to enjoy

Pork Shoulder Ramen

On Saturday I sent W to the store for Super Bowl groceries and he came back with a pork shoulder.  "What do you want me to make?" I asked.  "I know you'll think of something." I love that confidence!

Anyway, I was either going to do David Chang's Bo Ssam or this ramen recipe and I opted for this one since it would just be the three of us (technically four) eating it.  I didn't add all the extras because I'm a little pressed for time nowadays, but the result was still really delicious.  I took the time to caramelize the pork because I felt like that was worth it.  I omitted the curry paste and hot sauce because V can't handle spicy yet.  We ate it with pho noodles since I had some in the fridge.

Thank you, Half Baked Harvest, for a delicious recipe!  Someday I hope to make the full recipe but just the broth and pork themselves were worth it.

Crockpot Caramelized Pork Ramen

Japanese Beef Stew

A friend of ours "made up" a Japanese beef stew one year and I haven't been able to find a recipe that captured his flavorful broth.

UNTIL NOW.

I prepped everything the night before and put it all together early the next morning.  I would have added more water to make more broth and made sure the beef was submerged (I had put the potatoes and carrots on the bottom).  I also added shiitake mushrooms and a couple pieces of ginger to add to the flavor.  Our guests enjoyed it over rice.

Thanks, Miss Diggy!

Niku Jaga Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef stew meat
1 cup water
1/2 cup Japanese sake (dry white wine)  (I used Mirin instead)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt (I omitted this based on reader reviews)
1/2 lb baby carrots (I cut and peeled my own carrots cuz I was being paranoid about baby carrots)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 white onion, diced

Directions:
1. Put all into crock pot and cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 4-6 hours.
2. Stir before serving.

Zuppa Toscana

Everyone has at least one guilty-pleasure chain restaurant, and mine is Olive Garden.  Our whole family would sometimes go for Ohana (our sanctioned immediate-family-only time whenever we're all in town), and as much as we liked the food we LOVED the soup, salad, and breadsticks that come before the meal.  So bourgeois, I know, but we didn't care.  I'm surprised we ordered entrees.

I realized that it wasn't hard to make our favorite soup, so for a family gathering I tried out this recipe for Zuppa Toscana.  I substituted kale for spinach (just like OG) and didn't use a full cup of cream.  I just started pouring and mixing and stopped when it looked about right. 

Word of warning: don't skimp on the ingredients.  I made it without bacon once and totally regretted it. I've yet to find a good breadstick recipe that can be consumed with the soup, so if I ever find one I'll post it.

Thanks to souporsweets for posting this on Allrecipes!  My extended family thanks you, too. 

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
• 1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 6 potato, thinly sliced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 bunch fresh spinach, tough stems removed

Directions

1. Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

Jambalaya

For a friend's recent milestone birthday (aka his 30th) he rented out a house in New Hampshire and invited all his friends to come hang out for the weekend.  As a thank you and birthday present I offered to make dinner for everyone and asked what he wanted.  He asked for jambalaya which was fortunate because I had a pretty easy recipe that's gotten good reviews.  We've made this a couple times for Meals for Moms (but omitted the cayenne cuz we thought it might be too hot) and the new moms liked it, too.  I usually don't put rice in it- I make rice separately and have people pour the jambalaya onto it.  It's a little more soupy that way but still well received.

Thanks again, allrecipes.com!

Easy Cajun Jambalaya
Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 8 ounces kielbasa, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, or until onion is tender and translucent. Add rice, then stir in chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.

Beef Noodle Soup

One of my brother's favorite dishes is beef noodle soup.  We always go to Mandarin Noodle House when he's home to eat it, and one year I tried to make it when he visited.  Unfortunately I added too much tomato and didn't start it early enough, so it wasn't as good as I had hoped.  He showed his love for me by eating it anyway.

Every other time I've made this I've had great results.  I usually use miso instead of Chinese bean paste and I don't add cilantro (personal preference).  My only other tip is to not use too much tomato.  Eesh!  I usually throw this in a slow cooker to stew for ~6 hours on low, but you can easily use a Dutch oven or some other pot on the stove.  The house always smells delicious when we make it.

Thanks to Tasty Meals At Home!
Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mien)

What You Need

• 2 lbs Beef Shank/Short Ribs and Beef for Stewing (Optional)
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1 Whole Onion
• 5-6 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 big pieces of ginger
• 3-4 stalks of Green Onion
• 2 tbsp Chinese Bean Paste
• 5-6 Star Anise pieces
• Noodles
• Spinach
• Cilantro
• 1/2 cup of Soy Sauce (Dark and Regular)
• 2 cups Beef Broth
• 5 cups of water

What to Do

First start by washing your beef under cold water and removing any excess fat. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and flash boil your meat in order to remove any excess membranes/harmful/particles from your meat. This makes your final soup clear and cleaner.

Next, cut your onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic into semi-large pieces and begin frying them in a big pot with some oil. We like to use vegetable oil but any will do.

After your vegetables have been cooking for a few minutes, add in the Chinese Hot Bean Paste and incorporate everything. After getting some color on your vegetables, add in the beef and star anise.

Cook everything for another minute or two and add in your dark and regular soy sauce (half cup each). Next cover everything with water–add enough water to cover the soup. You can use 1/2 water and 1/2 beef broth if you want a more meaty flavor. You can also adjust the water levels later if the soup is too salty.

Finally add in some green onion, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

It will take at least 2hours to cook everything, 4-6 hours of stewing for the best results.

We like to cook the stew the night before actual serving so that all the flavors can come together. On the day you want to serve everything, just simply bring the broth to a boil, cook some Chinese noodles and spinach and assemble!

It's chili in here

I love chili.  Growing up I happily ate canned Stagg chili and my dad would make it from "scratch" for our annual New Year's Eve party.  I ate it with spaghetti (chili mac Steak'n Shake style), with macaroni, on hot dogs, on burgers, with Fritos and nacho cheese (this is bliss, btw)- basically any acceptable way.

During my first year of marriage I learned that chili isn't hard to make.  And when the chili is flavorful enough, you can replace turkey for beef and no one knows any better!  I've made it with several different chili powders and my favorite so far is one I got at Penzey's.  They have at least 4 different kinds, so I'm sure I'll make it enough to try them all.

I usually add diced green and/or red bell peppers for color, and sometimes I'll use black beans instead of kidney beans.  I made a vegetarian version and added summer squash instead of turkey.  I wouldn't recommend putting this on burgers or hot dogs cuz it's more soupy, but you could always add less water and make it thicker.  It's a pretty versatile recipe, and luckily my husband loves it any way I make it.

Without further ado: Simple Turkey Chili from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.