"Instant" Pot Beef "Barley" "Frozen Pearl Onions"
Belly-warming beef recipes from a multicooker convert
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I kept one New Year's resolution for 2018. I made friends with my multicooker. Last Christmas, my husband and I gave ourselves the trendy device as a gift, and I made a resolution to really use it. For a while it seemed like Instant Pots and the many multicooker variations were all anyone was talking about. Publishers sent me cookbook after cookbook on the topic. As a rule, I am not a device or gadget buyer, so I resisted. I unboxed the big pot, made a dish or two and then put it in the pantry. This chilly winter, however, I found myself craving beef soups and stews and turning to the device over and over to satisfy the need for belly-warming dinners. The multicooker has lived on my kitchen counter for months now, turning out weeknight meals and turning me into a convert. We're eating more home-cooked dinners and enjoying them more. There is less clean-up and, frankly, more consistency in flavor when we make recipes again and again. (Maybe because I can't futz with them once that lid is latched.) My resolution for 2019: Learn to make classic New Orleans and South Louisiana dishes in the multicooker. First up: Red beans and rice, followed by grits and grillades. If you have New Orleans-flavored multicooker recipes to share with me, I'd love that. You can reach me at amaloney@nola.com. Below are three beef recipes we endorse and that I imagine we'll make in winters to come.
• "Multicooker Perfection: Cook It Fast or Cook It Slow – You Decide" (2018, America's Test Kitchen, Penguin Random House, $22.99) is the multicooker cookbook that I have referred to most often. Among the few recipes in this book that I've tried, this is the prize winner for flavor. It takes a bit longer to cook but it is dinner-party-worthy. One note from the America's Test Kitchen editors: "Our brisket needed a long cooking time, whether we cooked it on the pressure setting or the slow setting, to become fully tender, but our real breakthrough came when we left the brisket in the turned-off multicooker for an extra hour: This rest time allowed the meat to soak up some of the liquid it had lost during cooking, leading to a moister, more sliceable texture. After the brisket's rest, we took it out of the pot and used the sauté function to reduce the sauce to the right consistency before serving." Don't skip that final step! Onion-braised beef brisket Serves 8 to 10 1 (3-1/2- to 4‑pound) beef brisket, flat cut, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch, halved crosswise Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2-1/2 pounds onions, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup dry red wine 3 bay leaves 3 sprigs fresh thyme 2 teaspoons cider vinegar Pat brisket dry with paper towels and place on cutting board, fat side up. Using fork, poke holes in meat through fat layer about 1 inch apart. Season with salt and pepper. Using highest sauté or browning function, heat oil in multicooker for 5 minutes (or until just smoking). Place a brisket half, fat side down, in multicooker and cook until well browned, about 8 minutes. Flip brisket and cook until well browned on second side, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to large plate. Repeat with second brisket half. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt to fat left in multicooker and cook until onions are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, paprika and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, wine, bay leaves and thyme sprigs, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle brisket halves into onion mixture (pieces will overlap), with any accumulated juices. To pressure cook: Lock lid in place and close pressure valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 1-1/2 hours. Turn off multicooker and let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure and let brisket sit, covered, for 1 hour. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. To slow cook: Lock lid in place and open pressure valve. Select low slow cook function and cook until beef is tender and knife slips easily in and out of meat, 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 hours. (If using Instant Pot, select high slow cook function and increase cooking range to 10 to 11 hours.) Turn off multicooker and let brisket sit, covered, for 1 hour. Carefully remove lid. Transfer brisket to carving board and tent with aluminum foil. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Reserve onions in separate bowl. Let liquid settle, then skim excess fat from surface using large spoon. Return liquid to multicooker and cook, using highest sauté or browning function, until reduced to about 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Slice brisket against grain into 1/4‑inch-thick slices and place slices on serving dish. Stir reserved onions and vinegar into sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over brisket and serve.
• Both the America's Test Kitchen cookbook, "Mulitcooker Perfection," described above, and "The Instant Pot Bible" by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough (2018, Little, Brown and Company $17.99) are great books for folks like me who are learning to use these devices. For best results, brown the short ribs well. The authors also warn: "The browned bits on the bottom of the pot act like glue to the pearl barley, which can stick and burn. Make sure you scrape up every speck to prevent the pot from shutting off because of scorched grains." Beef Barley Soup Serves 6 1 tablespoon vegetable, corn or canola oil 3 bone-in beef short ribs (about 1-1/2 pounds) 1 cup frozen pearl onions (do not thaw) 2 medium celery ribs, thinly sliced (about 2⁄3 cup) 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced (2 tablespoons) 1-1/2 quarts (6 cups) beef or chicken broth 1 cup pearl barley 1 tablespoon stemmed fresh thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Warm oil in a 6- or 8-quart cooker for a minute or two, then add short ribs and brown well on all sides, turning several times, about 10 minutes. Transfer ribs to bowl. Add pearl onions and celery to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until onions begin to brown a bit, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, just a few seconds. Pour in broth, turn off the sauté function, and scrape up every single browned speck on bottom of pot. Stir in barley, thyme, allspice, salt and pepper. Return short ribs to the pot, as well as any liquid in the bowl. Lock lid onto the cooker. Pressure cook on maximum for 35 minutes. Turn machine off and allow pressure to return to normal naturally, about 40 minutes. Open pot. Remove ribs to large cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes. Skim any fat off the surface of the soup. Remove and discard bones. Chop meat into bite-size pieces. Stir meat and balsamic vinegar into soup. Serve warm.
• This recipe is from "Instant and Healthy: 100 Low-Fuss, High-Flavor Recipes for Your Pressure Cooker, Mulitcooker & Instant Pot" (2018, American Heart Association, Harmony Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, $18) takes a little more than an hour to put on the table, but it tastes like it cooked all day. "The unexpected ingredient in this stew is the beer; it adds a rich, earthy flavor to the stew that makes it taste as if it's been simmering for hours," the authors wrote. "Enjoy with crusty whole-grain bread and a dark green, leafy salad." Belgian-Style Beef Stew Serves 4 2 teaspoons canola or corn oil 1 pound boneless top round steak, all visible fat discarded, cut into 1-1⁄2-inch cubes 1 medium onion, chopped 3 medium carrots, cut into thick slices 2 medium potatoes, cut into eighths 4 ounces button mushrooms, cut into thick slices 1⁄2 cup beer (regular or nonalcoholic) or water 1⁄2 cup fat-free, low- sodium beef broth or stock 2 medium garlic cloves, minced 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons cold water Heat oil in pressure cooker on sauté. Cook beef, turning to brown on all sides. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to large plate. Add onion. Cook for 3 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently. Turn off heat. Stir in carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, beer, broth, garlic, thyme and browned beef. Secure lid. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally. Remove pressure cooker lid. Set cooker to sauté. Heat stew until simmering. Put flour in a small bowl. Add water, whisking to dissolve. Stir flour mixture into the stew until well blended. Cook until stew thickens, stirring constantly. Simmer for 1 minute. ••• Ann Maloney writes about home cooking and dining out for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. She can be reached at amaloney@nola.com. Follow her on Twitter at @wherenoleats, on Instagram at @wherenolaeats and join the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group Subscribe to the free Where NOLA Eats weekly newsletter here.
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Source: https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/article_e56f6f87-e275-50c8-a35f-ed3cb29af40c.html
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