7. Instant Pot Chinese Five Spice Beef and Vegetable Stew
Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 lb. stewing beef (like chuck roast), cut into 1 – 1½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1½ tbsp Chinese five spice
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 2 medium red (or white) potatoes (13 oz), chopped
- 3 carrots (11 oz), chopped
- 3 celery sticks (7 oz), chopped
- 540 ml can of cannellini beans (2 cups), drained and rinsed
- 4-5 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- In a large ziploc bag, add the stewing beef, flour, and Chinese five spice then seal and shake the bag until the beef is well coated.
- Using the “saute” function on the Instant Pot, add one tablespoon of olive oil and brown beef on all sides (you may need to do this in batches). Remove the beef and set aside.
- Pour another tablespoon of olive oil into the Instant Pot and add the onion, stirring until soft and brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds, until the garlic starts to brown.
- Add red wine to deglaze* (see first note), stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to remove/dissolve the brown bits and allowing the wine to be absorbed into the onions. Press “cancel” to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add back in the beef as well as the potatoes, carrots, celery, beans, beef broth, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Give the ingredients a good stir to distribute the ingredients throughout the vessel** (see second note). Place a bay leaf on top.
- Seal the Instant Pot and cook at high pressure (“manual” function) for 25 minutes. After the stew is ready, allow natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes before quick pressure release to completely depressurize (until floating valve drops).
- Open the Instant Pot, remove the bay leaf and give the stew a stir. Taste for additional salt and pepper and top with fresh basil if you like. Best served hot.
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer not using red wine, you can deglaze with two tablespoons of beef broth or balsamic vinegar.
- The beef broth should cover the top of the ingredients. Add more beef broth (or water) if necessary.
8. Ribollita
Yield: 6-8 servings
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red onion, diced (about 7 ounces; 200g)
- 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, diced (about 13 ounces; 370g)
- 4 large carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 1/4 pounds; 525g)
- 2 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash (about 1/2 of a medium squash) (about 12 ounces; 360g)
- 1 turnip, peeled and diced (about 8 ounces; 240g)
- 3 large celery stalks, diced (about 8 ounces; 240g)
- Water
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed, leaves roughly chopped (about 6 ounces; 170g) (see note)
- 1 bouquet garnis (herb bundle made from a few sprigs each of mixed herbs, such as parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf)
- 2 cups cooked beans, such as cannellini, navy, or cranberry, plus 1 cup bean-cooking liquid or water (if using canned beans) (see note)
- 1/4 pound (110g) fresh or stale rustic crusty bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat with garlic. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and very lightly golden. Add onion, leek, carrots, squash, turnip, and celery and cook, stirring, until slightly softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add enough water to slightly cover vegetables (about 6 cups; 1.5L) along with kale and bouquet garnis and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower heat to maintain simmer and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes.
- Stir in beans and their cooking liquid (or 1 cup water if using canned beans). Add bread, stir well, and simmer until bread is very soft and breaking down, about 15 minutes. Add water, 1/2 cup at a time, if soup becomes too thick and dry.
- Season with salt and pepper. The soup can be served at varying consistencies: more wet and broth-y, like a thick, chunky soup, or cooked down until thickened like a porridge. Once reduced to a thick porridge, you can ladle some of it into a small (8-inch) nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon oil and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it coalesces into a dense mass; it will eventually take the shape of a pancake. (If your flipping skills are good, you can flip it to serve it browned side up.) Slide it onto a plate. To serve at any consistency, drizzle with fresh olive oil and top with freshly ground black pepper and grated cheese (optional).
Recipe Notes
Lacinato kale is also sold as dinosaur kale, cavolo nero, and black kale. You can use canned or cooked-from-dried beans here, though dried ones will be even more delicious (especially if you cook them with aromatics, like onion, garlic, and herbs, in the water). Two 15-ounce (425g) cans of beans will yield slightly more than the 2 cups needed here. Roughly 1/3 pound (150g) of dried beans will yield about 2 1/2 cups cooked. Feel free to alter the vegetables according to personal taste or season. I recommend leaving in at least the onion (or leek), garlic, carrots, and celery.