Description
Instant Pot Beef Stew with Spanish Smoked Paprika. Pressure cooker beef stew, Spanish style, seasoned with pimenton de la Vera.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton de la Vera)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth (or chicken broth, or water)
- ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
- 1 pound baby carrots (or 3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths)
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained (or 2 cups homemade chickpeas)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Paprika-cornstarch slurry (optional)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton de la Vera)
Instructions
- Sear the beef in three batches: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode adjusted to high until the oil shimmers. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC). While the pot heats, sprinkle the beef cubes with 1 teaspoon salt. Add ⅓ of the beef in a loose single layer and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don’t crowd the pot or the beef will steam, not brown). Transfer the browned beef to a bowl, add half of the remaining beef to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned beef to the bowl. Add the rest of the beef to the pot and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned beef to the bowl.
- Sauté the aromatics, toast the spices, deglaze the pan with wine: Add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic to the pot. Sprinkle with the paprika, dried thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir the tomato paste into the onions. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of beef. Pour the red wine into the pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute to boil off some of the alcohol. Scrape the bottom of the pot again to release any browned onions or tomato paste.
- Everything into the pot: Stir in the beef and any juices left in the bowl. Stir in the beef broth (and ½ teaspoon salt if using homemade broth), carrots, diced tomatoes, and chickpeas.
- Pressure cook the stew for 15 minutes with a natural release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 12 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Season, thicken, and serve: Stir in the 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Whisk the water and cornstarch together to make a cornstarch slurry, and then stir the slurry into the stew. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The downside to pressure cooking is a thin sauce. The sealed pressure cooker lets us build pressure, but we don’t get any evaporation to thicken up the sauce. The cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce and gives it the mouthfeel of a long-simmered stew. And, as I said above, it lets me
- You can substitute bottom round roast for the chuck roast if that’s what’s available; everything else cooks the same.
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
- Flat edged wooden spoon
- Tongs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Spanish