Beef Stew

By Kimberly Thompson

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds beef (diced chuck roast)

1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped

5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped in large chunks

½ – 1 whole onion, diced

1 pint sweet corn (12 oz. can will substitute)

1 pint sweet peas (12 oz can will sub)

1 pint green beans (12 oz can will sub)

Fresh herbs: lemongrass, rosemary, sweet basil (parsley, cilantro, marjoram, etc) chopped fine

Fresh garlic OR garlic powder

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Prepared roux OR three small packets of brown gravy mix

1 ½ Cups cold water

Instructions:

Mix all prepared ingredients, except gravy mix. Place in large pressure cooker. Add cold water to gravy mix or roux and stir well, then add it to the pot. Lock lid in place, put weight on top and turn on high heat. When steam begins to emit from pot, set timer to 15 minutes. After timer goes off, turn off heat and let stew “set” on the stove – set timer to an additional 5 minutes. After last 5 minutes have passed, remove from stove and place pot (with lid on) under cool running water. After it stops steaming, remove lid. Eat while hot!

Note:

You can use any cut of beef you like. Since we have our own beef butchered, I use the heart as well as roasts and “odd” cuts (but the chuck roast is my husband’s favorite for stew!).

Kimberly Thompson spends her days climbing underneath bridges as a certified bridge inspector and her evenings as a wife, mother, homemaker and gardener. Her passions for gardening and cooking have led to many experimental dishes in the Thompson household with considerably more smiling faces than failures. Kimberly has been cooking full time since the age of ten, for a family of five, and is also a published author (Tate Publishing).