The pressure cooker really comes into its own here, reducing that 3-hour conventional cooking time to a mere 30 minutes. It’s basically a French daube – so if you want to be more Provençal about it, then add a sliver of orange peel in with the meat.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 head of garlic, cloves separated, skins left on
- 100 g smoked lardons or cubed pancetta
- 2 tsp flour
- 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml red wine
- 100 ml water
- 1 bouquet garni (or 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp dried thyme)
- 1 kg braising beef, cut into 3 cm pieces
- 4 carrots, peeled, chopped in half and split lengthways
- Salt and pepper
How to Make It
- Heat the oil in the bottom of the pressure cooker, add the onion, garlic and lardons, and fry gently for 10 minutes until the onions soften and the lardons start to brown. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, water, herbs and beef, then season.
- Clamp on the lid. Bring up to full pressure, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the steam vent. Add the carrots, bring up to full pressure, and cook for a further 5 minutes before letting the steam vent. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes or crusty bread.