3lbsgrass-fed chuck roast, We got ours from Butcher Box
2tablespoonscassava flour, GF all-purpose flour or regular flour will also work
¼cupwhite wine, or stock
2small onions, thinly sliced
2celery stalks, cut in 1 ½ inch chunks
2medium carrots, cut in 1 ½ inch chunks
3medium garlic cloves, minced
8ouncesmushrooms, thinly sliced
1lbsmall organic yukon gold potatoes, wedged or quartered (you can also use sweet potatoes)
2bay leaves
¼teaspoondried thyme
½cupfrozen peas
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Stock Mixture
2cupsunsalted homemade beef or chicken broth or stock, I use homemade bone broth
3tablespoonstomato paste, leave out for AIP
2tablespoonsbalsamic vinegar
1tablespooncoconut aminos, gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
1tablespoonfish sauce
1tablespoonWorcestershire sauce, be sure this is gluten-free, leave out for AIP*
For Topping:
1teaspoonolive oil or ghee
15-20pearl onions, peeled
fresh thyme
2cupsmulti-color baby carrots
Instructions
Season the chuck roast (or roasts) with sea salt and black pepper. Turn your Instant Pot to "Sauté" and add your oil or ghee. You will be sautéing without the lid on. Once hot (the indicator will say "hot"), carefully lower the seasoned whole beef roast on one side and let it sear. Brown for about 5-7 minutes per side, give or take. Once all sides are seared and brown. Remove from the instant pot and set aside in a large bowl.
While the meat is browning in the pressure cooker, in a medium bowl mix together the broth, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, coconut mains, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
Once you have removed the meat, with the Instant Pot still set to Sauté, add in the white wine (or stock) and deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot, stirring and getting all the brown bits up. Let the liquid evaporate a bit.
Add more oil if necessary, and add the onions, celery and carrots. Sauté a few minutes, then add the garlic and mushrooms. Continue to sauté for about 6-8 minutes, until everything is slightly browned and softened.
On a large cutting board, cut the seared chuck roast into 1.5 inch – 2 inch cubes on a large chopping board. Add the meat and all it's juices back in the large mixing bowl. Evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons cassava flour or gluten-free AP flour into mixing bowl and mix well with the stew meat.
Add the potatoes, the floured stew meat cubes and any juices and the sauce mixture to the Instant Pot. Add the bay leaves and dried thyme. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper.
Give everything a good stir.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure it is locked and the steam valve is closed. Set it to “Stew/Meat”. This should automatically be set for 35 minutes on high pressure (in the event you have to set yours manually)
Once cooking is completed, your Instant Pot will automatically switch over to warm – leave it as is to release the pressure slowly, or if you'd like or quick release the pressure.
Once the pressure has released, remove the lid and set the Instant Pot to "Sauté" again, medium, to bring the stew to a simmer to allow it to reduce down slightly and it will thicken. Cook as long as you'd like. 10-15 minutes should be more than enough. Mashing some of the carrots and potatoes with a spoon helps it to thicken.
Add the frozen peas right near the end of simmering.
The stew will also thicken up a bit as it cools down slightly.
To Brown Veggies for Serving:
In a cast iron skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil or ghee over a medium high heat. Once melted and the pan is hot, add the pearl onions and baby carrots. Cool for 5-8 minutes until browned and slightly tender but still with a bit of a bite.
Serve the beef stew with a small serving of the fresh veggies and a little fresh thyme.
Notes
To make in a slow cooker, sear the meat in a pan on the stove cut into cubes and toss with flour and add to your slow cooker with the uncooked veggies, potatoes, fresh herbs and the broth mixture. Cover and set to cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours. You may want to add additional liquid, as the pressure cooker definitely creates more liquid, as it cooks, with the steam. You also may have to thicken with a bit more flour at the end, but making a slurry of flour and about 1/2 cup stew broth. Add the mixture back into the slow cooker. Cover again and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.KETO OPTIONS: Swap in lower starch veggies to make this keto, celeriac root/celeriac, turnip or radishes instead of potatoes, green beans instead of peas, if you'd like. Leave out the extra carrots, if you'd like. You can certainly skip the cassava flour or opt for another grain-free flour, if you'd like. But, for what it's worth: 2 tablespoons has approximately 12 grams of net carbs, divided over 9 to 10 servings, it's VERY low carbAIP OPTIONS: leave out the tomato paste, choose stock over wine and skip the Worcestershire sauce or google to find a recipe for an AIP-friendly Worcestershire sauce