| Fast Prep

old-fashioned beef stew

prep: 20 minutes | pressure cook: 12 minutes + time to build pressure | stand: 15 minutes | MAKES: 6 servings (2 cups each)

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 lb. beef chuck roast or beef stew meat, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 4 red-skin potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 carrots, bias-sliced ¼ inch thick
• 3 cups vegetable juice
• 3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dried oregano or thyme, crushed

1. Use a 6-qt. stove-top or electric pressure cooker. In a large plastic bag combine flour, salt, and pepper. Add meat to bag; shake until evenly coated. In a stove-top pressure cooker heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; add half of the meat and cook until browned. (For an electric pressure cooker, use the sauté setting to brown meat in the oil.) Remove meat from cooker. Repeat with remaining meat and oil.

2. Return all meat to pressure cooker. Add the remaining ingredients. Lock lid in place. Set electric cooker on high pressure to cook 12 minutes. For stove-top cooker, bring up to pressure over medium-high heat according to manufacturer’s directions; reduce heat enough to maintain steady (but not excessive) pressure according to manufacturer’s directions. Cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat. For electric and stove-top models, let stand to release pressure naturally at least 15 minutes or according to manufacturer’s directions. If necessary, carefully open steam vent to release any remaining pressure. Open lid carefully. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS: Coat meat with flour mixture as directed. In a large pot brown half of the meat in half of the oil over medium-high heat; remove meat. Repeat with remaining meat and oil. In a 4- to 6-qt. slow cooker layer meat, onions, celery, potatoes, and carrots. Decrease vegetable juice to 2 cups. Combine vegetable juice, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and oregano. Pour over meat and vegetables in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 10 to 12 hours or on high 5 to 6 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

PER SERVING: 413 cal., 13 g fat (3 g sat. fat), 98 mg chol., 831 mg sodium, 33 g carb., 5 g fiber, 10 g sugars, 39 g pro.