Can I Cook The Carbonnade A La Flamande In A Pressure Cooker?

Our answer

Nigella's Carbonnade A La Flamande from KITCHEN) is a beef stew that is cooked slowly in the oven, which makes the beef tender and gives a rich sauce. This type of dish is particularly good if it is cooled quickly and refrigerated overnight, for the flavours to develop. It is possible to make a beef stew in a pressure cooker but there are two potential problems. The first is that using flour at the beginning to thicken the stew does not work particularly well and the second is that pressure cooking does not let the alcohol from the beer evaporate, leaving a taste of raw alcohol in the stew. Also, some people feel that pressure cooked stews can lack the depth of flavour of a slowly cooked dish. So it is not ideal to switch the recipe to a pressure cooker.

However, if you have a multi-function pot (such as a combined pressure and slow cooker) then it is possible to reduce the cooking time with a combination of pressure and slow cooking. We would not reduce the amount of liquid particularly, as the liquid is still needed in a pressure cooker to cook the meat. You would need to start by cooking the onions and bacon on the "saute" function, then add the beef and brown it slightly. Omit the flour but add the remaining ingredients. Put on the pressure cooking lid, seal and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then use natural release before opening the pot. If the meat is not tender enough then pressure cook on high for a further 10 minutes and use natural release again. Most cubed meat will become tender within 30 minutes. We would then suggest switching to slow cook for 1 hour (you may need to change the lid for the slow cook function). The slow cooking phase should evaporate the alcohol and improve the flavour of the stew. When you want to serve the stew, bring it to a boil in a large pan (or in the multi cooker). Mix 4-5 tablespoons (depending on how thick you want the liquid to be) of cornflour (cornstarch) with enough water to make a thin paste and then add the slaked cornflour to the stew, stirring continuously. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the stew has thickened and you can't taste the cornflour in the sauce.