Accounting for Taste

The main basis for this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen is a flavorful, yet quick, weeknight stew. Therefore the cut of meat is important. Sirloin steak tips (also known as flap meat or bavette steak) is essential if wanting a tender beef stew in less than an hour’s time. Yes, it is more expensive than chuck, but well worth it.

Quick-cooking sirloin steak tips have a beefy flavor and tender texture, so they are perfect for this speedy stew. Cutting the meat into small pieces allows it to get tender even faster. Smaller chunks are also easier to eat IMHO.

This stew tastes great after only 10 minutes of simmering but gets even better when cooked for longer; you can simmer it for up to 1 hour if time allows. Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, egg noodles, rice, or crusty bread and sprinkle with additional chopped rosemary or fresh chives.

If you are simmering closer to an hour, you could consider adding in sliced carrots or parsnips.

Quick Beef Stew with Mushrooms and Dijon

Servings: 4
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1½ lbs. sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
1½ tsp. table salt, divided
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
½ oz. dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and chopped fine
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Directions

Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to plate.
Add cremini mushrooms, onion, garlic, tomato paste, rosemary, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and tomato paste darkens, 4 to 7 minutes.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth and water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in porcini mushrooms, mustard, and beef, along with any accumulated juices, and bring to boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until beef and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes (or up to 1 hour if time allows; the meat will get more tender the longer it’s simmered. Add extra water if stew gets too thick). Season with salt to taste. Serve.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Jessica Rudolph for America’s Test Kitchen

For this hearty vegetarian dish, the pasta is cooked directly in the sauce, so there’s no need to boil water in a separate pot. Japanese miso may seem an unlikely ingredient to pair with Italian pasta, but it deepens the mushrooms’ earthiness, and lightly browning the miso as it is done here develops even more flavor intensity so the dish tastes surprisingly meaty and rich.

Cavatappi is a good choice because its twisty shape is a good match for the chunky mushrooms, but any short pasta shape, such as penne or fusilli, works well, too. But because we used a larger flat pasta, we needed to add another cup of water to loosen the sauce.

Don’t forget to stir the pasta as it cooks. The pot will be quite full, so frequent stirring will help ensure that the pasta cooks evenly.

Pasta with Cremini Mushrooms and Miso

Servings: 4-6
Time: 50 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

4 Tbsp. (½ stick) salted butter
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
⅓ cup white miso
½ cup dry white vermouth
2 lbs. cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 lb. short pasta (see note)
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
2 tsp. lemon juice
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ oz. pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated (¼ cup)

Directions

On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. (Or use a pressure cooker.) Add the butter and melt. Add the onion and garlic, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the miso and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook, stirring, until almost fully evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Add 3 cups water (or 4 if necessary to loosen) and whisk until the miso dissolves. Stir in the mushrooms and bring to a boil, then distribute in an even layer.
Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 5 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release the steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
Select More/High Sauté. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the pasta. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente and and the sauce clings lightly, about 10 minutes. Press Cancel to turn off the pot.
Stir in the thyme and lemon juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the parsley and pecorino.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe by Phoebe Maglathlin for Milk Street