Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon (Instant Pot)

Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon is rich and flavorful, a hearty comforting meal for cold winter nights, made quicker than usual in an Instant Pot. 

Normally beef bourguignon requires a long slow braise to tenderize the meat, which is all very fine and well if you have the time. If I’m being honest, these days I mostly do. That said, ever since our kitchen renovation early in 2020 when I was cooking in my Instant Pot in the laundry room, I’ve been enamored with that small appliance. Why not use it? 

The Instant Pot makes short work of a long braise (35 minutes!) and best of all, there’s only one pot to clean. Whenever my mom sees me taking it out, she wonders what my grandmother would have thought of such a thing. As a working woman still expected to put a meal on the table every day, I think she would have been intrigued. I know she used her pressure cooker and this is just a more efficient one. 

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, by all means fry the bacon, brown the beef and sauté the onions and celery in a skillet on the stove, then transfer the whole lot into a slow cooker. Add the stock, wine, carrots and mushrooms and cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the beef is tender. 

Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon

A traditional beef bourguignon does include mushrooms but they are definitely a supporting player for the star beef. In this recipe, I’ve significantly upped the amount of mushrooms and used “beefier” baby bellas instead of the standard white mushrooms, cutting larger ones in quarters and halving smaller ones. This is a great way to both stretch your beef budget and make this a healthier meal. 

Ingredients

1 lbs 10oz or 740g top sirloin beef

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup or 31g all-purpose flour

Olive oil

3 slices thick-cut bacon, (about 4 oz or 115g) 

2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 7 1/4 oz or 205g)

3 celery stalks (about 3 1/2 oz or 100g)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 9 1/3 oz or 265g)

1 lb or 450g fresh baby bella mushrooms, cleaned

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup or 240ml dry red wine plus extra for the cook

2 cups or 480ml beef broth

For a slurry to thicken the sauce:

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Method

Trim the fat and gristle off of the beef and discard. Cut the meat into small chunks. Sprinkle the chunks liberally with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Peel the onion and carrots. Finely chop the onion and celery stalks. Cut the carrot into chunks. 

Trim any hard stems off of the mushrooms and quarter the larger ones. Halve the smaller ones.

Sprinkle the seasoned beef with some of the flour. I have a small sieve I use for this purpose and it works really well to get even coverage. Toss the beef pieces around a little and keep sprinkling the flour on until the beef is evenly coated. 

Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode adjusted to medium heat (the middle light). Fry the bacon in the pot until it is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a plate and set aside.

Add the cubed chuck to your Instant pot in batches so that you don't overcrowd the pot, and sear it for 3-4 minutes, using tongs to turn the meat and sear all sides.

When the brown crust is formed, it will release from the Instant Pot so just be patient. Remove each batch of beef once seared. Set aside. I piled mine up on top of the bacon. 

Turn the Instant Pot off and add in the onions and celery. 

Let them sit without stirring for a few minutes. The residual heat from the sauté function will continue to cook them and when you do start stirring, you will be able to use a wooden spoon or spatula to free all the browned goodness from the bottom of the Instant Pot. 

Now turn the sauté function back on and set it to low. Continue to cook the celery and onion until they are softened, about five minutes. Add the beef chunks and the bacon back into the pot. Stir well to mix the vegetables and the beef. 

Pour in the stock and red wine. 

Add in the fresh thyme then the carrots. 

Now pile in the mushrooms. Do not stir! For optimum tenderness, we want to be sure the beef is completely covered by the stock and wine.

Cook on the stew setting under pressure for 35 minutes. When time is up, turn the Instant Pot off. Use a towel to cover the steam lever and carefully release the pressure. 

Remove the lid. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef, carrots and mushrooms and put them in a large bowl. 

According the markings on the inside of the Instant Pot, you should have about 3 cups of liquid left in the pot. Cook on the sauté high setting for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by one third, that is to say you will have two cups left. 

Make a slurry of the cornstarch and cold water. Turn the Instant Pot off and whisk constantly as you pour the slurry in. Since the pot is still very hot, it should thicken right up. 

Add the beef, mushrooms and carrots back in and stir gently to coat them with the sauce. Have a taste and add a little fine sea salt and black pepper as needed. 

Serve with some extra thyme leaves for garnish, if desired. This is great over white rice or mashed potatoes. 

Enjoy!

It's MultiCooker Monday! Check out all the small appliance cooked dishes my friends are sharing today. Many thanks to our group leader and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Air Fryer Salmon from Making Miracles
• Air Fryer Taquitos from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love
• Game Day Crockpot Frozen Chicken Breasts from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Nepali Style Vegetable Pulao-Pressure Cooker from Sneha's Recipe
• Port Braised Short Ribs (Instant Pot) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Pie Spiced Vegan Pumpkin and Green Gram Curry from Magical Ingredients
• Southern Style Green Beans (Instant Pot) from Palatable Pastime

Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group. 

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Peanut Butter Banana Waffles

Peanut butter banana waffles are not only delicious, they are higher in protein and vitamins than normal waffles, making them great to start your busy day.

When our girls were young their daddy took charge of breakfast on school mornings, which was a lifesaver for my sanity. To make his job easier, sometimes I made and froze waffles and pancakes. Just like store-bought, those are easily popped in the toaster and are ready to eat in minutes. 

Homemade buttermilk waffles are also one of our favorite breakfasts for dinner. In fact, over the last few years I’ve shared several waffle recipes you might like:

• Mexican Cornbread Waffles
• Falafel Waffles
• Cauliflower Cheese Waffles
• Loaded Baked Potato Waffles
• Cheesy Ham Waffles

Also make sure to scroll down to see all the wonderful waffles my Sunday FunDay friends are sharing today.

Peanut Butter Banana Waffles

For this recipe, I used the little bananas that are called pisang mas or gold bananas in Malaysia, Oritos in Ecuador and Ouros in Brazil. They have thin skins and are quite small and super sweet. The reason for their name becomes obvious when you peel them. Check out the golden color! It took four of these little guys to make up a half cup or 120g. Of course, substitute your favorite variety of banana if you can't find these. In my waffle iron, this recipe makes 10 waffles.

Ingredients

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

1/4 cup or 30g whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 large egg 

1 cup or 240ml milk

1/2 cup or 120ml mashed banana

1/4 cup peanut butter

canola or other light oil for the waffle iron, as needed

To serve: butter and syrup (or honey)

Method

Mix the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. 

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Whisk in the peanut butter, egg and milk. 

Preheat your waffle iron. 

Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and fold till well combined.

If your waffle iron isn’t nonstick, brush the surface lightly with the oil. 

Use a ladle to fill the waffle iron with the appropriate amount of batter. Waffle irons can differ greatly in capacity so please consult your manual. 

Cook until the waffle is golden brown, approximately 5-6 minutes, depending on your waffle iron. Repeat until all of the waffles are cooked. 

When I plan to freeze the waffles, I like to stack mine up like a house of cards when they are cooked so that they stay crisp on the outside as they cool. I find that when I stack them one on top of the other, the steam created softens them.

Serve the waffles warm, with butter and syrup, if desired. 

You could even add some extra sliced bananas.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay again and my friends are sharing a plethora of waffle recipes! Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. 

• Chicken and Waffles from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Hash Brown Waffles from Palatable Pastime
• Liège Style Waffles from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Peanut Butter Banana Waffles from Food Lust People Love
• Pumpkin Waffles from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Savory Cheesy Herb Waffles from Making Miracles
• Sourdough Waffles from Cooking With Carlee
• Waffles from Sneha's Recipe

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Creamy Shrimp Newburg #FishFridayFoodies

Succulent shrimp and golden buttery mushrooms make this creamy shrimp Newburg a rich, delicious dish that is perfect as a fancy appetizer or to serve with a big green salad as a main course. You can also serve it over pasta or rice. 

 

When I was quite young we lived in Trinidad in the West Indies. My dad worked for Texaco as a reservoir engineer so we lived in the Texaco camp called Pointe-a-Pierre. According to my mother, the usual small town politics and hierarchy were at work there, with your position in “society” determined by your husband’s job. 

All I know it that it seemed my parents were invited to a lot of parties! My older sister and I were both avid readers so we would enjoy what we called BYOB dinners when they were out – Bring Your Own Book. We’d eat and read at the table very happily, no need for conversation. Years later, when she got old enough, our little sister would join in as well. 

My mom also loved to host dinner parties. She tells me that she felt sorry for the people who were staying in temporary Texaco housing and eating at the mess hall so she always made a point of inviting them over for a home cooked meal. 

Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, seafood was plentiful and inexpensive in Trinidad and its neighboring islands. Shrimp Newburg was one of her favorite dishes to serve then and in later years once we'd moved on. I remember it very fondly as well.  Who can resist shrimp in such a creamy sauce?

Creamy Shrimp Newburg

I buy headless, cleaned easy peel frozen shrimp at my nearby supermarket. One pound or 450g yields about three-quarters of a pound or 340g after the shells are removed. If you are starting with peeled, cleaned fresh shrimp, that’s the amount you’ll need for this recipe, which has been adapted from a lobster Newburg one on What’s Cooking America. You can also read about the history of this great dish there.

Ingredients 

1 lb or 450g headless shrimp (weight before shelling)

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups or 360ml heavy cream, divided 

8 oz baby bella or cremini mushrooms, cleaned, hard stem removed, sliced

2 tablespoons butter 

1 tablespoon dry sherry

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For topping: 

4 heaped tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs

Drizzle olive oil

Optional for garnish:

Flat leaf parsley

Method

If you are using frozen shrimp, thaw and drain them. Peel and clean the shrimp. If they are large, cut them in half. Smaller shrimp can be left whole. 

In a mixing bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup or 120ml of the heavy cream. Set aside. 

Clean the mushrooms. Trim and discard any hard stem ends. Slice the mushrooms. 

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat and cook the sliced mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they lose all their liquid and turn a lovely golden brown on both sides. 

Add in the shrimp. Cook them for just a few minutes, until they turn pink. 

Add the rest of the plain cream along with the sherry, salt and cayenne. 

Turn the heat down to simmer and cook for a further few minutes, until the mixture slightly reduces. Drizzle about 1/4 cup or 60ml of the sauce into the yolk mixture, whisking rapidly as you do until it is completely combined. 

Stir the yolk mixture into the cooking pan. Cook over a low heat for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. 

Divide the shrimp Newburg into four ramekins or, if you are so fortunately, large scallop shells. Place them on a large baking pan. 

I scrunched up some foil and pressed the shells down so the foil made a little secure base for each. This keeps the shells horizontal as well. 

Sprinkle the tops with the fresh breadcrumbs and drizzle a little olive oil over each. 

Heat your oven broiler and put the baking pan in the oven on a middle rack for about 4-5 minutes. Watch carefully so that the tops don’t burn. When they are golden brown, remove from the oven. 

Garnish your creamy shrimp Newburgs with a little parsley, if desired, and serve immediately. 

Enjoy! 

This month my Fish Friday Foodie friends are sharing seafood dishes fit for company. Check out all the wonderful recipes below. Many thanks to our host, Rebekah of Making Miracles. 

• Creamy Shrimp Newburg by Food Lust People Love
• Crispy Shrimp Triangle Spring Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Dungeness Crab Risotto and Some Italian Bubbles by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Easy and Elegant Garlicky Shrimp Pasta by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Prawn Patio by Sneha's Recipe
• Tilapia Curry by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Mediterranean Baked Fish by Making Miracles
  
  
  
  
  
  Are you a food blogger who would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas. 

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