Beef Burgundy

I love beef burgundy, but if you have ever made it - the prep time is 1 1/2 hours, then it needs to simmer for 3 hours. I wanted to find out if there was a way to cut down on the time without sacrificing too much of that all-day cooked flavor. I tried using my Cuisinart Pressure Cooker to do the entire job and I have to say that it comes pretty darn close. The prep time for this recipe is time intensive as you need to brown everything separately. The pressure cooker saves you an immense amount of time without sacrificing a lot of the flavor.

1/2 lb bacon, cut into small dice

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp salt

3 lbs. chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 bag frozen pearl onions, thawed on towel

2 tbsp butter

1 lb button mushrooms

2 tbsp beef demi glace

2 cups red wine or beef stock

Turn pressure cooker onto brown and start out by cooking the bacon until crisp, about ten minutes. While the bacon is cooking, toss the flour, salt and beef together in a bowl until well combined. Remove bacon from pot and place into a bowl.

Cook dredged beef in four even batches - ten minutes a batch - well browned. Remove beef in batches and place in a bowl for later. Add olive oil when needed to brown beef. Make sure all of the flour is used in the cooking process - this is what creates the gravy.

Add onion to pot and brown for ten minutes, then remove to bowl. Add 2 tbsp. butter and button mushroom to pot and brown for 15 minutes.

Finally add the beef, bacon and onions back to the pot and stir. Mix in demi glace and wine or stock. Place top on pressure cooker and seal shut - putting pressure valve in proper place. Set mode to high pressure and timer to 30 minutes. When timer beeps it is finished, move pressure valve to 'release pressure' and remove lid after all the pressure has been released.

Serve and enjoy with country bread.