I wasn't entirely sold on the combination of beef and pumpkin for this stew, but I wanted to give it a shot and, actually, it really works! The mint doesn't really come through that much, but the cinnamon does and it adds a fantastic warmth to the meal. I'd be tempted to add a few parsnips or some other veggies next time, but I don't think it needs it. It's great as is.

The recipe is written for a slow cooker, so I made this stew in the InstantPot. And that worked quite well. It meant that I could do a little work in the morning and then just leave it to slow cook all day with very little "hands on" time. That said, I do think a stew like this would be excellent made in a big Dutch oven on the stovetop. It wouldn't be quite as set-it-and-forget-it as using a slow cooker/InstantPot, but it would still require very little active time and might produce even better results. Maybe something to try for next time...

Beef & Pumpkin Stew

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1.3-1.5kg stewing beef
• 1 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/3 c. dry red wine
• 8 tsp. red wine vinegar, divided
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into 5-cm pieces
• 1 (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1/3 c. beef or chicken stock
• 450g baking pumpkin, peeled and cut into 5-cm pieces
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped

Directions

1. Season the beef with 1/2 Tbsp. of the salt and all of the pepper.
2. Set InstantPot to "sauté medium" and heat up 1 Tbsp. of the oil.¹
3. Sear the beef in batches, flipping and turning to get good colour on all sides.
4. Remove beef from pot and set aside.
5. Add onion, thyme, and bay leaves and cook until onion softens (~6 minutes).
6. Add garlic and cinnamon stick and cook for another minute or two.
7. Pour in the wine and 2 Tbsp. of the vinegar and deglaze the pan.
8. Add the carrots, tomatoes, and beef stock.
9. Return the seared beef to the pot.
10. Cover and cook on low ("slow cook low") for 5 hours.²
11. Stir in pumpkin, increase heat to "high" and continue to slow cook until pumpkin is tender (1-2 hours).³
12. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 tsp. of vinegar into the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil.
13. Mix in the remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt.
14. Stir in the green onions and mint.
15. Once the pumpkin is tender, stir in the green onion mixture, season to taste with additional salt and pepper, and serve.

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¹ Or heat oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. ^Back
2 Might only need 3 or 4 if doing stovetop method. Cook over low heat, stirring very occasionally, until beef is tender. Add a little more liquid if it starts to get too dry. ^{Back 3} For stovetop, increase heat to medium-low and continue cooking, covered, stirring occasionally, until pumpkin is tender. ^Back