Stew might seem like an unlikely dinner on a hot summer night, but most of the humidity can be avoided by using a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers have come a long way since "Grandma put a turkey on the ceiling", though vintage cookers often work just fine with a replacement gasket.

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I use the following recipe as a rough guide, according to whatever I have on hand. I used red onions and Psenkova cherry mead that we had leftover from other meals. Steve prefers rosemary, but I happened to know where to find fresh dill growing in the alley. And I prefer a fattier cut of beef, but Al Haramain grinds all the desirable, marbled cuts into burger. The roast they did have was fine for 8:45 p.m. on the 4th of July.

The raw vegetables shown are completely prepped. The onions, celery, and diced carrots disintegrate entirely. I serve the potatoes whole because they lose their shape very easily once broken.

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Follow up:

Beef Stew

1 tblsp olive oil
1 or two onions, chopped coarsely
1/2 c. diced celery
1/2 c. diced carrot
1/2 c. wine
2 tblsp tomato paste
1 c. beef broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
2 pounds beef cut into 1 in. chunks
6 small potatoes, peeled or scrubbed
3 peeled carrots
1 tblsp fresh dill (or 2 tsp fresh thyme, or 2 tsp dried rosemary)
Freshly ground pepper
1 tblsp vinegar (optional)

In a pressure cooker, fry the onions, diced celery stalks, and diced carrot in olive oil for a minute. Add the wine and tomato paste, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the broth, bay leaves, salt, and beef. Add a layer of potatoes, and place the carrots on top.

Lock on the lid, and heat over high heat until high-pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat, maintaining high-pressure for 16 minutes. Turn off the burner and allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the lid, discard the bay leaves, and skim surface fat if necessary.

Add the spices, celery leaves, and vinegar. Cut the carrots coarsely with a knife, right in the pot. Break up one of the potatoes to thicken, if desired. Stir and serve.