Pressure-Cooker Beef Bolognese with Cherry Tomatoes

Instructions

Steps show original quantities. Use the adjusted ingredient list for your batch; times stay unchanged.

1. Finely dice 250 g onion, 180 g carrot, and 150 g celery. Mince 4 garlic cloves and halve 250–300 g cherry tomatoes.

2. Heat the 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high to high heat for several minutes. Add 1 tbsp olive oil or high-heat cooking fat.

3. Brown 1000 g ground beef in two 500 g batches. Put each batch into the skillet in several large chunks and leave undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to develop a deep brown crust. Flip, brown additional surfaces for 1–2 minutes, then break into rough crumbles. Transfer each browned batch to the pressure cooker. Keep the fond in the skillet.

4. Reduce the skillet to medium heat and add 30 g butter. Add 250 g finely diced onion, 180 g finely diced carrot, 150 g finely diced celery, and 4 g fine salt. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring and scraping the beef fond, until very soft and lightly golden.

5. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook about 1 minute. Clear a space in the skillet, add 35 g tomato paste directly to the iron, and cook about 2 minutes until dark brick-red. Mix into the vegetables.

6. Add 250–300 g halved cherry tomatoes. Cook over medium-high heat for 8–12 minutes, crushing them as they soften, until their released water has substantially evaporated and the mixture is thick and jammy.

7. Pour in 200 ml dry red wine and scrape the skillet thoroughly to dissolve the browned fond. Boil for 4–6 minutes, until the wine has reduced by roughly half and no longer smells sharply alcoholic. Transfer the entire skillet mixture to the pressure cooker.

8. Add 400 g crushed tomatoes, 250 ml whole cow milk, 75 ml beef stock, the remaining 12 g fine salt, 1.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 0.25 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, and 2 bay leaves to the pressure cooker. Stir thoroughly.

9. Seal the pressure cooker and bring to high pressure. Cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.

10. Turn off the heat and allow a 15-minute natural pressure release. Release any remaining pressure and open the cooker.

11. Remove the 2 bay leaves. Simmer uncovered over medium to medium-low heat for about 20–30 minutes, stirring periodically and increasingly often as the ragù thickens.

12. Continue reducing until the ragù is thick, dark, glossy, and meat-forward. A wooden spoon dragged across the bottom should leave a trail that remains briefly visible before the sauce slowly closes over it.

13. Taste only after reduction and add additional salt or black pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and optionally stir in 10–15 g butter for additional gloss and richness.

14. Rest the finished Bolognese off the heat for 10–15 minutes before serving.

15. For dried pasta, toss each serving with ragù and a splash of reserved pasta water in a skillet for 1–2 minutes so the sauce adheres.

Success cues

• Beef develops a genuinely deep brown crust rather than steaming gray.
• Tomato paste becomes dark brick-red before liquids are added.
• Fresh cherry tomatoes cook down from watery to thick and jammy.
• Wine is reduced by roughly half and loses its harsh alcoholic aroma before pressure cooking.
• Finished ragù is thick, dark, glossy, and primarily meat-forward rather than resembling a pourable tomato sauce.
• Dragging a wooden spoon across the bottom leaves a trail visible briefly before the ragù slowly closes over it.

Scaling notes

Preserve the cherry tomato and finishing-butter ranges when scaling ingredients. The serving count is an estimate; do not turn it into an assumed exact yield. Keep the beef browning in batches so the skillet is not crowded, and check pressure-cooker capacity before increasing the batch. Pressure-cooking and reduction times do not scale arithmetically.

Storage

Refrigerate the finished ragù. Its flavor may improve by the following day.