Pressure Cooker Lamb and White Bean Stew

from Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way

4 should lamb chops (about 2 pounds total), trimmed of fat*

1 1/2 cups (about 1/2 pound) dried white beans, such as navy or great northern, picked over and washed under cold running water

2 cups canned diced tomatoes (1 14 oz. can with liquid)

1 cup diced (1-inch) onions

1 cup diced (1-inch) trimmed and washed leek

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic

1 sprig fresh thyme and 1 sprig fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 cups cold water

Put all the ingredients in a pressure cooker, cover tightly with the pressure-cooker lid, and cook over high heat until the gauge indicates that the stew is cooker on high pressure. Reduce the heat to low and cook the stew for 40 minutes.

Decompress the pressure cooker according to manufacturer's instructions (I do mine in the sink so the steam is contained somewhat as it is emitted). Open the pressure cooker and let the stew rest for a few minutes until the fat rises to the surface. Spoon off and discard as much fat as possible and taste the stew for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.

*Cut off as much fat from the chops as possible--it doesn't matter if the chop falls apart when ridding it of fat because it is going to fall apart when cooking anyway. If you don't take off the fat, the stew will have a very strong (too strong in my opinion) lamb-mutton flavor. --PKS