Beef stew with dumplings

Original Recipe

For the coldest wintry evenings, tuck into a rich beef stew with fluffy dumplings to warm you right down to your toes.

Notes

Changed the dumpling recipe to the Grandma’s cookbook version

Ingredients

For the beef stew

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 25g/1oz butter
• 750g/1lb 10oz beef stewing steak, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 175g/6oz baby onions, peeled
• 150g/5oz celery, cut into large chunks
• 150g/5oz carrots, cut into large chunks
• 2 leeks, roughly chopped
• 200g/7oz swede, cut into large chunks
• 150ml/5fl oz red wine
• 500ml/18fl oz beef stock
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
• Worcestershire sauce, to taste
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, or to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dumplings

• 115g self-raising flour, plus extra for shaping
• 55g suet or vegetable shortneing
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp dry rosemary
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• Salt & Pepper
• water, to make a dough

To serve

• mashed potato
• 1 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. For the beef stew, heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole and fry the beef until browned on all sides.

3. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and all the vegetables and fry for 1-2 minutes.

5. Stir in the wine, stock and herbs, then add the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar, to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for about two hours, or until the meat is tender.

7. For the dumplings, place the flour, suet, mustard, herbs, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl and mix well. Just before adding the dumplings to the stew add enough of the water to the mixture to form a firm but soft dough. Break the dough into 12 pieces and roll them into round dumplings (you might need some flour on your hands for this).

8. After two hours, remove the lid from the stew and place the balls on top of the stew. Cover, return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until the dumplings have swollen and are tender. (If you prefer your dumplings with a golden top, leave the lid off when returning to the oven.)

9. To serve, place a spoonful of mashed potato onto each of four serving plates and top with the stew and dumplings. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.