Beef Dumpling Stew
Ingredients
- Olive Oil – 2 tbs
- Butter – 25g
- Beef – 750g
- Plain Flour – 2 tblsp
- Garlic – 2 cloves minced
- Onions – 175g
- Celery – 150g
- Carrots – 150g
- Leek – 2 chopped
- Swede – 200g
- Red Wine – 150ml
- Beef Stock – 500g
- Bay Leaf – 2
- Thyme – 3 tbs
- Parsley – 3 tblsp chopped
- Plain Flour – 125g
- Baking Powder – 1 tsp
- Suet – 60g
- Water – Splash
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- For the beef stew, heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole and fry the beef until browned on all sides.
- Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and all the vegetables and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- 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.
- Cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for about two hours, or until the meat is tender.
- For the dumplings, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
- Add the suet and enough water to form a thick dough.
- With floured hands, roll spoonfuls of the dough into small balls.
- 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.)
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.
