Beef Stew with Dumplings

This marvellous, classic stew from England brings out all the best of British cuisine and is a dish that falls perfectly into the 'comfort food' category. In England, they traditionally use an ingredient called 'suet' when making the dumplings. Suet is made from the hard, white fat that surrounds the kidneys of sheep or cows &, historically, has been a common ingredient in many sweet & savoury dishes in British cuisine. Being that I live in France, suet is not an ingredient I can find, so I have opted for a recipe without it. It is just as tasty and the texture, fluffy & simply divine! I typically serve this dish with mash though, due to the filling nature of dumplings, it could be served as is, with loaf of rustic bread on the side.

4 Servings

Ingredients for the Stew:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 kg stewing beef, cut into bite-sized cubes

2 heaped tbsp flour

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 carrots, sliced into 1cm thick slices

2 turnips (or 1 small swede), cut into bite-sized cubes

600ml beef stock

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (also called Worchester sauce)

3 bay leaves

2 sprigs of thyme

S&P

Ingredients for the Dumplings:

155gr flour

1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter, cut into small cubes

10gr parsley, finely chopped

60ml milk

Instructions:

Heat the oven at 180c for fan assisted ovens & 200c for traditional ovens.

Melt the butter in a large casserole dish (one that can be used on both the stove & in the oven). Add the olive oil & bring the mixture to a sizzle on medium heat.

Add the beef & brown on all sides for 3 minutes.

Add the onions & simmer 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until they have softened.

Sprinkle over the flour & stir well for 1 minute to combine.

Add the garlic, celery, carrots & turnips or swede.

Stir well before slowly incorporating the beef stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

Add the balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme & pepper.

Stir well, cover with the lid & place in the oven for 2 hours.

Every 30 minutes or so, check the stew by removing it from the oven & stirring the contents. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more stock to the tune of a 1/2 cup each time, to maintain the consistency of gravy.

After 2 hours, remove the bay leaves & thyme. Taste the beef. It should be so soft that it almost melts in your mouth. If it is not, return the stew to the oven another 15 minutes at a time or until the beef has softened.

*It is important to add here that a poor quality of beef may not soften completely. In my experience, if the beef is not at least close to being tender after 2.5 hours of cooking, the odds are that the beef is simply not going to get there.

When you are happy with the tenderness of your beef, check the seasoning of your stew & add salt & more pepper if needed. You also want to ensure your sauce is not too thick at this stage. We are looking for a smooth gravy consistency, not the thickness of oatmeal! The dumplings will slightly thicken your sauce as well, so bear that in mind.

Return the stew to the oven while you prepare your dumplings.

Combine the flour, baking powder & salt. Stir well then add the butter.

Using your fingers, work in the butter until it resembles crumbs.

Stir in the parsley & slowly add the milk.

You should end up with a dense pastry.

Divide into 8 equal parts & roll into balls.

Place each dumpling ball on the surface of the stew. Do not push them into the stew.

Immediately place the cover on the casserole dish & return it to the oven.

Do not open the oven door for 15 minutes. Hands off!

After precisely 15 minutes, remove the stew from the oven & open that treasure chest. You should have beautiful, fluffy dumplings floating on the surface of your delightful stew.

Enjoy immediately if you can. Dumplings are always best when served straight from the oven!