Rosemary Shrager’s hearty beef stew with herby dumplings
It’s the perfect recipe to get you through the cold snap. Rosemary Shrager’s in the kitchen to show you how to make her warming beef stew with fluffy dumplings - the definition of comfort food!
Hearty beef stew with herby dumplings
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
For the stew: 2 tbsp oil 900g chuck steak, cut into large pieces1 onion, peeled and sliced2 tsp plain flour50ml red wine200g button mushrooms200g chopped tomatoes 2 tsp brown sugar600ml good quality beef stock 1 small handful of fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, bay leaf) Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For the dumplings:400g self-raising flourPinch of salt200g vegetable suet1 tbsp dried mixed herb spices 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped160ml water (enough to make a soft, but not sticky, dough)
To finish:2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180℃. Heat the oil In a casserole dish, and brown the beef in batches. Once browned, put onto a plate and set aside.
2. Gently fry the onion in the same dish until soft and beginning to caramelise. Add the flour and continue to cook for a minute, then deglaze the pan with red wine and cook for a minute more.
3. Add the beef to the dish along with the button mushrooms, tomatoes, sugar, and beef stock and the herbs. Season and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Place the dish into the oven and cook at 180C for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 150C and cook for a further 1- 1½ hours, until the meat is starting to fall apart, checking the seasoning throughout. If the sauce is too liquid, remove the meat and reduce the sauce to a coating consistency, before adding back to the dish.
5. To make the dumplings, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Mix in the vegetable suet and the spices and herbs. and add enough water to make a soft, but not sticky, dough . Roll into dumplings (each dumpling should weigh about 30g).
6. Add the dumplings on top of the casserole, cover and continue to bake for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with flat leaf parsley and serve.