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Beef stew and dumplings
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There's nothing quite like a comforting bowl of beef stew, especially when topped off with fluffy little dumpling pillows. Dominic Chapman makes sure the meat is meltingly tender in his recipe by braising it for several hours, and adds flavour with salty pancetta, star anise and plenty of hearty veg.
First published in 2015
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Beef stew
- 1.2kg braising beef
- 80g of pancetta, chopped
- 40ml of red wine vinegar
- 5 knobs of butter
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 1/2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 star anise
- 50g of large flat mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large ripe tomato, halved
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 5g of bouquet garni
- 2l chicken stock
- 160g of baby onions, peeled
- 160g of button mushrooms
- 1 tbsp of parsley, chopped
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
- 1 dash of olive oil
Dumplings
- 100g of plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 pinches of salt
- 40g of vegetable light suet
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
Cut the braising beef into large pieces - you are going to braise the meat until tender, if the pieces are cut too small they may break up
- 1.2kg braising beef
2
Place a large pan over a medium heat and add a dash of oil. Add the meat and pancetta, cook until browned then add the vinegar and stir thoroughly for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
- 40ml of red wine vinegar
- 80g of pancetta, chopped
3
Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. Once melted, add the leek, celery and carrots and cook until soft and golden brown, then remove from the heat
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 1/2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
4
In a separate pan, repeat the process with the sliced onion, star anise and butter. Then, do the same in another pan using the large flat mushrooms and a knob of butter
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 star anise
- 2 knobs of butter
- 50g of large flat mushrooms, sliced
5
Preheat the oven to 220˚C/gas mark 8
6
Cut the tomato in half and toss with the caster sugar in a bowl. Arrange cut-side down on a baking tray and drizzle with a dash of olive oil
- 1 large ripe tomato, halved
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 1 dash of olive oil
7
Cook the tomatoes in the oven for 20 minutes, or until tender and caramelised
8
Combine all of the caramelised vegetables with the meat, pancetta, tomatoes and bouquet garni in a flameproof casserole dish. Pour in enough stock to cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours
- 5g of bouquet garni
- 2l chicken stock
9
Once the meat is very tender, strain the sauce from the pot into a separate pan. Return the sauce to the hob and simmer until it reduces down to a thin gravy-like consistency
10
Return the solids to the pan with the sauce and remove from the heat
11
Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. Add the baby onions and cook until browned. Then, remove the onions and set aside
- 1 knob of butter
- 160g of baby onions, peeled
12
Add another knob of butter to the same pan and return to the heat. Add the button mushrooms and fry until browned. Add both the baby onions and mushrooms to the beef stew
- 160g of button mushrooms
- 1 knob of butter
13
For the dumplings, mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the suet and enough water to bind the mix
- 100g of plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 pinches of salt
- 40g of vegetable light suet
14
Roll the dough into small dumplings - approximately the size of cherry tomatoes. This mix should yield 16 dumplings
15
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a simmer and add the dumplings. Cover the pan and poach for 15-20 minutes
- 1 pinch of salt
16
Reheat the stew on the stove until hot
17
Divide the hot stew into bowls and finish with chopped parsley and the dumplings. Serve immediately
- 1 tbsp of parsley, chopped
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