Beef Stew And Dumplings With Vichy Carrots
This hearty beef stew is the epitome of comfort food. Tender chunks of stewing steak are browned to perfection before being simmered in a rich red wine and beef stock sauce with fragrant herbs. Topped with fluffy suet dumplings that soak up all the savory goodness, this dish is a true winter warmer. Serve with Vichy carrots for a complete and satisfying meal that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 25g/1oz unsalted butter
- 750g/1lb 10oz stewing steak
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 garlic cloves
- 250g/9oz round shallots
- 150ml/5½fl oz red wine
- 500ml/18fl oz beef stock
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 3 tbsp fresh thyme
- , to taste Worcestershire sauce
- salt and black pepper
- 125g/4½oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 60g/2¼oz suet
- 4 medium carrots
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
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 shallots and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the wine, stock and herbs, then add the Worcestershire sauce to taste. Season to taste 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 dumpling 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.)
- For the Vichy carrots, place the carrots, butter, sugar and four tablespoons of water into a pan and bring to a simmer.
- Cover with a lid or cartouche (a circle of greaseproof paper arranged so that it covers the top of the carrots) and cook gently for 4-5 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Season with salt and black pepper.
- To serve, place a spoonful of the stew onto a plate and place one whole carrot and a dumpling next to it.
Prep Time
PT30M
Yield
Serves 4-6
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