Autumn Stew With Thyme Dumplings Food

BEEF STEW WITH DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Dredge beef cubes in flour and remove, shaking off excess flour.
• Over medium high heat, melt one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of oil in 6-quart heavy bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven until slightly brown and frothy. Place half of the beef in the hot fat making sure that meat pieces do not touch each other. Sear two minutes per side. Remove from pan and heat another tablespoon of butter and oil then cook the second half of the meat. Remove meat from pan when done and set aside. Total time to sear all the meat is 15 minutes.
• Turn heat to medium and add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan. Add in chopped onions and cook three minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for one more minute. Add tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
• Add in red wine to deglaze pan, scraping up any brown bits from bottom.
• Add browned beef cubes, stock, water, bay leaf, thyme, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to a simmer and cover pot with lid slightly ajar. Simmer for 2 ½ hours or until beef is tender, adjusting water as needed. If all of the liquid does not fit, set some aside and add later as the liquid in the pan evaporates. Either way, check at the two hour mark and if needed, add more liquid. We used exactly four quarts of liquid (Three quarts beef stock and one quart of water).
• After 2 1/2 hours, add in carrots, potatoes, green beans, pearl onions and parsley and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• While vegetables are cooking, prepare dumpling batter as follows: Sift flour, baking powder and sugar together. Add salt and thyme into the bowl and then cut in butter with a fork until pieces are rice size. Add milk and stir with spoon until mixed.
• Add green peas to stew, adjust seasoning and turn heat to low. Remove and discard bay leaves.
• Drop heaping tablespoons of dumpling batter into stew until all batter is used. (Do NOT just pour the dumpling batter in all at once.) Cover and cook 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Check and if they are not puffed up enough, cook for another minute or two covered. Ours took exactly 15 minutes .
• Serve bowls of stew with dumplings on top.

AUTUMN STEW WITH THYME DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• In a dutch oven, sweat the onion, the leek and the garlic together on medium heat.
• Add the vegetables, the kidney beans,the broth, the juniper berries, the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
• Put the lid on and bake for 2 hours.
• Raise oven temperature to 350°F Remove pot from the oven.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, the baking powder, the salt and the thyme. Add the margarine and mix until crumbly. Add the water and mix until it's combined together.
• Divide dough into 20 little balls, roll them and put them over the stew. Cover with the lid and return to oven for 30 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE DURING COOKING PROCESS.

MOM'S HEARTY BEEF STEW WITH DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering, and place the onion and beef into the hot oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the steak seasoning, stir the meat and onions well, and sprinkle with 1 more teaspoon of seasoning. Add the celery, and cook and stir until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in 2 cups of water to just cover the meat, onion, and celery, bring to a boil, and stir and scrape the browned bits of flavor from the bottom of the pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the beef is very tender, about 2 hours. Remove the meat and celery pieces from the pan, set the meat aside, and discard the celery.
• In a bowl, whisk together the gravy mix with 4 cups of water. Add the mixture to the juices in the pot, bring to a boil, and stir the meat back into the gravy mixture. Stir in the turnip and carrots, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, cover, and simmer an additional 20 minutes.
• To make dumplings, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture looks crumbly. Pour in the milk, and lightly stir the mixture just until it combines to form a dough.
• Remove 2 cups of gravy from the pot, and reserve. Drop the dumplings by heaping tablespoon onto the meat and vegetables in the pot, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not peek until the time is up. Pour the reserved gravy back over the dumplings, stir lightly, and serve.

WINTRY BEEF VEGETABLE STEW WITH FLUFFY HERB DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Cook and stir beef in shortening in heavy 8-10 quart stock pot, until beef is well browned. (Note: If too much liquid builds up to prevent adequate browning, pour off excess liquid into a bowl and reserve. Continue to brown the beef and when well browned, add the reserved liquid back into the pot.).
• Add 5 cups hot water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
• Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer until beef is almost tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Stir in potato, turnip, rutabaga, carrots, green pepper, green beans (if using), celery, onion, bouquet sauce, the bouillon cube and bay leaves.
• Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender (but do not overcook), stirring once, about 25 minutes.
• Prepare dough (see below) for Dumplings; set aside.
• Using a fork, blend together 1 cup cold water and the 4 tablespoons flour in a small mixing bowl; stir gradually into stew.
• Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
• Boil and stir 1 minute; reduce heat.
• Do ahead tip: After boiling and stirring 1 minute, stew can be covered and refrigerated no longer than 48 hours. To serve, heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Continue as directed.
• DUMPLINGS:.
• In a large bowl, cut shortening into combined flour, baking powder, salt, parsley and herbs until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
• Stir in milk.
• Drop by heaping tablespoons onto hot meat or vegetables in boiling stew (do not drop directly into liquid).
• Cook uncovered 15 minutes.
• Cover and cook about 15 minutes longer. Cut a dumpling in half to test for doneness; you want them done but not dry!
• Serve stew piping hot, with a buttered baguette and a glass of cider, ale, or wine. As with all good stews, this stew is even better reheated the next day, after flavors have had a chance to meld. Stew leftovers freeze and reheat beautifully, and would make a delicious cottage or shepherd's pie.