Grandma Bouclairs Dumplings For Stew Food

DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Whilst your stew is bubbling, make the dumplings. Weigh the flour into a bowl and add ½ tsp salt. Stir through the suet and parsley, if using. Make a well in the centre and add 3 tbsp cold water, mix to a dough, adding more water until the dough is firm but pliable. Divide into eight equal pieces and roll in a little more flour into balls. Chill until needed.
• When the stew has about 30 mins to go, arrange the dumplings on top and cover with a lid. With the oven at 160C/140C fan/gas 3, cook the stew and dumplings for 20 mins, then remove the lid and cook for another 10 mins until they're brown and puffed up.

DUMPLINGS FOR STEW-GRANDMA'S OLD FASHIONED RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in medium size bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk to make a soft dough. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling soup or stew. Cover and simmer 15 minutes without lifting lid. Serve.
• 2. VARIATION: To make parsley dumplings, add 1 tablespoon parsley flakes to the dry ingredients.

EASY DROP DUMPLINGS FOR SOUPS AND STEWS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
• Add the milk and mix. The batter should be thick enough to be scooped and dropped from a spoon. Let it rest for a few minutes.
• Once the boiling stew or soup is nearly done, drop spoonfuls of the batter on top. Be sure that there is plenty of liquid in the pot, but try to keep the dumplings on top of the vegetables and meat.
• Cover and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the dumplings. Do not remove the lid until it is time to check the dumplings; when ready, a toothpick inserted into one of the dumplings should come out clean.
• Once done, spoon the stew or soup with the dumplings into a bowl and enjoy.

GRANDMA'S DUMPLINGS FROM SCRATCH: 100+ YEAR OLD RECIPE

Steps:

• Mix the first 6 ingredients together until combined. Slowly add the water until you form a dough. You may have to add more or less water to form the ball.
• Roll out the dumpling dough on a floured surface thin and cut into bite size pieces.
• Drop them one at a time into simmering chicken/broth. She would always drop a few then wait a bit, then drop a few more. She said this kept them from sticking together in the end. After they are all added, give a gentle stir (once or twice around the pot, then leave it alone).
• Let the dumplings simmer in the chicken/broth mixture until they float to the top (about 15 minutes or so). I have let them simmer a longer, and that's fine. She would taste the broth one last time after the dumplings were done for seasoning before we got to eat them!

LIGHT-AS-A-FEATHER DUMPLINGS (FOR SOUP OR STEWS)

Steps:

• In a bowl sift together the flour, salt, black pepper (if using) and baking powder.
• In another bowl mix the egg with melted butter; add to the dry ingredients with enough milk to make a semi-stiff batter (do not over-mix, you might use a little more than 2/3 cup milk).
• Drop by a teaspoon into simmering soup or stew.
• Cook covered for about 18-20 minutes and NO PEEKING for the first 10 minutes.

LIGHTER BEEF STEW & DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep sauté pan. Tip in the onions, bay leaves and thyme sprigs, and fry over a medium heat for about 8 mins, stirring often, until the onions are turning golden. Raise the heat, add the steak and stir-fry briefly until it starts to lose its raw, red colour. Pour in the wine, stir to deglaze the brown sticky bits from the bottom of the pan, and let it bubble briefly. Lower the heat, sprinkle in the flour and mustard powder, and stir for 1 min. The meat should now be coated in a thick, rich sauce.
• Mix in the tomatoes, stirring to break them down. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Tip in the carrots, squash and mushrooms, lower the heat, cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 1 hr 40 mins, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for a further 20 mins, still on a gentle simmer, until the meat is very tender. Season with pepper.
• When the stew is nearly cooked, heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put a 2.25-litre casserole dish in to heat it up. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Put the flour, mustard powder, some pepper and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then stir in the spring onions and parsley. Mix the oil and buttermilk together and gently stir into the flour. Add a drop or two of cold water, if needed, to pick up any dry bits on the bottom of the bowl, and stir to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Be as light-handed as you can, as overmixing or overhandling will toughen the dumplings. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and very lightly shape each into a small, rough ball.
• Carefully transfer the stew to the hot casserole dish and remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Sit the dumplings on top and press them down into the gravy to very slightly submerge. Put the dish on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 mins until the dumplings have risen and are golden on top. Serve with a light scattering of thyme leaves.