Tender Beef Stew With Dumplings Food

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.

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.

BEEF STEW AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the beef stew, heat the oil in a large, lidded casserole over a medium heat. Fry the chuck steak for 3-4 minutes, until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the onions, carrot, celery and swede and fry for 6-8 minutes, or until golden-brown, adding a little more olive oil if need be. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the plain flour and stir well. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until it turns a nut-brown colour. Pour in the stock and stir well until the sauce thickens.
• Return the beef to the casserole, add the red wine and bay leaves and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, then leave to simmer gently for 1 hour with the lid slightly ajar.
• Meanwhile, for the suet dumplings, combine the flour, suet, baking powder and salt in a bowl until well combined. Add the water gradually, stirring the mixture with your fingers, until it comes together as a slightly sloppy dough. Shape the dough into balls roughly the size of a plum.
• For the herby oat dumplings, combine the oatmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and herbs in a mixing bowl until well combined. Grate the chilled butter into the bowl and mix again. Bring the dough together with your fingers, gradually adding enough water, as before, to make a wet dough. Shape the dough into plum-sized balls.
• When the stew has been simmering for an hour, season it again with salt and pepper, if necessary. Put the dumplings on top of the stew, cover the casserole with the lid, and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the dumplings have proudly puffed up. Serve.

BEEF STEW WITH DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a bowl, toss cubed beef with flour to coat.
• Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a bag or bowl, and add beef cubes. Toss to coat with flour. Place coated cubes in the skillet and fry until well-browned on all sides; remove from pan and set aside.
• Cook onion and garlic in same pan until tender. Return meat to pan with water, parsley, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, and green pepper, and continue cooking another 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and stir in mushrooms.
• In a small bowl, mix together baking mix, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and milk until just blended. Drop dough by the tablespoonful into stew. Simmer, uncovered, approximately 10 minutes. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes more, or until dumplings are cooked through, but not dry.

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.