DUMPLINGS FOR STEW RECIPE RECIPES

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
2. Put your flour into a mixing bowl. Using a coarse grater, grate your cold butter into the flour. Add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
3. Using your fingers, gently rub the butter into the flour until it begins to resemble breadcrumbs. Add a splash of cold water to help bind it into a dough.
4. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and gently roll each into a round dumpling. The dumplings will suck up quite a bit of moisture so if your stew looks dry, add a cup of boiling water and give it a good stir.
5. Place the dumplings on top of your fully cooked stew and press down lightly so that they’re half submerged. Cook in the oven or on the hob over a medium heat with the lid on for 30 minutes.

Start by making the dumplings. Rub the butter into the flour and mix with the Cheddar and thyme. Add just enough cold water to bring the mixture together to a soft dough and divide into 5–6 small dumplings.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and fry the onion and celery over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the flour into the pan, whisking constantly to make a roux. Add in the Marmite and tomato purée followed by the stock, a glug at a time, whisking all the while to make a smooth base to the stew.

Throw the carrots, parsnips, swede, sweet potatoes, rosemary and bouquet garni into the dish and bring to a boil. Cook the stew, with the lid off, for 5-7 minutes. The vegetables should be cooking nicely but still have a bite to them. 

Rinse the orzo pasta well, in a sieve, and the pour into the casserole along with the chestnuts. Season well and place the dumplings on top of the casserole. Sprinkle over a little chopped rosemary and bake in the oven, with the lid off, for 20-30 minutes until the dumplings are puffed up and nicely cooked and the vegetables are tender. 

Season the flour with a good pinch of salt and pepper, then toss the beef in the seasoned flour to coat

Cook the beef in batches in 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over high heat, turning occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until brown all over. Transfer to a slow cooker

Cook the vegetables, garlic and mushrooms in the remaining oil in the pan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables begin to brown. Stir in the herbs, tomato purée and chopped tomato and cook for a couple of minutes. Add to the beef in the slow cooker

Pour in the stock and cook for 4 hours on high (or 6 hours on low), until the meat is very tender

To make the dumplings, combine all the flour, suet and herbs in a bowl and add enough milk to just bring it together. Season with salt and pepper. Roll into 6-8 small balls

Stir the stew, remove the bay leaves and season to taste

Evenly top the surface of the stew with the dumplings. Cover and cook for an additional hour with the lid on

Serve topped with the combined parsley and garlic if using. 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
2. Put your flour into a mixing bowl. Using a coarse grater, grate your cold butter into the flour. Add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
3. Using your fingers, gently rub the butter into the flour until it begins to resemble breadcrumbs. Add a splash of cold water to help bind it into a dough.
4. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and gently roll each into a round dumpling. The dumplings will suck up quite a bit of moisture so if your stew looks dry, add a cup of boiling water and give it a good stir.
5. Place the dumplings on top of your fully cooked stew and press down lightly so that they’re half submerged. Cook in the oven or on the hob over a medium heat with the lid on for 30 minutes.

Start by making the dumplings. Rub the butter into the flour and mix with the Cheddar and thyme. Add just enough cold water to bring the mixture together to a soft dough and divide into 5–6 small dumplings.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and fry the onion and celery over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the flour into the pan, whisking constantly to make a roux. Add in the Marmite and tomato purée followed by the stock, a glug at a time, whisking all the while to make a smooth base to the stew.

Throw the carrots, parsnips, swede, sweet potatoes, rosemary and bouquet garni into the dish and bring to a boil. Cook the stew, with the lid off, for 5-7 minutes. The vegetables should be cooking nicely but still have a bite to them. 

Rinse the orzo pasta well, in a sieve, and the pour into the casserole along with the chestnuts. Season well and place the dumplings on top of the casserole. Sprinkle over a little chopped rosemary and bake in the oven, with the lid off, for 20-30 minutes until the dumplings are puffed up and nicely cooked and the vegetables are tender. 

Season the flour with a good pinch of salt and pepper, then toss the beef in the seasoned flour to coat

Cook the beef in batches in 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over high heat, turning occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until brown all over. Transfer to a slow cooker

Cook the vegetables, garlic and mushrooms in the remaining oil in the pan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables begin to brown. Stir in the herbs, tomato purée and chopped tomato and cook for a couple of minutes. Add to the beef in the slow cooker

Pour in the stock and cook for 4 hours on high (or 6 hours on low), until the meat is very tender

To make the dumplings, combine all the flour, suet and herbs in a bowl and add enough milk to just bring it together. Season with salt and pepper. Roll into 6-8 small balls

Stir the stew, remove the bay leaves and season to taste

Evenly top the surface of the stew with the dumplings. Cover and cook for an additional hour with the lid on

Serve topped with the combined parsley and garlic if using.