LARGE DUMPLINGS RECIPES

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• 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.