How to Make Beef Stew and Dumplings

beef broth

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water + bouillon

Vegetable broth reduces calories and is suitable for vegetarians.

red wine

🥗Healthier: non-alcoholic wine

💰Cheaper: grape juice

Grape juice provides sweetness without alcohol.

butter

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Olive oil is healthier and can replace butter in cooking.

flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: all-purpose flour

Whole wheat flour offers more nutrients.

Remove the papery outside layer of a whole bulb of garlic, keeping the cloves intact.

Chop off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves.

Rub olive oil into the top of the garlic bulb and loosely wrap it in tin foil.

Place the wrapped garlic in a muffin tray and roast in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 35 minutes.

After roasting, let the garlic cool, then squeeze out the soft cloves.

Peel 2 large carrots, chop off the tops and tails, and cut into roughly one-inch chunks.

Remove the bottom part of 3 sticks of celery and chop into roughly one-inch pieces.

Chop 2 leeks into large chunks, discarding the root end.

Remove the tops and bottoms of 2 shallots, peel, and chop into similar-sized pieces as the other vegetables.

Heat a large casserole dish over low to medium heat and add olive oil.

Coat diced stewing steak in plain flour, salt, and black pepper.

Brown the meat in batches in the hot pan, ensuring it touches the bottom for even cooking.

Once browned, remove the meat and set aside.

Add the vegetables (carrots, celery, leeks, and shallots) to the pan and stir to combine.

Pour in a bottle of red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom.

Return the browned meat to the pan, add the roasted garlic, and pour in the beef stock.

Mix everything well and cover the pan with a lid.

Place the covered pan in the oven and cook for about 3-4 hours.

For the dumplings, mix all-purpose flour, suet pastry, and salt in a bowl.

Add 4-5 tablespoons of cold tap water gradually until a stiff dough forms.

Roll out dumpling balls and place them on top of the stew after it has cooked for 3-4 hours.

Cover the pan again and return it to the oven for about 20 minutes to cook the dumplings.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens