Читать книгу Great Family Food - Kevin Dundon - Страница 29

1 tbsp sunflower oil

700g/1lb 8oz lean stewing beef, finely diced

1 onion, peeled and sliced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

¹/₂ turnip, peeled and finely diced

1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

2 celery sticks

1 large tsp tomato purée

25g/1oz/2¹/₂ tbsp plain flour

850ml/1¹/₂ pints/3³/₄ cups beef stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Herb Dumplings:

200g/7oz/1 ¹/₃ cups self-raising flour

50g/2oz/¹/₂ cup suet pinch of salt

¹/₂ onion, peeled and very finely chopped

2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

50g/2oz/¹/₂ cup grated Cheddar cheese (optional)

about 5 tbsp soured milk

1 Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan. Add the diced stewing beef and fry quickly until coloured or sealed all over. Add the vegetables to the pan, mix around well and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until all the vegetables are sealed and glazed like the beef.

2 Next, add the tomato purée and a little salt and pepper and sprinkle the flour on top of the mixture. Mix in the flour (this will act as a thickening agent), ensuring that all the vegetables and meat are covered and lightly coated. Pour in the stock and mix it well to ensure that there are no lumps of flour stuck to the sides of the saucepan.

3 Allow the mixture to come to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 1¹/₂-2 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are tender and the sauce is a nice consistency.

4 Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a large bowl mix the flour, suet, salt, finely chopped onion, fresh parsley and Cheddar cheese (if using) together well. Gently stir in the soured milk a little at a time—do not add all the milk at once because you may not need all of the liquid. The mixture should resemble a soft dough (like a scone).

5 Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead the dough very gently, just until it comes together, then cut out the dumplings, using a cup or a scone cutter. They should be no thicker than 2cm/³/₄in.

6 About 30 minutes before the stew is ready, drop in the dumplings. These cook in the stew and take about 25-30 minutes. If you wish, at this stage you can finish the stew off in the oven by transferring it to a casserole dish with a lid and placing in an oven preheated to 150°C/ 300°F/Gas Mark 2.