Beef stew with fluffy dumplings

A slow-cooked beef and root veg stew with herby suet dumplings floating on top.

Ingredients

• 900 g Stewing beef, cut into big chunks
• 30 g Plain flour, for dusting the beef
• 2 Onions, sliced
• 400 g Carrots, thickly sliced
• 200 g Parsnips, chunked
• 250 g Swede, chunked
• 500 g Potatoes, chunked
• 2 Beef stock cubes, made up with 800ml hot water
• 30 g Tomato purée
• 15 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 1 g Bay leaves
• 2 g Dried thyme
• 30 ml Vegetable oil
• 1 g Black pepper
• 175 g Self-raising flour
• 85 g Vegetable suet
• 2 g Mixed herbs
• 2 g Salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Toss the beef in the plain flour and pepper, then brown it in the oil in batches in a large casserole. Set aside.
2. Soften the onions in the same pot for 5 minutes, stir in the tomato purée, then add the beef, stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and thyme and bring to a simmer.
3. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes until the beef is nearly tender.
4. Stir in the carrots, parsnips, swede and potatoes, cover again and cook for another 30 minutes.
5. Mix the self-raising flour, suet, herbs and salt with about 120ml cold water to a soft dough. Roll into 12 balls.
6. Sit the dumplings on top of the stew, put the lid back on and cook for 20 minutes until puffed and cooked through.