A dark, slow-cooked beef stew with root vegetables, topped with fluffy parsley suet dumplings for the last half hour of cooking.
Prep
25 mins
Cook
2h 30m
Servings
6
Per serving
£2.25
Difficulty
medium
Letting the dumplings steam under a lid rather than roasting uncovered is what keeps them soft and pillowy right through to the middle.
Toss the beef in the flour with seasoning. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and brown the beef in batches, setting aside.
Add the onions, carrots, celery and swede and cook for 8 minutes until starting to soften.
Return the beef to the pot, dissolve the stock cube in 700ml boiling water and pour in, along with the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and thyme.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on a low heat for 1 hour 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender.
For the dumplings, mix the self-raising flour, suet, parsley and a pinch of salt. Add cold water a little at a time until it forms a soft dough, then roll into 12 small balls.
Uncover the stew, check the seasoning, and nestle the dumplings on top. Cover again and cook for a further 20-25 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are well risen and cooked through.