Beef stew & Crispy Dumplings
- 30m Prep Time
- 2h Cook Time
- 3h Ready In
A hearty beef stew with tender chunks of beef, root vegetables, and rich gravy, topped with crispy or soft dumplings. Perfect for a comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef diced
- 2 1/9 cups beef stock
- 2 1/9 cups brown ale/stout
- 2 large carrots sliced
- 1 small turnip/swede peeled and diced
- 1 large leek chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 8/15 oz plain flour
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 10 1/7 tbsp cold water
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2/3 lbs self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 8/15 oz finely chopped leek
- 5/13 lbs milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/9 oz butter
- 3 8/15 oz beef or vegetable suet
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 20 of 22 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 565 mg
- Iron: 9.91 mg
- Magnesium: 95.7 mg
- Phosphorus: 789 mg
- Potassium: 1361 mg
- Zinc: 7.67 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 2 1/9 cups beef stock
- 2 1/9 cups brown ale/stout
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 8/15 oz plain flour
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 10 1/7 tbsp cold water
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2/3 lbs self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 8/15 oz finely chopped leek
- 5/13 lbs milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/9 oz butter
- 3 8/15 oz beef or vegetable suet
Prepare
- Dice 2 lbs beef
- Slice 2 large carrots
- 1 small turnip/swede, peeled and diced
- Chop 1 large leek
- Chop 1 large onion
- Mince 4 clove garlic
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Peel and dice the turnip/swede into manageable chunks. Slice carrots, onion, and leek; save 100g of leek leaves for dumplings. Mince garlic cloves.
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Step 2.
Coat beef chunks in plain flour. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Brown the beef in batches to avoid overcrowding. Deglaze the pan with a bit of beef stock and reserve for later.
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Step 3.
Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F, Gas Mark 3). In a Dutch oven, layer vegetables and browned beef. Mix well. Add pepper, salt, thyme, garlic, beef stock, and ale. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven for 2 hours.
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Step 4.
Mix self-raising flour (or plain flour + baking powder) with chopped leek. Rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in suet. Beat milk and egg together, then mix with dry ingredients to form a sticky dough. Cover and let rest.
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Step 5.
After 2 hours, remove the stew from the oven. Place on low heat if using a metal pan. Stir in the cornflour slurry for thickening. Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough into the stew, dipping the spoon in gravy to prevent sticking.
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Step 6.
For crispy dumplings, leave the lid off and bake at 180°C (356°F, Gas Mark 4) for 30 minutes. For soft dumplings, cover the pot with a lid and bake for 30 minutes.
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Step 7.
Let the stew rest for a couple of minutes. Serve in bowls, ensuring each portion gets tender beef, hearty vegetables, rich gravy, and fluffy dumplings.