Gorgeous Beef Stew with Dumplings

By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“There’s something comforting about a stew topped with dumplings. Long, slow cooking makes the beef beautifully tender, and the fact that we get to have GF dumplings makes me so happy.” Megan McKenna, author of Love Gluten Free

5 tablespoons gluten-free plain flour

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) diced stewing beef

Vegetable oil, for frying

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 carrots, finely chopped

4 celery sticks, finely chopped

3 rich beef stock pots, dissolved in

1 litre (35 fl oz) boiling water

2 x 400 g (14 oz) cans of chopped tomatoes

1 x 200 g (7 oz) tube of tomato purée

4 sprigs of thyme

3 bay leaves

1 heaped tablespoon dried mixed herbs

2 tablespoons gluten-free Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons cornflour, mixed with

A little water (optional)

Sea salt flakes and black pepper

Mashed potatoes and greens, to serve

For the dumplings

115 g (4 oz) gluten-free self-raising flour

180 g (6¼ oz) vegetable suet

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

1 teaspoon garlic granules

3 tablespoons cold water

Preheat your oven to 140°C/120°C fan (275°F)/Gas Mark 1.

Place your flour in a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Add your beef, toss to coat, then set aside.

Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large, ovenproof casserole dish set over a medium heat. Add your onion, carrots and celery and stir-fry for 4 minutes.

Add your meat and fry for a further 4 minutes, stirring continuously – you don’t want it to stick.

Stir in your stock, canned tomatoes and tomato purée. Now add your fresh and dried herbs and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, then cover with foil or a lid. Cook in the oven for 5 hours, stirring it every hour or so.

Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Place your flour and suet in a large bowl with your herbs, garlic and salt and pepper. Mix together. Add your water and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a firm-ish dough. (You might need to add a bit more water, but go carefully with it.) Roll the mixture into 6 equal balls and set aside until needed.

Take the casserole dish ouT of the oven and increase the temperature to 180°C/160°C fan (350°F)/Gas Mark 4. If you think the stew needs thickening, add the slaked cornflour and mix well.

Arrange your dumplings on top of the stew, then return the dish to the oven without a lid for 30 minutes. They will expand to double their size!

Serve with mashed potatoes and fresh greens – I like Savoy cabbage.