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Beef stew and dumplings

Matt Tebbutt recipe

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
over 2 hours

Serves
Serves 4

By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1kg/2lb 4oz piece chuck steak, not diced
  • 4 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 small round shallots
  • 8–10 chestnut mushrooms
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 3 sticks celery, chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme, leaves only
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 garlic bulb, cut in half
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 150g/5½oz tomato purée
  • 500ml/18fl oz red wine
  • 300ml/10fl oz beef stock
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dumplings

  • 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
  • 250g/9oz self-raising flour
  • 125g/4½oz suet
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
  • 2 tbsp creamed horseradish

Method

  1. For the stew, preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3.

  2. Cut the steak into large pieces. Heat half of the oil in an ovenproof lidded pan and then brown the pieces of steak in the pan until coloured.

  3. Heat the rest of the oil in another pan and fry the shallots and chestnut mushrooms until coloured all over.

  4. Remove the meat from the pan and add the carrots and celery and continue to cook until the vegetables have softened. Add the thyme, bay leaf and garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes.

  5. Add the sugar and cook to caramelise the vegetables slightly, then stir in the tomato purée and red wine. Simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced by half.

  6. Add the beef stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Return the browned beef, mushrooms and shallots to the pan, cover and transfer to the oven to cook for 2–3 hours, or until the meat is tender. (This could also be cooked on the stove top if desired.)

  7. Once the meat is cooked, if the stew is not yet thickened to your liking, strain all the ingredients from the liquid, set them aside and cook the sauce over a medium-heat hight until thickened and reduced. Return all the ingredients back to the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  8. For the dumplings, increase the oven temperature to 210C/200C Fan/Gas 6. Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave.

  9. Mix the flour, suet, thyme and parsley in a bowl and add the creamed horseradish and about 160–200ml/5½–7fl oz of water to bring the dough together.

  10. Form into balls and dot the balls on top of the stew. Brush with the melted butter and return to the oven for 25 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown.

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