Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Dumplings

If you have a slow cooker, this beef stew with dumplings recipe pretty much but makes itself: a little prep and you’ll have a hearty, warming dinner ready at the end of the day. This can also be cooked in the oven in a covered casserole for about 1½-2 hours at 160°C, adding the dumplings and cooking for a further 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• For the dumplings

  • 125 g self-raising wholemeal flour
  • Splash of skimmed milk
  • 60 g vegetable suet
  • 2 sprigs of thyme or rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped 
  •  

  To serve - optional

  • 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped

  The main stew

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 800 g diced beef - brisket is a good choice
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 celery sticks, roughly chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 200 g button mushrooms (halved if large)
  • 2 tbsp wholemeal plain flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 500 ml beef or chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs of thyme or rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

  Method

   

  Step 1

  • Season the flour with a good pinch of salt and pepper, then toss the beef in the seasoned flour to coat.

  Step 2

  • Cook the beef in batches in 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over high heat, turning occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until brown all over. Transfer to a slow cooker.

  Step 3

  • Cook the vegetables, garlic and mushrooms in the remaining oil in the pan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables begin to brown. Stir in the herbs, tomato purée and chopped tomato and cook for a couple of minutes. Add to the beef in the slow cooker.

  Step 4

  • Pour in the stock and cook for 4 hours on high (or 6 hours on low), until the meat is very tender.

  Step 5

  • To make the dumplings, combine all the flour, suet and herbs in a bowl and add enough milk to just bring it together. Season with salt and pepper. Roll into 6-8 small balls.

  Step 6

  • Stir the stew, remove the bay leaves and season to taste.

  Step 7

  • Evenly top the surface of the stew with the dumplings. Cover and cook for an additional hour with the lid on.

  Step 8

  • Serve topped with the combined parsley and garlic if using.

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