Description
A hearty and traditional Beef Stew paired with classic Atora Beef Suet dumplings. This comforting dish features tender diced beef slow-cooked in a rich vegetable and mushroom gravy, topped with fluffy suet dumplings. Perfect for cozy dinners and suitable for freezing.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Beef Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 150 g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 300 g swede (rutabaga), peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks (roughly 1cm/1/2inch)
- 300 g carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks (roughly 1cm/1/2inch)
- 400 g diced beef (stewing beef)
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1 beef stock cube (Kallo Organic recommended)
- 750 ml boiling water
- 2 bay leaves
Suet Dumplings
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 100 g shredded suet (Atora Beef Suet recommended)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- Cold water (quantity as needed)
Instructions
- Prepare the Oven and Pan: Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F. Place olive oil and diced onions in a flameproof, ovenproof pan (such as a cast iron casserole or Dutch oven).
- Sauté Onions: Fry the onions over low heat with the lid on for 3 minutes until softened but not browned.
- Cook Mushrooms: Increase heat to high, add quartered mushrooms and fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently until onions and mushrooms are lightly browned.
- Add Root Vegetables: Add chopped swede and carrots; fry for an additional 2 minutes on high heat, stirring often.
- Make Gravy: In a large jug, combine cornflour and crumbled beef stock cube. Add a splash of cold water and stir to form a smooth paste. Gradually add 750 ml boiling water while stirring to prevent lumps.
- Combine and Boil: Pour the gravy into the pan, add diced beef and bay leaves, stir well and bring to a boil.
- Oven Cook Stew: Cover with a lid and place the pan in the preheated oven. Cook for 2 hours, checking halfway through to ensure there is enough liquid. Add boiling water if needed to keep ingredients nearly submerged.
- Prepare Dumplings: About 30 minutes before stew finishes, combine self-raising flour, suet, and salt in a bowl. Gradually add cold water and mix to form a firm dough that is neither crumbly nor sticky.
- Shape Dumplings: Divide dough into 16 even pieces and roll each into a ball.
- Add Dumplings and Finish Cooking: Remove stew from oven, place dumplings evenly on top, cover with lid and return to oven for 20 minutes until dumplings and stew are fully cooked.
- Serve: Remove lid and serve the beef stew and suet dumplings hot, ideally with green vegetables on the side.
Notes
- Use a flameproof, ovenproof pan such as a cast iron casserole or Dutch oven that can be used on both hob and in oven for best results. If not available, start on the hob and transfer to an ovenproof dish.
- A 4-litre capacity / 24 cm diameter Dutch oven (approx. 4.25 quarts / 9.5 inches) is ideal. Ensure the pot can accommodate the dumplings in a single layer, minimum diameter suggested is 20 cm / 8 inches.
- Check the stew liquid at the halfway point and before adding dumplings. Add boiling water if the liquid has evaporated to keep ingredients nearly submerged.
- This stew freezes well, making it suitable for meal prep and leftovers.
- Nutrition figures are approximate and provided as a guideline.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 660 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 509 mg
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 79 mg
