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Recipe by Lesley Waters

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1. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Toss the beef in seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Fry the beef over a high heat until browned all over - it's easiest to do this in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add 2 tbsp water and the onion to the pan, stir well over a medium heat, scraping up the crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and fry gently for 10 mins, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened.
3. Tip in the carrots, parsnips and bay leaf, then fry for 2 mins more. Return the beef to the pan, stir in the tomato paste, wine if using, and stock, then bring to the boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 1¾-2 hrs until the meat is tender. Can be made up to 2 days ahead or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before topping and baking. Take out of the oven and increase the temperature to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
4. To make the topping, sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add half the cheese. Mix olive oil and milk, then stir into the flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Add more milk, if necessary. Spoon the dough over the meat and vegetables, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for about 15 mins until golden, risen and cooked through.

Per adult serving

847 kcalories, protein 46g, carbohydrate 82g, fat 39 g, saturated fat 14g, fibre 10g, salt 2.81 g

Latest comments and suggestions

• Fluffy

  11 November 2007

  Fluffy rated this recipe

  

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• andrea_riby

  17 November 2007

  andrea_riby rated this recipe

  

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• Fluffy

  18 November 2007

  Fluffy commented on this recipe

  A real favourite this one. Great alternative to conventional 'stew and dumplings'. The muffin top is out of this world! Turned out far better than I had anticipated, and a real success with all the family.

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• Fluffy

  18 November 2007

  Fluffy commented on this recipe

  An afterthought. You might like to make a little bit extra of the mix for the top. I found that I needed a bit more to nicely cover the dish the first time I made it (although it will obviously depend on the size/depth of your dish).

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• jerseyporter

  30 November 2007

  jerseyporter rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I use my slow cooker for stews which is a 6.5l one so I tend to expand the ingredients to fit the pot! I also tend to use a greater variety of veg, but that's just personal preference. I did have to double the liquid ingredients because of the size of my slow cooker but the result was absolutely delicious - though in this house there is a riot if I don't make dumplings, so I'm afraid I didn't make the topping as listed here.

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• Squeakyclean

  21 January 2008

  Squeakyclean rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I thought this was fab! Definitely one of my favourite winter recipes now. Make it - you won't be disappointed.

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• Jenny

  29 January 2008

  Jenny rated and commented on this recipe

  

  this is absolutely fabulous, delicious - and easy!

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• Lesley

  16 February 2008

  Lesley commented on this recipe

  We loved this - especially the yummy topping. However, I think the cooking time needs to be extended as the meat was only just cooked and the veggies were a bit too al dente. Next time will ignore fan oven temp and use normal oven temp.

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• brum

  19 February 2008

  brum rated and commented on this recipe

  

  From the comments above, looks like me & my family are the odd ones out. The stew was a little too tomatory for me, my family agreed(maybe i put too much puree in by mistake?). Though the muffin topping was lovely, we didnt think it went well with the stew. Will definitely try this again, but without the tomato puree, we prefer a more beefy taste, & will try a plain muffin top, which would be a great alternative to dumplings.

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• sherilyn

  08 March 2008

  sherilyn rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Made this a couple of times now and it's fab. Second time around I used self raising flour instead of baking powder and it worked just as well. Left out the parnsips as my husband does't like them but added cooked chestnuts just as I spooned on the topping - they went brilliantly with the dish. Didn't have tomato puree so used ketchup and added a splash of balsamic vinegar (as I do with all slow cooked beef dishes). I used really good quality beef and let it cook for an extra hour. My family loved it and my husband declared it the best dumplings ever - even though I pointed it out it was muffin!

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• Patricia

  11 March 2008

  Patricia rated and commented on this recipe

  

  This is a firm favourite. Easy to make, and (without the topping) it freezes well. I LOVE the flavours of the stew and topping There are only 2 of us, and I always make the full recipe, so I freeze half the stew, and I make (half the quantity) of topping fresh each time we have the meal. I want to try the stew as a pie filling next.

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• JANIS

  26 March 2008

  JANIS rated and commented on this recipe

  

  excellent did not change any ingredients - i made this dish for a murder mystery evening for eight people all thoroughly enjoyed it and even asked for the receipe

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• Aneng

  26 March 2008

  Aneng rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Beautiful flavour to the stew and the topping. However, the stew was still quite runny after a full 2hrs using exactly the right quantity of stock & wine. I ended up adding cornflour to thicken. After the advised 15 mins baking time for the topping, it was still quite obviously not cooked through and needed another 10 mins, and even then it tasted a touch floury. Overall, a really tasty dish and one I will definitely cook again, though next time I'll probably allow a bit more time - it's not something you can really start from scratch when you get in from work - unless you like eating after 10pm. Also, next time I'll try cooking the topping separately so it is more evenly cooked through. Overall though - delicious !

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• katjane2

  30 March 2008

  katjane2 rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I doubled the quanties and added some chopped bacon. It turned out delicious. A firm family favourite.

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• carol

  06 April 2008

  carol commented on this recipe

  delicious family meal, it makes a change instead of dumplings, whole family enjoyed this, very very comforting.

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• scrummy

  15 April 2008

  scrummy commented on this recipe

  delicious, i used sweet potato instead of parsnip as i didnt have any! left out tom puree and added some mushrooms. i made the stew the day before then just mixed up the topping to cook

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• Gerry

  22 May 2008

  Gerry rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Tried this recipe. Absolutely gorgeous. Easy to do but tastes fabulous. You will find this a family favourite.

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Ingredients

FOR THE STEW

• 500g braising steaks , cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 tbsp plain flour , seasoned with pepper and a little salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion , finely chopped
• 450g carrots , cut into chunks
• 2 large parsnips , cut into chunks
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp sundried or regular tomato paste
• 300ml red wine or extra stock
• 450ml vegetable stock

FOR THE TOPPING

• 225g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 140g cheddar , coarsely grated
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150ml milk

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Difficulty and servings

Serves 2 adults and 2-3 children

Preperation and cooking times

Prep 20 mins

Cook min 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

FOR THE STEW

• 500g braising steaks , cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 tbsp plain flour , seasoned with pepper and a little salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion , finely chopped
• 450g carrots , cut into chunks
• 2 large parsnips , cut into chunks
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp sundried or regular tomato paste
• 300ml red wine or extra stock
• 450ml vegetable stock

FOR THE TOPPING

• 225g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 140g cheddar , coarsely grated
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150ml milk

Per adult serving

847 kcalories, protein 46g, carbohydrate 82g, fat 39 g, saturated fat 14g, fibre 10g, salt 2.81 g

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