Name: Slow cooker beef stew with dumplings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 h 20 min
Total time: 8 h 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 800g stewing beef roughly chopped; 2 onions roughly chopped; 4 carrots roughly chopped; 2 sticks celery roughly chopped; 150ml red wine; few sprigs of rosemary and thyme; 2 bay leaves; ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce; 800ml beef stock; small handful of parsley to serve; 150g self-raising flour; 70g suet

Two bowls of slow cooker beef stew with dumplings

2 tbsp vegetable oil
800g stewing beef
roughly chopped
2 onions
roughly chopped
4 carrots
roughly chopped
2 sticks celery
roughly chopped
150ml red wine
few sprigs of rosemary
and thyme
2 bay leaves
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
800ml beef stock
small handful of parsley
to serve

For the dumplings

150g self-raising flour
70g suet

Method

step 1
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large pan or frying pan over a medium heat and brown the beef all over – you may
need to do this in batches. Remove, leaving any oil behind, and put in the slow cooker. Add the remaining oil to the pan, turn the heat to medium-low, and fry the onion, carrot and celery for 10-12 mins until softened but not golden. Add to the slow cooker.
step 2
Pour the wine into the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 mins before pouring into the slow cooker. Add the remaining stew ingredients to the slow cooker and cook, on high for 4 hrs or low for 7 hrs.
step 3
Shortly before the time is up, make the dumplings. Put the flour and suet in a bowl, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine, then make a well in the centre and pour in 3 tbsp cold water. Stir, then gradually add a teaspoon of water at a time until the mix easily comes together into a soft dough. Form into 8 balls and carefully put on top of the stew. Cook for a further 1 hr, then serve scattered with parsley.