Beef stew with dumplings

Name: Beef stew with dumplings
Yield: Serves 6-8
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1.5kg shin of beef, cut into large pieces about 3cm square; 25g plain flour; 2 carrots, cut into 2.5cm cubes; 12 shallots, halved if large; 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tsp tomato purée; 250ml beef stock; 250ml Guinness or other stout; 2 tsp sugar; For the dumplings; 100g self-raising flour; ¼ tsp salt; 50g shredded suet or butter; Handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped

Published: 31 Jan 11
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

A pressure cooker makes light work of this rich hearty beef stew with dumplings – the perfect midweek meal or Sunday lunch!

You can also cook it simply on the hob, too.

Serves 6-8
Takes 15 minutes to make, 55 minutes to cook

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Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1.5kg shin of beef, cut into large pieces about 3cm square
25g plain flour
2 carrots, cut into 2.5cm cubes
12 shallots, halved if large
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp tomato purée
250ml beef stock
250ml Guinness or other stout
2 tsp sugar

For the dumplings

100g self-raising flour
¼ tsp salt
50g shredded suet or butter
Handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Put the beef in a bowl, toss with the flour and season well. Add the meat to the hot oil and quickly brown all over, in batches if necessary, then transfer to the pressure cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the pressure-cooker pan and bring the mixture to the boil.
Attach the lid to the pan, then bring it up to pressure. Once the correct pressure has been reached, lower the heat, then cook for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile make the dumplings. Put the flour, salt and suet into a bowl. (If using butter instead, rub it into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs at this point, as if you’re making pastry.) Add the chopped parsley and mix well. Add 2-3 tbsp water and knead into a soft dough. Shape the dough into 9-10 small balls and set aside.
When the stew is cooked, release the pressure using the quick-release method (see manufacturer’s instructions) and remove the lid. Drop the dumplings evenly on top of the stew. Put the lid back on the pan but don’t bring up to pressure, then cook for a further 10-12 minutes until the dumplings are puffy and cooked through. Taste, season if necessary, then serve.

Recipe from February 2011 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

(based on 8)

Calories: 500kcals
Fat: 26.2g (10.7g saturated)
Protein: 46.1g
Carbohydrates: 19.7g (5.9g sugar)
Salt: 0.8g

delicious. tips

Shin of beef is one of the best cuts for making a rich, juicy stew but it does require longer cooking – so it’s perfect for a pressure cooker. However, to cook this conventionally on the hob, use a flameproof casserole or heavy-based pan, follow steps 1 and 2, adding 300ml extra liquid such as 150ml ale and 150ml stock. Cook over a very gentle heat, covered, for up to 2½ hours. Make and cook the dumplings as below. This stew makes a perfect pie filling too.
You can make this ahead and freeze it in a sealable plastic container. Defrost fully before reheating until piping hot, either in the oven or on the hob. The fresh garnishes and dumplings don’t freeze well, so make or add these on the day of eating.

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Beef stew with dumplings

Ingredients

Method

Nutrition

delicious. tips

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