Friday, January 15, 2010

Beef Stew and Dumplings

It's cold. Well, today it's not, but it has been. And I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be cold again soon. Here, then, to stick to your ribs and keep you cozy, is my own very very favourite recipe for beef stew, with my mom's awesome dumpling recipe.




You need:

Beef stew meat, in cubes. I guess about a pound or so?
1 tbs oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large chopped onion
1 bottle of yummy stout. We like St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. Do yourself a favour and pick up a six pack - that way you won't feel left out when the stew gets a bottle.
2 c beef stock, if needed.
2 carrots, cut into "coins"
a few potatoes, cut into chunks
a small turnip or two, peeled and in chunks
1 celery stalk, diced
2 bay leaves
1-2 c frozen peas, depending on how much you like peas.

As you can see, this is a fairly vague and therefore forgiving recipe. It really doesn't matter (within reason, of course) how much of everything you put in, or if you leave somethings out. It will still be a delicious combination of meat and vegetables.

First, brown the beef over high heat in the oil. Add the onions, garlic, and celery and cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the beer and deglaze the pan. Add half the beef stock, and simmer for about half an hour. Toss in the bay leaves, too. Then add the carrots, potatoes, and turnips and add enough beef stock to just cover everything.

Let this all simmer for another 30 minutes, until all the veg is tender. Add the frozen peas now.

At this point, you are ready to make your dumplings.

For the delicious fluffy dumplings, you need:

1 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs oil
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c (or a bit more) milk

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the milk and oil. Stir until just combined - no more, or you will have tough dumplings and those are no fun.

Drop by the tablespoonful to the boiling stew, then reduce the heat and cover. They'll be done in 12-15 minutes, and so will your stew! If, at this point, you find the stew too liquidy, you can thicken the gravy by adding a tablespoon of flour dissolved in some water, or some Veloutine or instant flour.




Serve with a bottle of the St Ambroise stout!

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8 comments:

  1. Ha! St-Ambroise is from Quebec (where I live!) =D Nice to see some local stuff far away!

    That looks amazing! in Quebec we call it "ragout de boulette"

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  2. Glad you like it! I'm lucky enough to call St Ambroise local too - I'm in Montreal! :)

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  3. Oups! Sorry! I mixed you up with another food blog I follow who's in Holland!

    *silly me* doh!

    It still looks delicious though!

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  4. this looks soo good. i can't wait to try it! also, i really love your blog and all the delicious treats you make! x

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  5. LOVE BEEF STEW!
    this looks amazing by the way :)

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  6. This looks awesome! I have a question...would it be possible to make the stew in a slow cooker? I would love to make this before work, and come home to a yummy dinner!!

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  7. I think that would work really well! I would brown the beef a little then throw everything in but the dumplings and do it on low for the day.

    I'm not sure how the dumplings would work - I guess turn it back to high for the last little bit and do them like that with the lid on? If you try it, do let me know how it turns out!

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  8. I searched out the web for 'beef stew with dumplings' and found your blog, Made this for our dinner this 'Sunday evening', it's amazing. Hubby wants left overs for Monday...he never wants left overs lol Thank you for sharing such wonderful recipes. I've found others on your site that I'll be trying out...the only difficult decision will be....which one first!

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