This Stew & Dumplings recipe is excellent for cold weather. It’s a good recipe for celebrations such as Mabon, Samhain, Yule and Imbolc.
Magickal ideas:
- This recipe contains many herbs and spices that can be used for cleaning the energy from your own body and from the environment. Enjoy eating, take the moment to clean all evil from you and your family.
How to prepare Stew & Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 1b 4 oz/1 kg good-quality braising steak
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 10 fl oz/300 ml beef stock bouquet garni sachet (shop-bought)
- 5 fl oz/150 ml red wine salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
Ingredients for the herb dumplings:
- 4 oz/115 g self-rising flour, plus extra for shaping
- 2 oz/55 g suet
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage
- 4 tbsp cold water
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and garlic and fry until softened and browned. Remove from the frying pan using a slotted spoon and place in a large casserole.
Trim the meat and cut it into thick strips. Using the remaining oil, fry the meat in the frying pan over a high heat, stirring well until it is browned all over.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir well to prevent lumps. Season well with salt and pepper.
Pour in the stock, stirring constantly to make a smooth sauce, then continue to heat over a medium heat until the sauce is boiling.
Transfer the contents of the frying pan to the casserole.
Add the bouquet garni and the wine. Cover and cook in the center of the oven for 2-2½ hours.
Begin making the dumplings 20 minutes before the stew is ready. Place the suet and mustard in a bowl and mix well, then pour in enough of the water to form a firm but soft dough. Break the dough into 12 pieces and roll them into round dumplings you might need some flour on your hands for this).
Remove the stew from the oven, check the seasoning, discard the bouquet garni and add the dumplings, pushing them down under the liquid. Cover and return the dish to the oven, continuing to cook for 20-25 minutes until the dumplings have doubled in size
Serve the stew and dumplings piping hot with the parsley scattered over the top.
