St Patrick’s Day Beef Stew with Dumplings

The perfect St Patrick's Day fodder!

30 minutes prep, 2 hours 30 minutes cook

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil, for brushing

12 shallots, peeled and trimmed

1 tsp brown sugar

900g chopped chuck or stewing steak

2 sticks of celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp tomato purée

400ml stout

1 tsp Worcester Sauce

2 tsp Sarson’s Malt Vinegar, plus extra to dress

200ml beef stock

320g sheet of puff pastry

1 egg yolk, beaten

Vegetable oil, for deep fat frying

4 parsnips, trimmed and chipped

Sea salt and ground black pepper

Pink peppercorns, for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole and fry the beef until browned on all sides. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and all the vegetables and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the wine, stock, Branston Original Pickle and herbs, and then add the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar, to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for about two hours, or until the meat is tender.

While the stew is cooking make the dumplings. Put the flour into a bowl and season with salt and pepper, add the butter and rub in using the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir through the cheddar and thyme, then approx 1-2 tbsp cold water a little at a time until the mixture forms a stiff dough. With floured hands, roll spoonfuls of the dough into small balls.

After 1 hr 30 mins, remove the lid from the stew and place the balls on top of the stew. Cover, return to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the dumplings have swollen and are tender. (If you prefer your dumplings with a golden top, leave the lid off when returning to the oven.) Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.