Beef stew with 4 Daughters diced beef
Feeds 4 “healthy” appetites
This is home-style which really means
- add or subtract almost anything to suit your taste
- Select veg to suit what you like or what is already in the fridge
1 kg diced beef (or the bag - the fat content melts down and adds flavour)
Oil for frying
1 L. beef stock (readymade but not from concentrate)
2 bottles beer (optional)
Garlic (4 / 5 large cloves or a large tsp of powder)
½ tsp of
- all spice
- cumin
- paprika (hot, mild or smoked)
- ground pepper
- chilli powder or a good dollop of tabasco (optional)
4 Bay leaves
5 tsp mixed herbs, dried basil or whatever other dried herb is in the cupboard or fresh in the garden
** Don’t add salt as there is enough in the prepared stock
Diced to size to suit your taste ("bite sized")
- 1-2 large onion
- Veg, about 2 – 3 cups of what you like and have (fresh or frozen is fine)
o Brussel sprouts
o Leek
o Cauliflower
o Broccoli
o Capsicum
o Zucchini
o Potato
o Squash
o Carrots
Add beef to a fry pan and brown well
Toss in to a slow cooker
Add all spices, 1 of the beers and stock
Cook on low for 6 hours
add veg
Cook for 2 more hours,
- Prepare dumpling mix when it suits and store in fridge
- Turn up slow cooker too high in last hour
- Drink second beer
Dumplings
1c flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
100g butter (follow the guide on side of butter cube)
1/4c milk
1 handful chopped parsley
Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl
Rub butter into flour until it looks like breadcrumbs
Mix in parsley
Make a well and stir in milk – only mix until just combined or it will be like buffalo steak (the more you chew, the bigger it gets)
Let this mix rest for a bit in the fridge
About 25 minutes before serving, use two spoons and drop tablespoon size portions of the dumpling mix into the stew. Spoon some of the liquid over the dumplings at the start at about half way and before serving keeping covered in between.
Cook dumplings for 20 to 25 minutes
Ring the bell!
Forgot to mention parmesan cheese on top!