PORK STEW WITH DUMPLINGS
SERVES 4 PREP 15 MINS COOK 8 HOURS 10 MINS
✦ 2 tbsp oil ✦ 1kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5cm pieces ✦ ¼ cup seasoned flour ✦ 2 carrots, chopped ✦ 2 stalks celery, chopped ✦ 1 onion, roughly chopped ✦ 2 cloves garlic, crushed ✦ 4 sprigs thyme ✦ 2 tsp fennel seeds ✦ 1 cup chicken stock ✦ ½ cup white wine ✦ chopped parsley, steamed broccolini, to serve
DUMPLINGS
✦ 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted ✦ 50g butter, diced ✦ 1 egg, lightly beaten ✦ ¼ cup milk ✦ 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 In a 4.5-litre (18-cup) slow cooker, heat oil on High. Coat pork in flour, shaking off excess. Cook pork, in batches, 5 mins each batch until browned. Return all pork to cooker.
2 Add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and fennel. Pour in stock and wine. Cook, covered, on Low 7 hours.
3 DUMPLINGS Sift flour into a bowl and season. Rub in butter, using fingertips, until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in centre. Stir in combined egg, milk and parsley. Drop tablespoons of mixture, about 2cm apart, on top of stew. Cook, covered, on Low 1 hour until dumplings are firm to touch and cooked through.
4 Sprinkle stew with parsley and serve with broccolini.