BEEF AND ALE CASSEROLE

A filling, tasty stew that’s topped with cheese and herb dumplings.

Preparation 45 minutes Cooking about 3 hours 45 minutes Serves 4-6

50G PLAIN FLOUR

1.2KG CHUCK, STEWING OR CASSEROLE BEEF STEAK, TRIMMED AND CUT INTO 5CM PIECES

3 TBSP OLIVE OIL

2 LARGE ONIONS, FINELY SLICED 2 LARGE CARROTS, PEELED AND CUT INTO 2.5CM CHUNKS 200G BUTTON MUSHROOMS, HALVED IF LARGE

1 BAY LEAF

4 THYME SPRIGS

250ML BEEF STOCK

500ML ALE

FOR THE DUMPLINGS

100G PLAIN FLOUR

1 TSP BAKING POWDER 50G BUTTER, CHILLED, COARSELY GRATED

1 TBSP FINELY CHOPPED FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, PLUS EXTRA TO GARNISH

1 TSP FRESHLY PICKED THYME LEAVES

50G EXTRA-MATURE CHEDDAR, GRATED

1 Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan oven) gas mark 2. Put the flour in a large bowl and season. Add one-third of the beef and toss to coat. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Shake off any excess flour from the beef, then add to the pan and brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a casserole dish. Repeat until all the beef is browned, adding fresh oil to the pan between batches.

2 In the same pan, fry the onions, carrots and mushrooms until lightly browned. Transfer to the casserole with the bay and thyme. Turn up the heat and add the stock and ale to the pan, stirring to scrape up any sticky bits, then pour into the casserole. Cover and cook in the oven for 21/2-3 hours until the beef is very tender.

3 For the dumplings, mix all the ingredients, apart from the cheese, in a bowl with plenty of seasoning, or pulse in a small food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and mix/ pulse, then sprinkle over 2-3 tbsp cold water and stir/pulse until the dough comes together. Roll into 8 balls. Uncover the stew, arrange the dumplings on top, spacing apart. Re-cover with the lid and cook for 15-20 minutes until the dumplings are puffed up. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Check the seasoning, garnish with parsley and serve with seasonal vegetables.