Beef & stout stew with bacon dumplings

Hearty stews typify winter. They’re comforting and make you feel properly cosy. Dumplings add an extra layer of warmth, but you could also simply top the stew with pastry and call it a pie.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1kg boneless beef shin, cut into 3cm chunks 200g small shallots

4 medium carrots, chopped to the same

size as the shallots

3 celery sticks, cut into bite-sized chunks 3 tbsp plain flour

500ml beef or chicken stock

500ml stout

1 large thyme sprig

4 star anise buttered cabbage and mash, to serve

FOR THE DUMPLINGS

100g smoked bacon, finely minced

½ tbsp oil

1 tsp thyme leaves

125g self-raising flour

60g beef suet

1 egg yolk small pack parsley, leaves picked

and finely chopped

1 First, make the dumplings. Gently fry the bacon until crisp in a large lidded casserole dish. Stir in the thyme leaves, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool slightly. Add the flour and suet to the bacon, and stir everything together. Make a well in the middle, then add the egg yolk, parsley, ½ tsp pepper and 2 tbsp very cold water, and start to mix into a dough. Keep adding water until you a have a firm but pliable dough. Divide the mixture into eight balls and chill until needed.

2 Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Clean the casserole dish with some kitchen paper, then heat the oil. Brown the meat really well in batches, then set aside. Tip in the shallots, carrots and celery, brown well, then stir in the flour. Add the meat and any juices back into the dish, give everything a good stir, then pour in the stock and stout. Season, then tuck in the thyme and star anise and bring everything to a simmer. Cover with a lid, then cook in the oven for about 2 hrs until the meat is tender.

3 Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the dumplings evenly on top. Put the lid back on and return to the oven for 20 mins, then cook for a final 10 mins with the lid off to brown the dumplings. Bring the dish to the table in all its glory. Spoon into bowls with cabbage and mash. PER SERVING 800 kcals, fat 41g, saturates 16g,

carbs 43g, sugars 10g, fibre 7g, protein 57g, salt 1.9g