I've realised that I only tend to blog about pretty food; food that is actually photogenic as well as being tasty. What about the slightly less attractive, but still just as tasty food? Well, without further ado, here is Wednesday's dinner. An absolutely delicious beef and carrot stew, with bacon dumplings on top. This was the tastiest stew I've ever made and we both wolfed it down greedily.
The recipe comes courtesy of "Home Cook" by Alastair Hendy, former Sunday Times cook. I haven't seen anything in the foodie-press about this book, but it seems to be selling fast from bookshops and the supermarkets. I can see why - it doesn't break any new ground, but it is stuffed full of the sort of home cooking that your mother or grandmother would prepare lovingly. All the recipes that I've tried thus far have worked beautifully, and I suspect that Hendy and his family have cheefully munched their way through the book several times in a self-sacrificing service to the rest of us. The little anecdotes around the recipes are fun to read and deliciously sarcastic in places.
Casserole beef with carrots and dumplings
750g braising beef cut into 4cm chunks
beef dripping, lard or oil
4 fat carrots, cut into thick wedges
1 stick celery, finely chopped
6 pickling onions (I used shallots)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 sprigs thyme, finely chopped
250ml red wine
2 tbsp plain flour
500ml beef or chicken stock
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 rashers bacon, finely chopped
60g white breadcrumbs
100g self-raising flour
60g beef suet
Preheat oven to 180V/Gas Mark 4.
Fry the beef all over in some fat and seasoning in a casserole until browned on all sides, and then keep on one side. Add a touch more fat to the pan and gently fry the carrot and celery for about 5 minutes, then keep on one side. Tumble the onions, garlic, and two-thirds of the thyme into the pan, then pour in the wine and bubble until reduced right down. Sprinkle over the flour and stir through, then tip the meat back in and ease it down to the bottom of the pan with the onions jumbled around and filling any gaps. Turn up the heat again, pour in the stock and season well, then cover. Slip into the preheated oven and leave to slow-braise for 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Fry the onion and bacon in a knob of fat with the remaining chopped thyme and some salt until just softened. Mix with the breadcrumbs, flour, suet and some seasoning, then bind the mixture with a little water to make a dough. Roll into walnut sized balls and leave on one side until ready to cook.
After the meat has done its time, stir in the carrots and celery and then place the dumplings all over the top of the casserole. Cover and cook for a further 40 minutes, occasionally ladling over some of the juices. If it looks a bit dry, add a dash more water.
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This long-lost comment has been restored from backup.
I am also loathe to put up photos of food that isn't pretty to look at, no matter what it tastes like.
I've been making some amazing dishes recently: stock, meat, veggies, and a small -grain starch (barley, orzo, rice, etc) and it comes out tasting great but having something of a porridge consistency.
GOOD food, but not pretty, and certainly not the white-tablecloth fare that I strive for.
1. Posted by JoAnna M on November 19, 2007
Oh my! This recipe is fantastic! The stew really brought back memories of my childhood! Thanks for posting!
:o)
2. Posted by Sonia on January 5, 2008