Beef in Beer with Herb Dumplings

[Bender]

for the carnivorous...

This is a one-pot recipe, so there's less to wash up afterwards. Despite the use of beer (which I know some would rather drink), this recipe is child-friendly - by the time it's finished, any alcohol content has been cooked out.

This recipe serves 6, so is good when entertaining. Prep and cooking time is about 2½ hours.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 8 carrots, sliced
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• salt & pepper
• 1.25kg stewing steak, cubed
• 425ml stout (or a bit more for a richer flavour)
• 2 teaspoons muscovado sugar (you can use brown sugar instead)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme (fresh is best)

- for the dumplings:

• 115g self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 55g shredded suet
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
• about 4 tablespoons water

Method:

• Preheat oven to 160°C
• Heat oil in a flameproof casserole dish, add onions and carrots and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes or until the onions are softened.
• While cooking the onions, put the flour in a freezer bag, add salt & pepper to taste, throw in the meat and shake to coat (do this in batches if you need to).
• Take the vegetables out of the casserole and put aside.
• Brown the meat in the casserole dish (easiest in batches), until browned all over.
• When the meat has browned, add the onions and carrots and remaining flour, stout, sugar, bay leaves and thyme, and bring to the boil.
• Put the lid on the casserole dish and put into the oven for 1½ hours.

- dumplings:

• Sift flour and salt into a bowl, stir in the suet and parsley and add enough of the water to make a soft dough.
• Shape into small balls and add to the casserole dish.
• Return the dish to the oven for another 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven, discard the bay leaves, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

[canuck]

you are aware that many of us live in Singapore and have no real craving for stodgy ole brit food because here it is perpetually summer?

[T2K]

Looks good to me.

Canuck - You are aware that many of us come from warm, sunny places and have never experienced dreary subarctic climates?

[Bender]

you are aware that many of us live in Singapore and have no real craving for stodgy ole brit food because here it is perpetually summer?

Damn, you're onto me. I was subtly torturing those who crave a bit of winter!

[canuck]

T2K: explains lots (just kidding)

Bender, I think you are bitter that we can still wear shorts out doors

[Kooky]

Neo loves the fact that I keep making soups and stews to warm us up

[BFG]

We still have the odd roast with all the trimmings.

Just because you knocked Johnny Foreigner on the head and stole his country doesn't mean you have to go all Troppo, what?

[Bender]

many of us live in Singapore and have no real craving for stodgy ole brit food because here it is perpetually summer?

Do you? Don't you? Is it? But then there are others who don't, and who do, because it isn't. Especially not here. When the weather warms up here I'll post some summery stuff.

I apologise for being inconsiderate by posting that recipe, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest my navel. As moderator, please feel free to delete the recipe if you find it inappropriate. I don't let the weather dictate what I eat or don't eat.

Which leads me to ask: isn't it about time you contributed another recipe? It's been a while since your moussaka and chocolate chip cookies. Something light, new and non-brit please. Oh, and maybe update your profile to show your location.

[Scrummy Mummy]

you are aware that many of us live in Singapore and have no real craving for stodgy ole brit food because here it is perpetually summer?

I LOVE comfort food here, definitely must be homesick......

[Kooky]

The other night I made Shepherd's Pie (or more correctly, Cottage Pie) Can't remember the last time I made that.

[Scrummy Mummy]

We have that here all the time.

Had some friends round for British food one night, leek soup, steak and kidney pudding, apple crumble. Scummy Daddy played tennis "brilliantly" next day, so full of crabs

[cromasaig]

Scummy Daddy played tennis "brilliantly" next day, so full of crabs

I shall never look at Wimbledon again in quite the same way.

[slinky]

Scummy Daddy played tennis "brilliantly" next day, so full of crabs

I shall never look at Wimbledon again in quite the same way.

Me neither.......I feel faint

[canuck]

many of us live in Singapore and have no real craving for stodgy ole brit food because here it is perpetually summer?

Do you? Don't you? Is it? But then there are others who don't, and who do, because it isn't. Especially not here. When the weather warms up here I'll post some summery stuff.

I apologise for being inconsiderate by posting that recipe, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest my navel. As moderator, please feel free to delete the recipe if you find it inappropriate. I don't let the weather dictate what I eat or don't eat.

Which leads me to ask: isn't it about time you contributed another recipe? It's been a while since your moussaka and chocolate chip cookies. Something light, new and non-brit please. Oh, and maybe update your profile to show your location.

You seem angry, perhaps your diet is making you edgy? [smilie=oui.gif]

oh and cook? not anymore I got a job instead

[Bender]

perhaps your diet is making you edgy? [smilie=oui.gif]
oh and cook? not anymore I got a job instead

Edgy? No. P*ssed off? A bit. There's a bit of thought and effort involved in choosing a recipe that might appeal to others, and formatting it so it presents well on here. When people post something that they think may be useful to others, there always seems to be some goon with a flippant comment or criticism. Mostly they're funny, but sometimes they cut a bit.

I recognise that people have the right to say whatever they want here, but sometimes I wonder whether I should bother to contribute anything useful to this community, because I know I'm not obliged to. However, I like the mix of personalities and feel mostly welcome here, so feel I'd like to add some value as well as have some fun.

I suggest that if you're interested in making this topic a worthwhile resource, and you feel it should be used for particular type of recipes, you set some guidelines and perhaps contribute some recipes that fit your criteria so people know what's expected. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming you volunteered for the moderator role.

I have a challenging job, cook and run a household, and find time to do voluntary work as well. Sometimes it's not easy to meet all the demands. I do my best not to complain - I work with people who have far bigger problems than mine or any that I've read about here.

Sometimes I get the shits. I'll get over it. [/rant]

[Fat Bob]

Cool Bender, it wasn't Burbage egging you on, she was making a joke. Maybe a poor one. But whoever heard of Canadian's with a good sense of humour? Only humour I can think of that came out of Canada was "I'm a Lumberjack" by Monty Python and hell, we all know where that went!

I tried a beer stew one time, not sure why but it didn't quite taste right. I did 50-50 stout beef stock mix. Prefer the beef stock only version as this keeps the qravy thin and not overly tasty, allowing you to taste the whatever you've put in there.

Remember one time my mum wrote down a few things when I was a student. For the stew is was:

1lb meat
1lb of veg, potatoes, carrots, turnip, parsnips
2 onions
Beef stock

Now, have you ever seen 1lb of spuds, 1lb of carrots, 1lb of turnip and 1lb of parsnips? Had to use 3 pots to cook it all in!

Lasted a whole week though! YUM!

[Kooky]

1 lb of parsnips? You couldn't afford to to that one in Australia

I'll dig out and post my low GL stew recipe It's nice. Honest.

edit: Your mum writing down recipes for you made me smile. I have here my school DS book, to which I added loads of my Mum's recipes when I was a student. Stew, dumplings, yorkshires, all good cheap and filling stuff like that. Hardly complex but she knew what she was up against.

Oh and the best fruit cake in the world, of course.

[Aliya]

Bender, I know you are otherwise taken sp can I just come and live with you both and eat what you cook?? Lovely recipe, T is cooking it this weekend.

[canuck]

perhaps your diet is making you edgy? [smilie=oui.gif]
oh and cook? not anymore I got a job instead

Edgy? No. P*ssed off? A bit. There's a bit of thought and effort involved in choosing a recipe that might appeal to others, and formatting it so it presents well on here. When people post something that they think may be useful to others, there always seems to be some goon with a flippant comment or criticism. Mostly they're funny, but sometimes they cut a bit.

I recognise that people have the right to say whatever they want here, but sometimes I wonder whether I should bother to contribute anything useful to this community, because I know I'm not obliged to. However, I like the mix of personalities and feel mostly welcome here, so feel I'd like to add some value as well as have some fun.

I suggest that if you're interested in making this topic a worthwhile resource, and you feel it should be used for particular type of recipes, you set some guidelines and perhaps contribute some recipes that fit your criteria so people know what's expected. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming you volunteered for the moderator role.

I have a challenging job, cook and run a household, and find time to do voluntary work as well. Sometimes it's not easy to meet all the demands. I do my best not to complain - I work with people who have far bigger problems than mine or any that I've read about here.

Sometimes I get the shits. I'll get over it. [/rant]

good lord, you are way to serious

it was a slight joke as FB said, my apologies...

[Aliya]

Stobbit you two. Bender you keep posting recipies! Canuck, you be a good housewife and cook them for your lovely hubby. Ha ha

[BFG]

Stobbit you two. Bender you keep posting recipies! Canuck, you be a good housewife and cook them for your lovely hubby. Ha ha

In between stalking FB...