If I were asked for one word that means "fall" to me, I would have to say, "stew". Specifically, this recipe for beef stew that I've developed over the years from the way my mom used to make it. I started with her recipe, then added and subtracted things I've learned about along the way, and while I never make it exactly the same way twice, it's always basically the same. And it is some tasty!
And it makes a vat of stew. I honestly don't know how much, but my Dutch oven is filled to within an inch of its top by the time the dumplings are done. I usually freeze some for later, which works well with the exception of the dumplings tending to disintegrate in the microwave after freezing. Just make sure your carrots aren't cut in big pieces, because frozen carrots experience a texture change that is not at all appealing if they're large.
Usually I add bacon, and usually I don't add mushrooms. But I forgot to get the bacon out of the freezer, so this time I used bacon grease instead of oil. And I was going to add the baby bella mushrooms because I had a package, but on closer inspection I discovered they had started to mold, so they're not in this batch... which works, because they're not a standard ingredient.
So... Stew meat (this time I had some sirloin tips from Omaha Steaks, but since I only had two pounds I also chopped up a small venison roast to add to this batch), carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, seasonings, beef broth, and Guinness. If you'd rather avoid beef that's marketed as stew meat, feel free to use beef tips or chop up a steak. It's all good.
First thing is to heat the oil (or in this case, the bacon grease) in a Dutch oven or other large pan. Then combine flour with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage, and thyme in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Add the chunks of meat and seal the bag without pressing the air out, then toss, turn, massage, or whatever makes you happy until all the meat is coated in the flour mixture and there is very little flour left. Add the meat carefully to the pan (the oil/grease can splash) and cook, stirring fairly often, about 10 minutes. If you're using bacon, chop it and add it to the pan at the same time.
As the meat cooks, it'll lose its flour mixture. That's what you want, just be sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pan and burn. You're sort of making a cheater roux while you brown the meat during this step.
Next, add the celery and onion and cook another 10 minutes, stirring a little more frequently since it gets easier to burn the more things you add. This is where I was going to add the mushrooms, had I been able to use them. Notice the meat is still fairly rare, and that's OK. It'll have plenty of time to get done; all you're doing is giving it nice flavour.
Nothing needs to be completely cooked at this point, but you do want the celery to be starting to get soft and the onions to start getting translucent. Again, this is all about flavour rather than cooking things completely.
Add pretty much everything else to the pan and stir. Using dried herbs makes them float on the surface for a while, but they'll incorporate into the stew as you cook and stir it. I usually add the vegetables and seasonings, followed by the beef broth and Guinness, but there's no rule since you're adding it all at the same time. Cover and let it heat until it starts bubbling, about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
The herbs are already starting to soak up liquid and mix into the stew after only a few minutes. From here, reduce the heat to low (just enough to keep it bubbling, but not so much you have to worry about it burning or boiling over), cover and simmer for 3 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. I define "occasionally" as "whenever I happen to walk through the kitchen", which as you can tell is an incredibly scientific measurement of time. No more than once every 10 minutes, no less than once every 30 minutes. Or so.
About a half hour before the stew is going to be done, it's time to make dumplings. Simple ingredients, easiest thing to make. Flour, herbs, shortening, cheese, and milk. Feel free to use different herbs if you'd rather, or vary your type of cheese. I prefer the packaged shredded cheese, but I've also made them with freshly grated cheese. If you're grating it yourself, toss the grated cheese with a little flour before adding it. Otherwise the cheese tends to add too much oil and the dumplings come out greasy.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in the herbs. It doesn't look like much in the way of herbs, but trust me when I say you don't want to add any more. A little goes a long way, and too much can ruin the flavour.
Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until it forms coarse crumbs. Technically you can use two forks, or a couple of knives if you don't have one, but do yourself a favour and pick one up. I only use mine about twice a year, and it is TOTALLY worth having to store it the rest of the year.
Stir in the cheese. This time I used more cheese than normal because I was in a mood. You can get away with that up to a point, but be careful you don't end up with cheese-herb ooze rather than dumplings. I'd say no more than 3/4 cup of cheese.
Stir in the milk just until all the flour mixture is wet and incorporated. If you mix it too much, you'll end up with tough dumplings, and while there is no science to back me up, I think that's also why sometimes dumplings disappear after you cook them as well. Just barely mix it, and use a fork so it's harder to overmix.
See, here we are three or so hours after starting the simmer, and all the dried herbs are well-mixed into the stew. Before you add the dumplings, taste your stew and decide if you need to adjust any seasonings or add more water. This is also the point where if you think it looks too thin you can scoop out about 1/2 cup and dissolve a tablespoon of cornstarch in it, then add it back to the pan and stir well. It'll thicken up nicely for you.
Here is also a fine time to try to find the bay leaves and remove them. Or, you could do like my mom always did and tell your family whoever finds a bay leaf in their bowl will have good luck the rest of the day. Never occurred to me until I was making things with bay leaves in them as a grownup that my mother just didn't feel like trying to find and remove them!
If you're adding water or cornstarch, be sure to bring the stew back to a bubbling simmer before adding the dumplings.
When you add them, they will sink. Don't panic, just keep track of where you already put one so as to not double them up. I start at one handle and work around the edge until I get back to it, then place 3-4 in the center.
This is the important part. DO NOT remove the lid from the pan while the dumplings are cooking! You've been stirring off and on for hours, so take a break. After you add the dumplings, just put the lid back on the pan and walk away for at least 15 minutes, preferably 20, maybe even 25. They'll cook, they'll rise to the top, and they'll be glorious.
If, however, you remove the cover, the sky will darken, birds will stop singing, and you'll hear the distinct crack of a door to the underworld opening to allow demons free to wander the Earth. Or, you know, they just won't cook properly and you'll have ugly lumps of undercooked dough floating on your stew. Whatever.
See? Perfect! They come to the top, they get cooked all the way through, they're tender and soft and oh-so-tasty! You can make plain dumplings without cheese, but why would you? These are my favourite, and I've been known to simmer a pan of beef or chicken broth just so I can make dumplings in it. They're one of my favourite comfort foods when I'm not feeling well.
To serve, I usually scoop a dumpling into my bowl first, using the spoon I've been stirring with all day. Then I get a giant ladle and add as much goodness as I can. After you've taken a couple of dumplings you can just use the ladle, but since they cover the entire top of the stew it's easier my way for the first few servings.
Guinness Stew with Cheese-Herb Dumplings
Serves 12
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 pounds beef stew meat
3 slices bacon, chopped
3 medium onions, quartered
3 stalks celery, sliced
8 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound baby carrots (or 6-8 regular carrots, sliced 1/2-inch thick)
1 (24 ounce) bottle Guinness, at room temperature
4 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (if needed)
Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
3 tablespoons shortening
1/3 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup milk
Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat.
In a large zip-top plastic bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage, and thyme; add stew meat and shake to coat well.
Brown meat (including any extra flour) with bacon in oil 10 minutes.
Add onions and celery; continue cooking 10 minutes.
Add remaining vegetables, beer, broth and seasonings; bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 1/2 hours.
If stew looks too thin, mix about 1/2 cup of hot liquid from pan with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and stir into pan.
Start making dumplings 30 minutes before stew will be done. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; stir in thyme and sage.
Cut shortening in with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; mix in cheese.
Stir in milk just until mixture is completely moistened.
Drop by tablespoonfuls on top of stew; cover and cook 15-20 minutes. DO NOT open lid while dumplings are cooking.
Serving Size: 1 (470.3 g)
Calories 365.1
Total Fat - 8.1 g
Saturated Fat - 2.6 g
Cholesterol - 22.7 mg
Sodium - 519.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 58.6 g
Dietary Fiber - 6.4 g
Sugars - 7.4 g
Protein - 16.1 g
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