Hearty, Italian Beef Stew with Herb Dumplings

Hearty, Italian Beef Stew with Herb Dumplings

Like many European countries of the world, Winter is the time to enjoy a hearty, comforting stew exist it made with beef, lamb, pork, craven, fish or game. Spezzatino di Manzo is the Italian version of a beef stew, information technology is extremely rich and flavoursome due to its utilise of strong, robust herbs (rosemary and sage), pancetta (streaky bacon) and capers.

Although, I ready this stew in the traditional Italian way, I am often forced to give it an actress twist by Adam by the addition of dumplings (a reminder o his childhood).

Italian Beef Stew

Makes – six servings

Ingredients – stew

ane½ kg beef chuck steak – diced into largish pieces (five cm ten five cm)
½ cup plain flour
100 grams pancetta – roughly chopped
1 onion – sliced
2 or three garlic cloves – minced
2 carrots – finely diced
two sticks celery – finely diced
200 grams mushrooms – sliced (optional)
1 cup dry white vino
1 large can diced tomatoes (400 grams approximately)
1½ cups beefiness stock
1 beefiness stock cube
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary – finely chopped
one minor bunch of fresh sage – finely chopped
2 tablespoons of capers – finely chopped (if salted, and so rinse first)
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley – finely chopped
table salt and pepper
olive oil for browning meat (3 or 4 tablespoons)

Ingredients – dumplings

ane½ cups self-raising flour
170 grams butter – cut into cubes and immune to soften
½ – ¾ cup of stock or h2o
½ loving cup fresh herbs (parsley, basil, sage) – roughly chopped
pinch of salt and pepper

Italian Beef Stew

Preparation

1. Place the flour, a good pinch of salt and pepper into a bowl and douse the beef pieces (a few at a fourth dimension) in the flour so they are coated before dusting them off. Place aside and repeat for remaining beef pieces.
2. Rut a large heavy based frypan or pot on medium to loftier heat and add some oil. Brown off all the flour coated beef on all sides doing it in batches so the pan does not go overcrowded. Add oil as and when needed during the browning process. Fix the browned beef aside on a plate or in a bowl equally you melt.
3. Once all the beef is browned, place the pancetta into the pan and brown (add oil if needed) before calculation onion and garlic and allow to soften (two – iii minutes).
four. Next add together the carrot and celery (and if used, the mushrooms) and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
v. Then add the vino and using a spatula or spoon soften any chocolate-brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan earlier adding the browned beef as well as the remaining ingredients – diced tomatoes, stock, stock cube, rosemary and sage.
6. Bring to a boil, before placing a lid on the frypan/pot and turning it down to a simmer. Cook for one½ hours, stirring periodically.

Hint
If the stew becomes too dry during the cooking procedure, you lot can add some extra water – this generally but occurs if the heat is as well high.

seven. Afterwards the initial cooking fourth dimension add capers and half the parsley and stir through, so let to melt for a farther ½ 60 minutes.
8. At this betoken the stew is cooked and could be served equally is with some crusty bread, some pasta or even polenta. Only add together the remaining parsley, stir through and dish out.

To Make and Cook the Dumplings

Making Herb Dumplings

9. Place the flour and butter into a bowl and gradually rub the butter into the flour so it is totally incorporated.
10. Once combined, add the salt, pepper, herbs and some of the stock/water (start with ½ a cup). Mix together and run into if ALL the flour is captivated, if not continue adding stock/water until a pliable ball of dough is created with lilliputian or no excess flour.

Hint
Permit the dough to rest for 15 minutes before commencing to create the dumplings.

xi. To form the dumplings, take small amounts of dough (the size of a golf ball approximately) and roll them in your hands to create smooth, round balls.
12. Position the formed balls on the surface of the stew and recover the pot with its lid. Cook over a low to medium estrus for twenty to 25 minutes.