Beef Stew and Dumplings
The dumplings are Nana’s recipe and the stew is mine. Al loves it best the day after it’s made. I sometimes add a small bit of cabbage for a little extra flavour, but I don’t tell Al . . .
Stew
3 lb. stewing beef cut up fairly small
1/2 cup flour
Dredge the beef in the flour.
3 tbsp. shortening
Melt shortening in large heavy pot. Drop the floured beef into it and brown it lightly, turning.
8 cups water
3 or 4 small or medium onions, peeled and chopped
Pour water into pot. Add onions, and bring almost to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer covered for 3 or 4 hours.
6 potatoes, chopped in eighths
4 carrots, sliced in rounds
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
2 packets or cubes chicken bouillon
2 packets or cubes beef bouillon
salt and pepper
onion salt and garlic salt to taste
An hour and a half before you want to eat, add the veggies and bouillon and spices.
1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour
When veggies are tender, mix the flour in a bowl with a cup of cold water. Add some of the hot liquid from the stew, and whisk it together, keep adding more until you’ve got about 3 cups of hot smooth liquid. Add it back into the stew pot, stirring
like mad so you don’t get a lot of lumps. Stir a few minutes until flour is cooked and stew is as thick as you like. Adjust by repeating with more flour or more water, to get it how you like it.
Dumplings
2 cups sifted flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. savory
2 tbsp. parsley
Sift together in medium bowl.
1/4 cup shortening
Drop into the bowl and cut in with 2 knives until it looks like coarse corn meal.
Or use pastry blender.
1 cup milk
Add milk all at once and mix lightly with fork. Stir as little as possible. Scoop tablespoons full of mixture onto top of cooked stew. Cover pot tightly and let stew simmer 15 minutes without removing cover.
Stew
3 lb. stewing beef cut up fairly small
1/2 cup flour
Dredge the beef in the flour.
3 tbsp. shortening
Melt shortening in large heavy pot. Drop the floured beef into it and brown it lightly, turning.
8 cups water
3 or 4 small or medium onions, peeled and chopped
Pour water into pot. Add onions, and bring almost to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer covered for 3 or 4 hours.
6 potatoes, chopped in eighths
4 carrots, sliced in rounds
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
2 packets or cubes chicken bouillon
2 packets or cubes beef bouillon
salt and pepper
onion salt and garlic salt to taste
An hour and a half before you want to eat, add the veggies and bouillon and spices.
1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour
When veggies are tender, mix the flour in a bowl with a cup of cold water. Add some of the hot liquid from the stew, and whisk it together, keep adding more until you’ve got about 3 cups of hot smooth liquid. Add it back into the stew pot, stirring
like mad so you don’t get a lot of lumps. Stir a few minutes until flour is cooked and stew is as thick as you like. Adjust by repeating with more flour or more water, to get it how you like it.
Dumplings
2 cups sifted flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. savory
2 tbsp. parsley
Sift together in medium bowl.
1/4 cup shortening
Drop into the bowl and cut in with 2 knives until it looks like coarse corn meal.
Or use pastry blender.
1 cup milk
Add milk all at once and mix lightly with fork. Stir as little as possible. Scoop tablespoons full of mixture onto top of cooked stew. Cover pot tightly and let stew simmer 15 minutes without removing cover.