Beef and Guinness Stew with Suet Dumplings

Stew

• 900 g Beef chuck roast
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 25 g Plain flour
• 2 medium Yellow onion
• 3 medium Carrot
• 2 tbsp Tomato purée
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 440 ml Stout beer
• 600 ml Beef stock
• 2 Bay leaves
• 6 sprigs Fresh thyme

Dumplings

• 150 g Plain flour
• 75 g Beef suet
• ½ tsp Fine sea salt
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• 2 sprigs Fresh thyme
• 90 ml Water

1. Cut the beef into bite-sized chunks. Season with the salt and pepper, then toss with the flour until lightly coated. Slice the onion and cut the carrots into chunky pieces.
2. Put the floured beef into a large casserole over medium-high heat and cook, turning, until well browned all over. If it starts to catch, lower the heat slightly and keep stirring so the flour does not burn. Tip the beef onto a plate.
3. Add the onion and carrots to the pot and cook over medium heat until the onion softens and picks up a little colour. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute. Return the beef to the pot.
4. Pour in the stout and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the base. Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender and the gravy is rich.
5. Make the dumplings: mix the flour, suet, salt and pepper in a bowl, then strip in the thyme leaves and stir. Add the water a little at a time, mixing just until you have a soft dough. Roll into 8 dumplings.
6. Taste the stew and adjust seasoning if needed. Sit the dumplings on top of the simmering stew, spaced slightly apart, then cover tightly. Cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are puffed and set.
7. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Let the stew stand for 5 minutes so the gravy settles slightly. Serve hot, spooning stew and dumplings into bowls.

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