Name: Slow cooker beef stew with dumplings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 h 20 min
Total time: 8 h 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 800g stewing beef roughly chopped; 2 onions roughly chopped; 4 carrots roughly chopped; 2 sticks celery roughly chopped; 150ml red wine; few sprigs of rosemary and thyme; 2 bay leaves; ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce; 800ml beef stock; small handful of parsley to serve; 150g self-raising flour; 70g suet

Slow cooker beef stew with dumplings

Use your slow cooker to make this beef stew so it will be ready for when you get home after a long day. Nothing says winter warmer quite like a stew

8 hr 40 min total 20 min prep 8 hr 20 min cook 4 707 cal

Instructions

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1 Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large pan or frying pan over a medium heat and brown the beef all over – you may need to do this in batches. Remove, leaving any oil behind, and put in the slow cooker. Add the remaining oil to the pan, turn the heat to medium-low, and fry the onion, carrot and celery for 10-12 mins until softened but not golden. Add to the slow cooker.
2 Pour the wine into the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 mins before pouring into the slow cooker. Add the remaining stew ingredients to the slow cooker and cook, on high for 4 hrs or low for 7 hrs.
3 Shortly before the time is up, make the dumplings. Put the flour and suet in a bowl, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine, then make a well in the centre and pour in 3 tbsp cold water. Stir, then gradually add a teaspoon of water at a time until the mix easily comes together into a soft dough. Form into 8 balls and carefully put on top of the stew. Cook for a further 1 hr, then serve scattered with parsley.