Beef stew is the hearty comfort food recipe to make when you need a bowl of warming goodness and goes beautifully with creamy mashed potatoes.
Complete with dumplings, carrots, and tender beef, James Martin’s easy beef stew recipe is one you will want to keep up your sleeve, whether you’re serving guests or looking for a make-ahead meal (that will get even better as the week goes on).
There are many beef stew recipes out there, but this one paired with “fluffy” dumplings makes it as easy as possible to ace a hearty, thick stew with very little effort.
While the recipe takes two hours to cook, less than 30 minutes need to be spent prepping this dish that serves four people.
Loved by many who tried out this dish, the beef stew recipe is rated almost five stars on the BBC Food website.
Ingredients
For the beef stew
Two tablespoons olive oil
25g butter
750g beef braising steak, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Two tablespoons plain flour
Two garlic cloves, crushed
175g baby onions, peeled (or large onions sliced)
150g celery, cut into large chunks
150g carrots, cut into large chunks
Two leeks, roughly chopped
200g swede, cut into large chunks
150ml red wine
500ml beef stock
Two bay leaves
Three tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Three tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
One tablespoon balsamic vinegar, to taste
Salt and pepper
For the dumplings
125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
One teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
60g suet
To serve
Mashed potato
One tablespoon chopped parsley
Method
Start by preheating the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. For the beef stew, heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole dish and fry the beef until browned on all sides.
Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further two to three minutes before adding in the garlic and all the vegetables and fry for one to two minutes.
Next, stir in the wine, stock and herbs, then add the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar, to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for about two hours, or until the meat is tender.
For the dumplings, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the suet and enough water to form a thick dough. With floured hands, roll spoonfuls of the dough into small balls.
After the two hours are up, remove the lid from the stew and place the balls on top of the stew. Cover, return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until the dumplings have puffed up and are tender.
For those who prefer their dumplings with a golden top, leave the lid off when returning to the oven.
Then all that’s left is to serve. To do so, place a spoonful of mashed potato onto each of the four plates and top with the stew and dumplings. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and you’re done.
