Dave Myers, the beloved motorcycle-riding cook from The Hairy Bikers has passed away at age 66 from cancer.
Fellow Hairy Biker Si King announced the death on social media, stating that he will “miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime.”
Both Dave and Si were friends for more than 30 years, and in late November Dave spoke to BBC Breakfast and stated that the friendship came “naturally” to the pair and that they were both “part of each other’s families.”
Dave also spoke in the same interview about how Si would cook him his favourite comfort food of mince and dumplings while he was being treated for cancer.
If you are looking to celebrate Dave and remember him, here is how to make his favourite dinner recipe of mince and herby dumplings.
READ MORE: Hairy Biker’s traditional cottage pie has less than 250 calories per portion
Instructions
To make the mince:
To begin, prepare the ingredients. Finely chop up the onion, garlic cloves and celery sticks and then dice the carrots. If using fresh herbs, finely cut them up as well.
Place two teaspoons of vegetable oil in a pan and heat on a medium heat. Cook the onion, garlic and celery for 15 minutes. Stir regularly to evenly cook the ingredients.
Once the vegetables and softened and have a slight golden colour, add in the mince and cook for an additional five minutes until the mince begins to brown. Make sure to keep stirring regularly to break up the mince
Pour in the beef stock and also add the tomatoes, tomato puree, red wine, caster sugar and the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper, then bring the mixture to a boil, Reduce the heat and leave the mince to simmer gently for 20 minutes while occasionally stirring.
To make the dumplings:
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, beef suet, a pinch of salt as well as the rosemary, parsley and thyme.
Make a dent in the centre, pour in enough cold water and stir together (around 200ml) to make a soft dough.
Coat your hands in dough and roll the dumpling mixture into 12 small balls.
Combine everything together:
Once the mince is fully cooked, remove the pan from the heat and drop the dumplings into the mince.
Cover the pan with a lid and place on a medium heat, then cook for an additional 18 to 20 minutes until the dumplings are well-risen.
Your delicious mince and dumplings are now ready to serve.
