ingredients
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp Borderfields Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil
750g beef for braising, diced into medium size pieces
1 litre rich beef stock
2 tbsp tomato purée
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
For the dumplings:
150g self-raising flour
100g beef suet
½ tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp chopped parsley
150g mature cheddar cheese
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
Cold water to mix
method
Preheat the oven to 140°C/130°C fan
In a frying pan, fry the onion, celery, and carrots in 1 tbsp oil over a low heat until they start to soften.
In a separate pan, fry the beef in small batches in the remaining oil until it is well browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a casserole dish and repeat until all the beef is browned. Add the stock, tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and thyme to the casserole, stirring to combine. Season with a little salt and pepper.
Put the casserole into the preheated oven and cook for 2½ – 3 hours until the beef is just tender.
Meanwhile make the dumplings. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, suet, thyme, parsley, 100g of the cheese and mustard and season with a little salt and pepper. Add enough cold water to form a firm but soft dough. Divide the dough into 8 equal round balls, the size of a walnut.
Around 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the casserole from the oven and drop the dumplings onto the top of the beef casserole. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tops of the dumplings and return to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes until the dumplings
