Beef & Guinness Stew

Last Sunday I asked Andy whether he preferred a roast or a stew. I think my answer would always be a stew. The thing like about a roast is all the trimmings - the roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and those little sausages wrapped in bacon you get at Christmas. Yet I love slow cooked, soft meat cooked in a pot and this sort of cooking always brings back happy memories of returning from Carrow Road to find a hotpot bubbling away on the hob. So here is a beef and Guinness stew with thyme dumplings

Beef & Guinness Stew (Serves 4)

750g good stewing beef
1 tbsp butter
125g shallots
25g plain flour
500ml Guinness
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
250g chestnut mushrooms, halved
60g suet
60g self-raising flour
60g white breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp thyme leaves
salt and pepper

1) Pre-heat the oven to 120c. Heat the butter in a frying pan and cook the onions until light brown. Transfer to a casserole dish. Then mix the beef with the flour in a bowl and brown in batches in the frying pan. Again transfer to the casserole dish.
2) Now pour the Guinness over the meat and top up with a little water if needed to cover the meat. Put in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
3) With an hour to go, fry the mushrooms in a little butter and add them to the stew. Then start work on the dumplings. Mix the flour, breadcrumbs and suet in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the beaten egg and mix it around with your hands until you have a dough. Add the thyme leaves and rub into the mix. Drop the dumplings into the stew with 40 minutes to go.

This stew is fantastic with mash potato. The meat is so tender it breaks up when you put it in your mouth, the onions will have melted into the rich Guinness sauce and the mushrooms and thyme add some more big flavours. Contrast that with some crusty, herby dumplings and you've got a perfect autumn/winter dinner.