Slow Cooked Beef Stew with Cheese and Caraway Dumplings

Junior football weekly competion has finally but sadly finished for the 2013 season.  I have enjoyed this year even though I overcommitted not only myself but Noel and sacrafice special time with my family.  This year as well as being Treasurer I moonlighted as Registrar decided to be canteen manager and also put our (yes mine and Noel's) hands up to cook Sunday night dinners for 80 - 100 people each week.  14 rounds the Junior football season runs with 4 weeks of finals which this year are at another club.  I officially hung my apron up last Sunday finding myself lost this past weekend with no additional shopping, no mass cooking and no deep frying of chips etc on Sunday morning.  I am definitely a football mam and felt like something was missing on the weekend.

Anyway while that part of me has gone for the rest of this year, I can say I should have time to focus on my blog even though my work commitments remain the same.  I am seriously wondering whether I should blogging about my restaurant meals while I travel especially while I have a massive amount of travel ahead in the next few months.  Thoughts please??  I value your opinions.......

Needless to say I spent time in the kitchen cooking for the Murray family.....  and have thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Tonight's menu consisted of a slow cooked beef stew - very basic in ingredients but full of flavour.  Topped with herb packed cheesy dumplings this meal was a perfect dish for a cold evening.

Slow Cooked Beef Stew with Cheese and Caraway Dumplings

(recipe sourced from WW Magazine August 2013)

 

Serves: 4

ProPoints per Serve: 11

 

200 grams button mushrooms, sliced

550 grams gravy beef, fat trimmed

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 dried bay leaf

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup red wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2/3 cup self raising flour

1/4 cup skim milk

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup 50% reduced fat grated tasty cheese

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

pinch smoked paprika, to serve

Preheat oven 180 degrees Celsius. 

Lightly spray a large shallow ovenproof saucepan with oil and heat over high heat.  Cook the mushroom, stirring, for 4 minutes or until golden.  Set aside. 

Lightly spray the pan with oil.  Season the beef with salt and pepper.  Cook the beef, in 2 batches, for 2 minutes or until browned.  Set aside.

Cook the onion, garlic and bay leaf, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened.

Meanwhile, whisk the stock, wine and tomato paste in a jug until combined.  Return the beef to the pan along with the wine mixture.  Bring to the boil.  Place in the oven and cook, covered, for 1 hour.  Add the mushroom and cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until the beef is tender.

Meanwhile place the four and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.  Combine the milk, oil, parsley and 2 tablepoons of the cheese in a jug.  Stir the cheese mixture through the flour until it forms a sticky dough.

Discard the bay leaf from the stew.  Drop tablespoons of the cheese in the jug.  Sprinkle with caraway seeds and remaining cheese.  Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the dumplings sre cooked through.

Serve with 0 ProPoints value steamed vegetables.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Thank you all sooooo much for your patience with my spasmotic blogging....... cross fingers for a better last few months of the year xxx