Beef and Mushroom Casserole with Parmesan Dumplings

Another winter warmer to make an appearance on this blog is Beef and Mushroom Casserole with Parmesan Dumplings.  

Who could want more on a colder evening that fills you to your toes? A nice thick rich beef casserole with mushrooms and thyme as the main stars with secretly hidden carrots and zucchini complimented with nice soft dumplings laced with Parmesan cheese.  

This recipe was slow cooked in the oven but could easily be cooked in a slow cooker for those that need to be prepared (normally I have the slow cooker on at least 3 times a week in our house).

Beef and Mushroom Casserole with Parmesan Dumplings

(recipe adapted from Taste.com)

Serves: 8

1.5 kilograms gravy beef, cut into 2cm chunks

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 onion, chopped

10 bacon rashes, chopped

500 grams button mushrooms, halved

4 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 cups beef stock

1 cup red wine

2 cans 400 grams chopped tomatoes

1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs

4 carrots, peeled and grated

2 zucchini, grated
salt
freshly ground black pepper

75 grams butter

3 cups self-raising flour

3/4 cup fresh parmesan grated

1 1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

Brown diced beef in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Transfer to plate.

To the same pan add onion, bacon, mushrooms, garlic and cook until soft. Stir in flour.

Add beef stock, red wine, tomatoes, thyme and smoked paprika. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, add carrots and zucchini.  Return beef to the mixture and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon into a large ovenproof dish.

Cook covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally or until beef is tender.

Increase oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

In a large bowl rub butter into self-raising flour. Stir in Parmesan and milk. Bring together. Roll into 24 balls. Place on casserole mixture.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Alternatively slow cooker directions:

Place in beef mixture in a slow cooker vessel and cook on low for 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Transfer mixture into a large oven proof dish.

Make dumplings as above and place on casserole mixture.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Serve with steamed vegetables.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

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

Beef and Bacon Casserole with Cheese Dumplings

The one great thing about comfort food is that there is no season when you must eat it... comfort food is definitely a year round happening.  This dish is certainly in the comfort food category.

Beef and Bacon Casserole, a  thick tomato gravy laced with tender beef chunks, bacon pieces and vegetables is nice by itself but topped with a couple of fluffy cheese dumplings it was perfect.  The hint of thyme perfectly complimented the mix.

Best of all this recipe was easy to prepare which made it easy to fit into the mid week rush especially as I cheated by putting the casserole in the slow cooker (although the recipe cooks in the oven) and was ready not long after getting home from football training with only the dumplings to prepare.

Beef and Bacon Casserole with Cheese Dumplings

(Recipe sourced from WW Food You'll Love Cookbook)

Serves: 4

ProPoints per serve: 11

cooking spray

125 grams Weight Watchers Bacon, chopped

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

600 grams lean blade steak, fat trimmed cut into 3cm pieces

2 tablespoons plain flour

1/3 cup dry red wine

1 1/2 cups beef stock

400 gram can diced tomatoes

2 carrots, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

200 grams button mushrooms, halved

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 cup self raising flour

1 tablespoon Weight Watchers Canola Spread

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup reduced fat milk

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees Celsius fan forced. 

Lightly spray a large 1.5 litre (6 cup) flameproof casserole dish with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Add bacon and onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Transfer to a bowl.

Lightly spray the same dish with cooking spray and heat over high heat.  Cook beef, in batches, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned.  Return beef and bacon mixture to the pan.  Add plain flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Gradually stir in the wine and bring to the boil.  Add stock, tomatoes, carrot, celery and thyme. Cover and bring to the boil.  Transfer dish to oven and bake for 1 hour.  Add mushrooms and bake for 30 minutes.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Meanwhile, place self raising flour and spread in a large bowl.  Using fingertips, rub spread into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in Parmesan.  Make a well in centre of flour mixture and stir in enough milk to create a soft, sticky dough.

Remove dish from oven.  Increase oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 180 degrees Celsius fan forced.  Using floured hands, roll dough into 8 dumplings about the size of a walnut. Arrange dumplings, about 3 cm apart, on top of beef mixture and lightly spray with oil.  Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until dumplings are lightly browned and cooked through.

Note:  I mentioned that I cooked the casserole component in the slow cooker (I love my slow cooker).  Cooked on low for 8 hours after the second step.  Transfer to an oven proof dish when ready to cook dumplings in the oven.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Lamb and Vegetable Hot Pot with Herb Dumplings

Following an enjoyable Roast Lamb dinner on Sunday evening there is always the big question of what to do with the left over lamb.  I am not a lover of having roast two nights in a row.  Call me fussy but it never tastes the same the second night in my opinion.  It normally gets turned into a hearty Lamb Stew but this time I was determined to do something different.

I had been spying this recipe for awhile now but had steered clear as I know Noel is not a lover of dumplings from the last time I cooked them many many years ago - I haven't been game to broach the topic of dumplings again.

I left the recipe on the bench overnight and told the family this was my plan.  They all agreed to give it a go dumplings or no dumplings!

I was running late from work tonight and to my surprise my wonderful husband took the challenge of not only cooking the recipe but adapting it to suit cooked meat instead of the raw meat as called for.

This dish was amazing..... and I must add cooked to perfection.

Lamb and Vegetable Hot Pot with Herb Dumplings

(recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Cook Hearty Cookbook)

Serves: 4

ProPoints per Serve: 13

1 tablespoon olive oil

700 grams lean lamb leg steaks or cooked roast lamb, cut into 3cm pieces

1 brown onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

200 grams button mushrooms, halved

1 tablesppon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon plaing flour

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup self raising flour

50 grams Weight Watchers Canola Spread

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/3 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Heat oil in a 2 litre capacity shallow flameproof casserole dish over high heat.  Cook lamb, in batched, turning, for 2 - 3 minutes or until browned.  If using cooked meat just fry in oil for 1 - 2 minutes.

Add onion, carrot, mushrooms and thyme to dish and cook stirring for 5 - 7 minutes or until vegetables are softened.  Add plain flour and stir to coar.  Combine Worcestershire sauce and stock in a jub.  Gradually add stock mixture to vegetable mixture in dish, stirring until combined.  Cover and bring to the boil.  Transfer dish to oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place self raising flour and spread in a large bowl.  Using fingertips, rub spread into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in egg, parsley, rosemary and enough of the milk to make a soft, sticky dough.  Add a little more milk if needed.

Remove dish from oven.  Increase oven temperature to 220 degrees Celsius.  Drop heaped teaspoons of dough, about 3 cms apart, on top of the hot pot and lightly spray with oil.  Bake, uncovered, for 15 - 20 minutes or until dumplings are lightly browned and cooked through.  Serve.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)