There is little more comforting than this! In this version, the swede adds a lovely heartiness to the dish. The tomato ketchup and mustard respectively lend sweetness and heat. The biggest change is the addition of milk and yeast to the dumplings, which gives them a texture, lightness and colour not dissimilar to an oriental steamed bun. The parsley should only be roughly chopped, not finely, and plentiful so it keeps that grassy edge to offset the rich flavours of the mince. This is a great store cupboard go-to recipe that you can make in bulk and freeze the extra. For a more spring-like version, you can swap the swede for an equal amount of Jersey royals and then scatter the finished dish with some dressed finely sliced green asparagus and broad beans.
Ollie Dabbous
Dumplings
125g Tepid Milk
5g Yeast powder
180g Strong bread flour
5g Fine sea salt
5g Caster sugar
95g Suet
- Mix together the yeast and the milk to dissolve, then place in the base of a kitchen aid and add the dry ingredients; knead over a low heat for 5 mins until smooth.
- Place the ball of dough in a bowl and leave to prove, covered, for an hour at room temperature.
- Divide into 50g pieces, then roll into balls. Place on baking tray lined with greaseproof, allowing 5cm gaps between each dumpling.
- Cover with a damp J-cloth and leave to prove for 2hrs until well risen, then cook on top of the mince……
Mince
450g Beef mince (100% chuck steak preferably)
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 tsp Fine sea salt
1/2 White onions, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 Swede, peeled and finely chopped
1 Carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick Celery, finely chopped
1 tsp Fine sea salt
1 tbsp Plain flour
75g Red wine
75g White wine
30g Tomato ketchup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcester sauce
375g Beef stock
Few twists Black pepper
1 Bay leaf
1 Garlic clove, crushed
4 sprigs Thyme or rosemary or both, finely chopped
- Heat a large pan on the stove until very hot, then add the oil, then the mince. add the salt and fry over a high heat until well browned all over.
- Season the vegetables and mix together, then add to the pan and cook for 5 mins.
- Add the flour and stir to coat then add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping the base of the pan.
- Add the ketchup, mustard, Worcester sauce, stock, black pepper, garlic & herbs. Stir well to combine.
- Top with the dumplings then cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour over a gentle heat, lid on.
Assemble
Flat parsley, roughly chopped.
- Scatter generously with chopped parsley.