Slow cooked beef & stout stew with horseradish dumplings

Serves 6-8 people

This is a "set it and forget it" kind of meal, perfect for a freezing afternoon. The stout adds a chocolatey bitterness that plays beautifully with the earthy, mineral notes of organic beef. 

Ingredients 

• 1kg Wye Organic Diced Beef
• 3 tbsp seasoned flour 
• 3 Red onions cut into wedges 
• 4 cloves crushed garlic 
• 4 Large carrots 
• 3 parsnips 
• 3/4 of a swede 
• 500ml/1 full can/bottle of Dry Stout (Guiness) 
• 550ml Beef bstock 
• 3 Bay leaves 
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp of dried thyme 
• 1.5 tbsp tomato purée 

The Dumplings 

• 125g Self-raising flour 
• 65g Suet 
• 1.5 tbsp Horseradish 

Method 

1. Pat the beef dry (moisture is the enemy of a good crust). Toss the cubes in seasoned flour. Heat a splash of oil in a heavy-duty casserole dish and brown the beef in batches. Don't crowd the pan - you want a deep mahogany crust, not grey steam. 
2. Remove the beef. Add the onions and roots to the same pot, cooking for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Pour in the stout, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all those caramelized beef bits from the bottom. 
3. The Slow Simmer: Return the beef to the pot. Add the stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a light simmer, then cover with a tight lid. 
4. Pop it in:  
5. the oven: 150°C for 3 to 3.5 hours. 
6. Or the slow cooker: Low for 7–8 hours. 
7. The Finish: About 30 minutes before the end, taste the gravy. It should be glossy and thick. If it's too thin, simmer with the lid off for a bit. 

Pro Tip: Grass-fed beef is leaner, so if you find it’s "tight" at the 2-hour mark, just give it more time. Low and slow is the only way to break down those pasture-raised fibres. 

 
If you want to take this to the next level, mix 100g self-raising flour, 50g suet, a pinch of salt, and 1 tbsp of hot horseradish cream with a splash of water to form a dough. Roll into 8 small balls and drop them onto the surface of the stew for the final 20 minutes of cooking. They’ll soak up the stout gravy like savoury clouds. 

Buy the items in this recipe here: https://www.wyeorganic.co.uk/c/beef/organic-beef-stewing-steak-500g