Beef stew and dumplings

A slow beef stew with big, fluffy dumplings steamed on top. Einkorn makes a dumpling that's light inside and slightly nutty, and it thickens the stew too. The one rule is to keep the lid on while the dumplings cook.

• Serves 6
• Active 45 min
• Total about 3½ hours

Stew

• 1 kg beef chuck (stewing beef), cut into 4 cm pieces
• 20 g fresh-milled whole einkorn flour, for dredging
• 2 tbsp beef tallow (used tallow adds flavour)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 litre beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 thyme sprigs and 2 bay leaves
• Salt and plenty of black pepper

Einkorn tallow dumplings

• 200 g fresh-milled whole einkorn flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 g fine salt (½ tsp)
• 100 g clean beef tallow, frozen hard (see notes)
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• About 120 ml cold water

Method

Stew

1. Season the beef and toss it in the einkorn flour. In a large lidded casserole, brown it in batches in the tallow over high heat. Set it aside.
2. Lower the heat and cook the onions, carrots and celery for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste for 2 minutes.
3. Return the beef, then add the stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Bring it to a simmer, cover, and cook very gently for 2–2½ hours, on the hob or in a 160 °C (325 °F) oven, until the beef is tender.
4. Taste and season. The stew needs plenty of liquid at this point, because the dumplings sit in it and steam. If it has reduced a lot, add a splash of water or stock.

Dumplings

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Grate the frozen tallow straight into the bowl on the coarse side of a box grater, tossing it through the flour every so often so the shreds stay separate, then stir in the parsley. Add 100 ml of the water and mix with a knife to a soft, slightly sticky dough, adding the rest only if it's dry. Don't knead it. Einkorn needs less water than wheat flour.
2. With floured hands, shape it into 8 balls. They will roughly double in size.
3. Bring the stew to a steady simmer on the hob and sit the dumplings on top, spaced apart. Cover with the lid and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through. Don't lift the lid for the first 15 minutes; the steam is what makes them light.
4. For crisp tops, take the lid off and put the casserole in a 200 °C (400 °F) oven for the last 10 minutes.