Mom’s Hearty Beef Stew with Dumplings

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Description

My mom’s beef stew recipe that she’s perfected over 25 years. Tender chunks of beef couple with hearty vegetables in a rich gravy for a soul-warming treat. And Oh! The dumplings!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
  • 2 teaspoons steak seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning®), divided
  • 2 stalks celery, each cut into 4 pieces
  • 2 cups water, or to cover
  • 4 (.85 ounce) packages dry brown gravy mix
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 small turnip, peeled and quartered
  • 4 carrots, peeled and quartered
  • 7 potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons shortening
  • ¾ cup milk

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering
  2. and place the onion and beef into the hot oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the steak seasoning
  3. stir the meat and onions well
  4. and sprinkle with 1 more teaspoon of seasoning. Add the celery
  5. and cook and stir until the meat is browned
  6. about 10 minutes.
  7. Pour in 2 cups of water to just cover the meat
  8. onion
  9. and celery
  10. bring to a boil
  11. and stir and scrape the browned bits of flavor from the bottom of the pan. Cover
  12. reduce heat
  13. and simmer until the beef is very tender
  14. about 2 hours. Remove the meat and celery pieces from the pan
  15. set the meat aside
  16. and discard the celery.
  17. In a bowl
  18. whisk together the gravy mix with 4 cups of water. Add the mixture to the juices in the pot
  19. bring to a boil
  20. and stir the meat back into the gravy mixture. Stir in the turnip and carrots
  21. cover
  22. and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the potatoes
  23. cover
  24. and simmer an additional 20 minutes.
  25. To make dumplings
  26. mix the flour
  27. baking powder
  28. and salt in a bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture looks crumbly. Pour in the milk
  29. and lightly stir the mixture just until it combines to form a dough.
  30. Remove 2 cups of gravy from the pot
  31. and reserve. Drop the dumplings by heaping tablespoon onto the meat and vegetables in the pot
  32. cover
  33. and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not peek until the time is up. Pour the reserved gravy back over the dumplings
  34. stir lightly
  35. and serve.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 3 hrs 10 mins

Total Time: 3 hrs 40 mins

Servings: 8

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