Beef and Carrots in Stout
- 3 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil
- 21/4 lb braising beef, in large chunks
- 12 oz carrot, sliced
- 12 oz leek, sliced
- 13/4 oz pearl barley
- 12 oz stout
- salt
- pepper
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a heavy flameproof Dutch oven and brown the meat in batches. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the vegetables until lightly colored, then pour in the barley.
Add the stout and stir to deglaze the pan. Pour in 2¾ cups water, return the meat, and season. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and put in the oven for 2 hours. Check to make sure the casserole hasn’t become dry; add more water if needed.
Dumplings
- 1/2 onion, very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 13/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp creamed horseradish
Make the dumplings: sauté the onion in the butter, put into a bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture together and form into 12 little golf ball-sized dumplings. The mixture will be rather loose, but persevere. Dot the dumplings on top of the beef. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 10 minutes.
Recipe from Plenty by Diana Henry/Mitchell Beazley, 2010.
