Recipe: Hearty Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings

HEARTY BEEF STEW WITH HERBED DUMPLINGS

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb stew beef, cut into 1-inch chunks
6 cups beef broth
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in Dutch oven or stockpot. Add beef; brown on all sides.

Drain off fat. Add beef broth, vegetables, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile prepare the dumpling dough.

HERBED DUMPLINGS

1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
3 tbsp minced fresh parsley (1 tbsp dried parsley)
1 1/2 tsp fresh minced thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)

Beat egg and milk together in small bowl; set aside.

Mix together flour, parsley and thyme in large bowl. Add egg-milk mixture to flour mixture; stir to make a stiff dough.

Drop dumpling batter by teaspoonfuls (small) into simmering stew. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes. Dumplings are done when they float on top of liquid.