Minced Beef Onions and Mushrooms with Dumplings

Looking in the fridge last night, I saw that we needed to use some vegetables up, so I went back to my childhood - minced beef onions and mushrooms with dumplings, we used to have this every Saturday, although the portion size triple what I am going to out line here.

You can serve the minced beef and dumplings with whatever you want, I am doing new potatoes, carrots and green beans.

 Serves 2

Approx cost - £1.50p

Ingredients:

• 250g of Onions, finely chopped
• 180g of mushrooms finely chopped
• 270g of minced beef
• 1 pint of beef stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TBLSP of Worcester Sauce
• 2 heaped TSP of cornflour
• Cold water
• 125g of self raising flour
• 65g of cold butter grated
• Salt and pepper
• 1 TSP mixed herbs

Method:

• Add a little olive oil to a large pan
• Gently fry the onions until soft and slightly brown
• Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes
• Add the mince to the pan, mix well and brown
• Add the stock, salt and pepper and Worcester sauce
• Bring to boil
• Cover and simmer for 25 minutes
• In a cup add the cornflour and a little cold water and mix
• Add to the pan
• Turn up the heat to medium and cook for a further 15 minutes with the lid off, stirring
• Taste and adjust seasoning if required

Now I like my dumplings crispy, but if you prefer you can add the dumplings direct to the meat and cover and simmer for 30 minutes, however the dumplings are being finished off in the oven, in the instructions below.

• Put your flour into a mixing bowl
• Add the grated butter
• Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mixed herbs
• Using your fingers, gently rub the butter into the flour until it begins to resemble bread crumbs
• Add a bit of cold water to help bind it into a dough
• Divide the dough into 12 pieces and gently roll each into a round dumpling.
• Place the dumplings on top of your fully cooked stew and press down lightly so that they’re half submerged
• Transfer the meat mix to a casserole dish and cook in a pre heated oven at 220 Degree C with the lid on for 1 hours
• After 1 hour add the dumplings and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on, remove the lid for last 20 minutes

Serve with your choice of veg and enjoy !!