This beef stew with dumplings is the dish I bring out when the weather turns truly damp and dinner needs to stick to your ribs. Here, we stick to a classic, but without complicating things: a Dutch oven, a meat that simmers, simple vegetables, and fluffy dumplings placed on top at the end of cooking.
Ingredients :
- Beef for stewing — Chuck, neck, or shin give tender meat after long cooking because they contain tissue that melts gently into the sauce. Avoid overly lean cuts: they seem practical but become dry and stringy.
- Beef broth — It builds the base of the sauce and brings the salty, round, deep taste of the dish. Choose a broth that isn’t too salty, so you can adjust at the end, because the sauce reduces during simmering.
- Carrots, celery, and onion — This trio provides natural sweetness, aroma, and a real stew base. Cut the carrots thick enough so they stay visible and tender, not into small dice that disappear into the sauce.
- Tomato paste — It deepens the brown color and adds slight acidity that prevents a heavy sauce. Let it cook for a minute with the vegetables to remove its raw taste and get a warmer, almost grilled aroma.
