Root Vegetable Stew with Herb and Mustard Dumplings

If you've been experimenting with vegan food this January or 'veganuary' as it's been dubbed you'll know that vegan food doesn't have to be insubstantial or, indeed uninteresting. For those of you who remain to be convinced here's a hearty stew from Rachel Demuth of Demuth's Cookery School in Bath which contains both cider and sherry!

Rachel writes: Stews and slow-cooking dishes are perfect for cold winter days. Winter food needs to be piping hot, comforting, filling, sustaining and hearty.

The choice of vegetables can be altered to what you have in the kitchen. If you like swede or turnips, add some. Dumplings are the ultimate in comfort food!

Root Vegetable Stew with Herb and Mustard Dumplings

Serves: 4

Dietary: Vegan

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 shallots, peeled and quartered
• 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 440ml dry cider
• 1 tbsp sherry
• 2 bay leaves
• a few sage leaves
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp Marmite
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Dumplings

• 110g self-raising white flour
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 50g vegetable suet or margarine
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• ½ tbsp chopped fresh sage
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• cold water to mix

Method:

1. In a large casserole dish fry the shallots in the rapeseed oil until they are golden.
2. Add the garlic and the leeks. Fry for a couple more minutes, and then add the carrots, parsnip and potatoes and stir-fry.
3. Add the cider and sherry and bring to the boil.
4. Mix the Marmite into the vegetable stock and add to the stew along with the bay leaves and sage leaves.
5. Season to taste and simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until all the vegetables are nearly cooked, before you add the dumplings.
6. While the stew is simmering, make the dumplings. They need to be added 15 minutes before the stew is ready.
7. Sieve the flour with the mustard powder into a large bowl then add the vegetable suet or margarine, salt and freshly ground black pepper and fresh herbs. Just before adding to the stew, mix in enough water, a little at a time, to make a firm but not sticky dough. With floured hands, break the dough into about 12 small pieces and roll them into round dumplings.
8. Before adding the dumplings, check the stew for seasoning and add the chopped parsley. At this stage you may need to add some more liquid so that there is sufficient for the dumplings to cook through. Add the dumplings to the stew, push them down into the liquid and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the dumplings have doubled in size.
9. Serve in large deep bowls in front of the fire.

What to drink: Since you're using cider to make this delicious stew I'd definitely drink cider with it.

You may also find this post on pairing wine with vegan food useful.

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