As winter sets in in the Southern Hemisphere, stews and comfort foods are most welcome.
• 1 ½kg stewing lamb
• 15ml seasoned flour
• 15ml cooking oil or olive oil
• 2 onions – chopped
• Garlic
• 1kg ripe tomatoes – chopped
• 2ml dried or 5ml chopped fresh basil
• 6 peppercorns
• 5nl sugar
• 2 medium potatoes cubed
Trim fat from meat and roll in seasoned flour. Brown in oil in batches. Brown onions and garlic, add meat with remaining ingredients except the potato. Cover and cook for 1 to 2 hours or until meat is tender. Add potatoes 30 minutes before serving.
Dumplings • 250ml self-raising flour
• 1ml salt
• 30ml butter
• 30ml parsley – chopped, optional
• 1 egg
• 125ml milk
Sift flour and salt twice. Rub butter into flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add chopped parsley. Beat egg and milk together and add to the flour. Mix to a soft consistency. Place spoonful of mixture on top of the meat. Cover with a lid and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes without lifting the lid. The dumplings will collapse if the lid is lifted.
TIP: I always sifted flour twice when baking, it results in a lighter end result. Use it, don’t use it.