Dumplings

Steak and kidney with dumplings was always my favourite meal as a kid, but my husband won’t eat kidney so I use mushrooms instead. (See Steak and Mushroom Casserole). I don’t have children to feed so when we have dumplings I leave out the potatoes.

Keep the casserole hot in a covered microwave-proof dish while you make the dumplings. But make sure it doesn’t bubble. Be sure to use a casserole dish with plenty of room to allow the dumplings to rise.

1 c flour
12 g (about 1 TB) butter, melted but cool
½ tsp baking soda and
1 tsp cream of tartar (or 1½ tsp baking powder)
¼ tsp salt
6 TB water

Sift the flour, raising agents and salt into a large bowl. Pour over the melted butter while stirring with a wire whisk until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Don’t be too fussy. You need to work fairly quickly. This is my easy way of rubbing the butter into the flour. Add the water all at once and, using a knife, stir quickly to make a soft dough.

Divide the dough in four and place on top of the hot stew. Cook on high, covered, for four minutes. This time is for a 650-watt microwave and today’s ovens seem to have higher wattages so you may need to adjust the time accordingly.

Since my microwave broke down I have made these dumplings twice, with relative success, in an ordinary oven. Put them on top of the hot stew in a casserole with a tight-fitting lid (put a layer of aluminium foil over the lid and squeeze it tightly around the edges of the casserole if the lid doesn’t give a tight seal) and cook at 200° C (400° F ) for twenty minutes. If your oven is fan-forced or convection the temperature will need to be lowered by about 20-30 degrees. Consult your oven’s instruction manual.

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