Beef Hot Pot With Herb Dumplings - cooking recipe

Ingredients

beef hot pot
30 g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 onions (eshalots or baby onions peeled)
200 g mushrooms (sliced)
4 slices bacon (sliced)
800 g beef eye round (chuck steak trimmed and cubed)
1/4 cup plain flour
2 cups beer
1 1/2 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
salt and pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme (to garnish)
herb dumplings
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mustard powder
50 g butter (cold, chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup milk

Preparation

HOT POT.
Heat half the butter and oil in a large flameproof casserole dish, add onions (eshalots) and mushrooms, cook stirring until onions (eshalots) are golden brown. Remove from dish.
Add bacon to dish, cook, stirring until browned all over. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.
Heat remaining butter and oil in same dish, add beef in batches, stir until browned all over.
Return beef to dish with flour. Stir in beer, stock and bay leaves, cook stirring until mixture thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook in moderate oven (180 degree celsius) for 1 hour. Add mushrooms, eschalots, bacon and thyme. Cook covered for a further 30 minutes.
Time to add Herb Dumplings - have step 9 ready and go to 10.
HERB DUMPLINGS.
Sift flour, salt and mustard in a bowl; rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrums (can do in a food processor). Stir in herbs, add egg yolk and enough milk to form a sticky dough.
Drop tablespoons of Herb Dumpling mixture into Beef Hot Pot. Cook covered, for a further 30 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked through.
Serve Hot Pot garnished with extra fresh thyme. Mashed potatoe and steamed vegetables to complete for hearty meal and crusty bread to mop up the gravy.