Winter Warmer : Beef and Corn Casserole with Herbed Corn Dumplings

Beef meals are few a far between at the moment. Our last home kill ran out in March and once you've paid home kill prices it's hard to part with hard earned money on supermarket prices.

I did part with $11 last time I went shopping, I brought a kilo pack of gravy beef, which was turned into a big stew, with dumplings of course.  I cooked a double recipe for $17 - bargin!

With birthday party preparations to do it was good to know dinner was taken care of while I got on with the day.

If you don't have ground corn (maize flour) just use plain flour, or some wholemeal.


Beef and Corn Casserole with Herbed Corn Dumplings Recipe
Serves 4

Casserole
2T Oil or Dripping (I used bacon dripping)
500g Gravy Beef, Trimmed and Cubed

2 Onions, Sliced
1T Flour
1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
400ml Stock
Bouquet Garni (or 1T mixed herbs)
1 Large Carrot, Diced
2 Medium Potatoes, Peeled and Diced
Salt and Pepper
1 Tin of Corn Kernels, Drained

Dumplings
100g Plain Flour
80g Ground Corn
2t Baking Powder
¼t Salt
½t Mixed Herbs
100g Butter
½C Milk

Casserole
In a heavy, oven proof pan heat dripping over medium high heat.  Brown the gravy beef and set aside.  Turn down heat a little and brown the onions.  Stir in flour and cook for another minute or so.  Add juice from tinned tomatoes, stock, bouquet garni, carrot, potatoes and season.  Bring to the boil and then add in the beef.  Cover and  either turn down to lowest setting, put in the oven at 130ºC or transfer to a slow-cooker - make sure you preheat the bowl and cook on low.  If you cook on the stove top you will need to stir every now and then to make sure it doesn't stick.  Cook for 6-8 hours.  45 minutes before you're ready to serve return to stove top on medium heat or turn slow-cooker onto high.  Add in drained tomatoes and corn.  Assemble dumplings and cook for another 20 minutes till dumplings are cooked through (dumplings may take up to 40 minutes to cook in slow-cooker).

Dumplings
Mix together dry ingredients.  Rub in butter till mixture resembles bread crumbs.  Stir in milk to form a soft dough.  Drop large spoonfuls into bubbling casserole.

Happy boys : Warm stew, bath, then bed