Beef Stew With Parmesan Parsley Dumplings

Like many of us, I grew up eating beef stew.  It was a meal I always looked forward to..  We probably had it every couple of weeks in the old homestead. 
This recipe is almost the same as Betty Crocker's  but over the years I've made a few changes.  In the past I loved to use sirloin tips as my beef but they are way to expensive right now so today I used blade steak.  I just cut around the fat and dice it into 1 inch pieces. As a kid,  I remember being so excited when my mom would make dumplings with the stew.  It didn't happen every time so it was a real treat.  Tonight... it's beef stew with Parmesan Parsley Dumplings and I can't wait....



Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil ( Divided)
2 Lbs boneless beef chuck or tips cut into 1 inch cubes.
2 Cups Beef Broth
1 Cup Water
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
4 Carrots Peeled and Sliced
8 Tiny New Potatoes, Halved ( no need to peel)
3 Stalks Celery Sliced ( about 1 Cup)
1 Large Onion Diced
1 Bay Leaf ( Don't forget to removed before serving)
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 1/2  Teaspoons of Dried Italian Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

For Thickening
1/2 Cup Cold Water
2 Tablespoons Flour

Directions:
1. In a Dutch oven or heavy cooking pot, heat 2 Tablespoons oil over medium heat, add beef and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until brown on all sides. Remove Meat from Dutch Oven and set aside.

2, Add Remaining 2 Tablespoons oil and heat over medium heat. Add chopped celery and onions. Cook for 3 minutes until slightly tender.

3. Add back the browned beef, the water, beef broth , salt, pepper, bay leaf, Italian Seasoning and Tomato Paste. Heat to boiling and scrape bottom of the Dutch Oven to loosen up the bits. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the beef is tender.


4. Stir in all the cut vegetables. Cover and cook another 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Make sure you remove and discard the bay leaf at this point.


5. In a small bowl, whisk the 1/2 cup cold water and 2 tablespoons flour. Pour into the dutch oven and cook on low for 1 minute until thickened.

For Dumplings: ( Makes Six)
1 Cup Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley Chopped


Directions For Dumplings

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in medium size bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk, parsley and cheese to make a soft dough.
Drop by spoonfuls into boiling stew on top of vegetables and beef. Cover and simmer 15 minutes without lifting lid. Serve.

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