My kids were starving and as soon as I added the spice mix to the dish, as the aromas floated around the house, my kids were excited about dinner.
Growing up my mum convinced me I don't like cumin, why, I have no idea, she never cooked with it. Then one day, nearly ten tears into my marriage I tried a recipe with cumin in it, she was wrong, I love cumin. So then I told her she does to (as she is a huge fan of Tacos) but she still won't cook with it, I on the other hand love cooking with cumin.
The stew part was delicious, perfect actually, and the dumplings were so soft, my kids were counting them regularly to ensure no one got more than the other person.
My husband gave me a 10 out 0f 10 for this one, rated it my best stew ever. My kids loved it also, and the best thing was, it was so easy to make. This is something worth trying.
I served it with a green bean salad on the side for the colour, it was a good choice. I just seasoned the beans with salt and pepper and drizzled it with some extra virgin olive oil.
Also if you prefer not to make the dumplings, serve with some soft polenta.
Recipe
Serves 6
3 tablespoons olive oil
1.5kg chuck steak, diced into 4cm pieces
2 medium brown onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large green capsicum, chopped
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chilli powder
800g can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup (250ml) beef stock
1 teaspoon vegeta
400g can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained
Corn Dumplings:
75g self raising flour
85g polenta
50g butter, chopped
1 egg, beaten lightly
30g coarsely grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander
130g can corn kernels, drained
1 tablespoon milk, approximately
Fresh coriander and sour cream, to serve
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan, over medium-high heat. Cook the meat in batches, until browned. Remove to a bowl until needed.
Heat the remaining oil in the same saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, and capsicum, stir regularly, cook until the vegetables soften, reduce the heat if needed. Add the paprika, cumin and chilli powder, cook, stirring, until fragrant, 20-30 seconds.
Return the meat to the pan, stir through the tomato paste. Add the undrained tomatoes, stock and vegeta. I added a little extra water (3/4-1 cup) to ensure all the meat was covered with liquid. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 hours or until tender.
After 2 1/2 hours of cooking, shred the meat coarsely with two forks, return the meat to the pan with the kidney beans; bring to the boil. Simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.
Make the corn dumplings: Place the flour and polenta into a medium bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour and polenta using your finger tips. When it is all rubbed in, stir in the egg, cheese, coriander, corn and milk to form a soft, sticky dough. Add a little more milk, if needed.
Roughly roll level tablespoons of the dumpling mixture into balls and drop them about 2cm apart, on top of the meat mixture. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.
Enjoy!
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