Economical Beef Stew...

Directions

1. 1
   Fairly straightforward recipe, pre-heat oven to gas mark 5, or 190 C - I think around 350!
2. 2
   Chop Beef into cubes if necessary; add to the pot & cover with Stock.
3. 3
   Chop Onions, Celery, Carrots & Potato; add to the pot.
4. 4
   Crush Garlic, Chop Thyme & Oregano; add to the pot.
5. 5
   Stir in half a teaspoon of all spice and give the whole contents of the pot a good stir.
6. 6
   Cook in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.
7. 7
   Prepare your dumplings while this is doing - see my other recipe.
8. 8
   After 30 minutes, remove from the oven and put the dumplings on the top of the stew, puch them in gently so half of each is 'hidden' - they will sink into the stew.
9. 9
   Cook again for another 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, check the stew is not too dry (dumplings suck a lot of moisture up and so you may want to add another cup of boiling water). Once you have done that, or dodn't need to, cook for a final ten minutes.
10. 10
    Serve. Either alone or with some fresh bread -- mmm.