Beef, Capsicum & Paprika Casserole with Herb Dumplings

Preparation: 20 minutes | Cooking: 2 hours | Serves: 4

This beef casserole with dumplings is warm, comforting and absolutely everything you want for dinner on a chilly night. The tender beef, fluffy dumplings and rich tomato/paprika sauce is really satisfying and guaranteed to leave you feeling great (and coming back for more).

Ingredients

• 1 kg chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef
• 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 2 medium red capsicums, cut into large dice
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
• 400g can tomato puree (or diced tomatoes)
• 2½ cups beef stock

Herb dumplings:

• 60 g cold butter, chopped
• 1½ cup self-raising flour
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of baking powder
• 1 tbsp chopped chives (or parsley)
• ⅔ cup cold milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut beef into 2.5 to 3 cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper, then add approx. 2 tablespoons of oil to the beef. Mix well.
2. Heat a large frypan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 2 or 3 batches. Remove each batch and place it in a casserole dish.
3. Reduce heat in the pan, add a little oil, add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute, add carrot and capsicum, cook for 1-2 minutes, stir occasionally.
4. Sprinkle in paprika, flour and caraway seeds, stir until the carrots and capsicums are coated. Pour in tomato puree and stock gradually, stirring well until mixture boils. Add to casserole dish, stir to combine.
5. Cover the casserole dish and place in oven. Stir every 40 minutes or so, add water if necessary to keep the ingredients just covered. Cook until the beef is very tender.

To make and cook kerb dumplings:

1. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour. Add the salt, baking powder and chives (or parsley), mix well.
2. Make a hole in the centre, add the cold milk, mix lightly until just combined.
3. Test your casserole – if the meat is tender (and just about ready to serve) you can now add the dumplings. Drop small spoonfuls of the mixture around the edge of the simmering casserole. Re-cover the casserole dish and cook for a further 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy! Let us know how this winter-warmer turns out on our Facebook page.