This is one of my favourite winter dishes! The flavour of the vegetables is just sensational, and the dumplings give that real homely loving warmth to your gut, like walking down the main street of your home town. If you prefer another type of pumpkin, use it instead, I use butternut as it is my favourite.
Ingredients for the stew
Half a butternut pumpkin
8 small potatoes, skin on and washed
A red onion, diced
2 shallots, diced, whites included
2 carrots, chopped
2 tsp vegetable stock powder
Salt and pepper to your liking
A handful of parsley, roughly chopped
Ingredients for dumplings
125 g butter
2 ½ cups self-raising flour
2 splashes of milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
1 tsp salt
Method
Place all ingredients for the stew in a large pot you have a lid for. Now fill with water to the vegetable line. Simmer covered for about half an hour, stirring every now and then. Whilst the stew is slowly melding together, you can make your dumplings.
Place your flour in a bowl and rub the butter into it using your fingertips. It will look like rough sand. Now add the cheese, milk, rosemary and salt. Stir with a flat knife until combined. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour, a heaped teaspoon at a time. If not forming into a nice dough, add a little more milk, again, just a teaspoon at a time. Your dough should be wet but able to be touched without getting it all over you.
Transfer your stew to a large baking dish, I’ve used my lasagne dish. Now form balls of dough into dumplings and pop on top of your stew.
Brush the dumplings lightly with a little milk. Your dish goes into the oven for about half an hour on 180 degrees Celsius. I hope you enjoy this family favourite!
mollyandthechooks 