Winter Vegetable and Ale Stew

I made this Winter Vegetable stew for my mother in law at the weekend. She flew back to England last night. Whilst she was here, she described herself as a 'Southern Softy' as the cold weather in Scotland was a little too much for her to bare. She said she felt like the Michelin Tyre woman all wrapped up and unable to move for all the thick layers she had on.
This stew is very similar to the Winter Root Vegetable Stew I made early this year. The main difference with the stew is the choice of alcohol. In the previous stew I used cider and in this one it was Ale. I have to admit I am not a beer drinker at all and was actually going to substitute the alcohol content with additional vegetable stock, but D encouraged me to give it a go. I obliged as we don't eat many dishes that contain alcohol.

Well I thought if I was going to put Ale into my Stew, as an 'honorary Scot' it should be made with a Scottish ale. I chose one charmingly called Old Jock Ale. It is said here that the soldiers of the Highland and Lowland Regiments of Scotland had been referred to as "Jocks", a term of endearment.
The Stew certainly had layers of flavour. Sweetness from the swede and carrots, 'meaty' texture from the Portobello mushrooms and the ale which gave the sauce more body and depth. On top of this the soft fluffy dumplings that just melted in your mouth. Although I did not mind eating this stew, the alcohol content is something I have to get used to as D has said he'd be happy to eat this again. The way the snow is still falling here, I have a feeling I will be making this stew again - soon too. I served this stew with some Brussels sprouts and shredded green cabbage.

If you decided to make this stew. Please ensure that the vegetables are chopped to a similar size, so that they cook well.

Winter Vegetable Stew with dumplings
Serves 4
For the StewIngredients1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 – 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium swede or rutabaga, peeled and chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

200g Portobello or chestnut mushrooms
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon plain flour
350ml Ale
600ml vegetable stock

1 tablespoon Marmite or alternative yeast extract

1 tablespoon sun dried tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
MethodIn a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add all the chopped vegetables and stir fry for a few minutes until the vegetables are beginning to look translucent around the edges. Add the mushrooms and the flour. Stir to combine, then pour in the ale, vegetable stock, tomato puree, rosemary and yeast and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste. Whilst the stew is simmering, make the dumplings.

For the (cheesy) dumplings
Ingredients120g self-raising flour
50g vegetable suet
1 teaspoon mustard powder

80g cheddar, grated (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cold water to combine
MethodThe dumplings need to be added 15 minutes before the stew is ready.
In a bowl add flour, vegetables suet, cheese and seasoning to taste. Add enough water to combine and make a firm, not sticky dough. Then with floured hands, break the dough into 8 – 12 pieces and roll them into rough round dumplings. Add them gently to the stew, pushing them down into the liquid. Simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the dumplings have doubled in size. Slightly adapted from Rachel Demuths Green Seasons Cookbook.