Beef Stew & Dumplings

We had another snow day on Tuesday and it seemed like a good day for beef stew and dumplings. I thought I'd share the recipe I used since it was delicious.

Beef Stew

Ingredients

* 2 pounds stew beef
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cups water
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled
* 1 bay leav
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tsp. thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 3 large carrots, sliced
* 6 medium potatoes, cubed
* 3 ribs celery, chopped
* 1 cup frozen peas
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots, potatoes and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Add peas. Stir and cook until bubbly.

Dumplings

* 2 cups flour
* 4 tsp. baking powder
* 1 tsp. salt
* 4 Tbsp. butter
* 1 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in butter. Add milk and stir until well mixed. Drop by tablespoonful onto bubbling stew. Cover with the lid. Dumplings will plump up as they cook. Cook for 10 minutes or until done.