Bob's Butter Dumplings

Ingredients:

• 100g butter


• 400g sifted flour


• salt & pepper


• water

Method:

• Dice the butter


• Add sifted flour and seasoning


• Rub with fingertips until well mixed


• Add a little water, a dribble at a time


• Work into smooth dough


• Roll into even balls about the size of golf balls


• Pop into the top of your stew and cover, leave to cook around 12-15 mins

Let me show you my dumplings

I never seem to have the time to get recipes written up at the moment, but there is much in store! Honest! I have had a very busy month so have tended to fall back on standard family meals rather than experimenting.  Beef stew, made with a very cheap cut off beef and cooked slowly (I use beef cheek) is substantial and warming for when your people come home after a long winter day. What makes it even nicer is good old-fashioned dumplings.

Whilst traditional British dumplings are made with suet, this is not something available in this country.  Suet has a higher melting temperature than other fats and, apparently, this makes for fluffier dumplings.  I used to get visitors from the UK to bring me suet, but decided I might as well try experimenting with butter.  The results have been delicious, just as fluffy as my suet ones, and with a nice buttery taste. Recipe here.

I am working on our Christmas menu, and will be posting recipes for homemade mincemeat and mince pies, pork pies, tiramisu log, gingerbread men and more. Tis the season to gain 5 kilos.