Herbal Soup Recipe: Beef and Root Vegetable Stew with Rosemary Dumplings

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Photo by Howard Lee Puckett; Styling by Judy Feagin and Virginia Cravens-Houston

SERVES 4 to 6

• 2 pounds beef stew meat
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 cups beef broth, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups cubed sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
• 2 cups cubed white or russet potatoes (about 1 large potato)
• 1 cup chopped celery stalks with leaves
• 3 carrots, sliced about 3⁄4-inch-thick
• 1 large or 2 small parsnips, chopped
• 1 small rutabaga or 1 medium turnip, chopped
• 1 large leek, white and palest green parts only, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Rosemary Dumpling Dough (recipe below)
• Thyme and rosemary sprigs, for garnish

1. Sprinkle beef with flour, salt and pepper, stirring well to coat. Cook beef in batches in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 7 to 10 minutes, stirring until browned on all sides. Add 2 cups beef broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 1⁄2 hours.

2. Add the remaining 3 cups beef broth, vegetables and fresh thyme sprigs. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender. Drop dumpling dough by 9 rounded tablespoons onto hot stew. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a dumpling comes out clean.

Rosemary Dumpling Dough 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh snipped rosemary
• 1⁄2 cup milk

1. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture is fine and crumbly. Stir in rosemary. Stir in milk to make a soft dough, adding more milk if needed.

Kris Wetherbee is a contributing editor to The Herb Companion. She cooks and gardens in western Oregon. 

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