I have a protein problem.  Let’s just get that out of the way.  Red meat and I are friends.  I’m from the Midwest, it’s in our blood.  In honor of this cold and rainy week may I present to you:

BEEF WEEK!

First up:  Homemade Beef Stew with Parsley Cornmeal Dumplings.

There’s really nothing better than a hearty beef stew, especially when you can pair it with dumplings, mashed potatoes, rice or buttered noodles.  Here’s my recipe for classic beef stew with potatoes and carrots.  Don’t skimp on the bone marrow!  It really makes the dish.

Beef Stew with Parsley Cornmeal Dumplings

serves 6

recipe by Rachael Sheridan

photos by Amy Sheridan

3 pounds grass fed beef chuck, cut into 2 inch cubes
2 carrots, peeled and cut in half
2 celery ribs, cut in half
1 brown onion, peeled and quartered
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 T. peppercorns
1 2″strip of lemon peel
2 T tomato estratto
1/2 bottle red wine
4 3″ beef marrow bones
6 cups beef or chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 T extra virgin olive oil

4 cups peeled carrots, cut into 1″ chunks
2 cups potatoes, either peeled and cubed into 1″ chunks or pee-wee potatoes
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Dumplings:
2/3 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup fine ground cornmeal
2/3 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
4 t. baking soda
3 T. parsley

For this recipe you need a large dutch oven.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut the beef chuck into 2″ chunks, don’t trim the fat!  You want all that fatty goodness in your stew.  Dry the beef with paper towels and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt.

Heat your dutch oven over high heat, add the extra virgin olive oil.  Once the pan is hot, add the beef, do not crowd, and brown on all sides.  About 4 minutes on each side.  You’ll probably have to brown the meat in 2 batches. Remove the browned beef to a bowl and add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic.  Cook the vegetables until soft and browned, about 10 minutes.  Add the tomato stratta and cook for 3 minutes more.

Add the wine scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the dutch oven.  Add the stock, sprigs of rosemary, bay leaves, peppercorns, lemon peel and the browned meat.  Stir the mixture together and gently place the marrow bones into the liquid, one on each side of the pot, cut side up.

Allow this mixture to come to a boil.  Turn off the heat, cover your pot with parchment paper and place the lid on top.  Put it in the preheated oven and cook for 3 hours.  Check the stew periodically to make sure the stew is not boiling too rapidly.  If it is, lower the oven temperature by 15 degrees.  If the stew is not boiling at all, raise the temperature by 15 degrees.

Cook the stew until the meat is fork tender.  Remove the stew from the oven.  With kitchen tongs, remove the marrow bones to a plate to cool.  Put the stew into a colander placed over a large bowl. While the stew drains, wash out your dutch oven.  Remove the meat from the colander and return it to the cleaned dutch oven.  Using a wooden spoon, push on the solids in the  colander collecting all the juice.  Discard the solids.  Return the broth to the cleaned dutch oven and set over medium heat.

Using a small spoon or butter knife, scoop the marrow out of the bones and add it to the stew.  Once the stew is boiling, add the remaining potatoes and carrots.  Make sure the vegetables are fully submerged, if not, add one cup of water (or enough to cover the veggies).  Boil at a slight simmer until the veggies are tender, about 30 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in the chopped parsley.

Make the dumplings:
Whisk eggs into the milk. Add the four, cornmeal, salt, parsley, and baking powder.  Let stand for 3 minutes.
Drop by spoonful onto the top of the simmering stew.  Put the lid on top and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until a knife inserted into the dumplings comes out clean.

Serve hot! Enjoy.