NORFOLK STEW WITH HERBY DUMPLINGS

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 2.5-3.5 hours

METHOD

1. Pre heat the oven to about 150°C.
2. Brine the shin and tongue over night if the butcher hasn't done this already. Next morning run them under cold water for half an hour.
3. Take a good sized stew pan or Dutch oven - you need something heavy of the 'le creuset' type. Put in the sliced onion, bacon and garlic and sweat in a bit of butter till the smell is irresistible. Add the carrots, herbs, shin of beef, tongue, lemon juice, and cover with water. I quite like to leave the carrots whole here if they're not too big. Also the shin of beef if left on the bone will impart a sticky gelatinous quality to the dish. You can accentuate this by adding a calves foot or a couple of pigs trotters if you like. If its off the bone it's also fine - the liquor will be a little thinner.
4. Bring to the boil and then cover and put in the oven. An hour later add the chicken, smoked sausage, kidneys, and rabbit legs if you are using them. Top with water if neccessary. You can vary the meat options according to what's available. Rabbit legs or hares legs can be used or left out, chicken or guinea fowl similar. Shin is good - very good, but you could use leg (hock), flank, or silverside, or any cut that requires long slow cooking.
5. Carry on cooking for a couple of hours more or until the shin is perfectly tender. Half an hour before, taste the gravy and season if neccessary and add the mushrooms and dumplings.
6. To make the dumplings, combinine the flour, suet, salt, pepper, shallot chopped fine, and herbs with enough water to make a medium stiff dough. Roll them into balls with floured hands and add them to the stew. Cover and cook for the final half hour.
7. Remove the meats, dumplings, and vegetables to a large platter. Take the chicken off the bone, cut the meats into manageable chunks, while thickening the gravy if desired. Put the whole lot into a tureen or serving dish, strew with plenty parsley and serve with some sort of green vegetable.

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