Mushroom and Chestnut Stew with Herby Dumplings

Chef: Zoe From: UK Serves: 4
Time: Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 400 grams of mixed mushrooms (such as chestnut, portobello, oyster, shitake

• 100 grams of cooked chestnuts

• 2 carrots, cut on the diagonal into 2cm slices

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree

• 2 teaspoons of vegetable stock

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

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Yes, it looks like beef, and the mushrooms give it a meaty flavour and texture, but we promise you this dish is 100% plant-based! If you can find a range of different mushrooms, this will really add to the flavour of the dish. The chestnuts add a nice sweetness and festiveness, but if you can’t find them you can switch with 100 grams more mushrooms. You can skip out the dumplings if you don’t have the time (although they are much quicker and easier than you might think).

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Method

1. Start by making your dumplings. Rub the flour, oil and herbs together to form breadcrumbs. Stir through 2 tablespoons of water to form a soft dough. Divide the mixture into 10 small balls and set aside to cook in your stew.

2. Thinly slice the mushrooms, or for smaller ones, cut them in half.

3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook on a low heat for 8 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add the mushrooms, flour, paprika, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Increase the heat a little and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.

5. Dissolve the stock powder in 500 millilitres of hot water. Add the tomato puree to the mushrooms, followed by the carrots, tamari/soy sauce, red wine vinegar, bay leaves and stock.

6. Gently place your dumplings on top of your stew.

7. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for approximately 25 minutes (stirring very occasionally).