Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. of Lamb Stew Meat
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- ¼ cup of flour
- 2 large onions thinly sliced
- 6 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons of dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 stalks of fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups of stout (or another dark beer)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ cup of rendered lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
- Approximately ¼ cup of water
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Mix flour and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl or shallow dish. Toss the stew meat in the flour mixture until lightly coated.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. When hot, lightly brown the stew meat in batches in the oil on all sides. Set the meat aside.
- After the meat is done browning, add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until the onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, sugar, herbs, and Worcestershire sauce to the vegetable mixture. Mix well.
- Add the beer, mixing well, then add the lamb back into the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, then move the stew to the oven.
- Allow the stew to cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
- Near the end of the cooking time, make the dumplings.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Stir in the herbs and lard or shortening, then mix in just enough water to make a soft dough.
- Shape the dough into small balls, rolling the dough by hand. Add the shaped dough to the stew, ensuring that they are exposed to plenty of liquid, not sitting on top of meat or vegetables.
- Cook for another 30 minutes, then serve garnished with fresh parsley.