Winter Vegetable Stew with Herb Dumplings

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or wide pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery for 6 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for 6 minutes more until browned. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute.
2. Gradually stir in the stock. Add the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are nearly tender.
3. While the stew simmers, make the dumplings. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs, then stir in the herbs.
4. Add the milk to the dumpling mix and stir with a fork just until a soft, sticky dough forms. Do not overmix.
5. Stir the beans, kale and vinegar into the stew, season with the pepper and salt, and bring it to a gentle simmer.
6. Drop 12 spoonfuls of dough on top of the stew, leaving space between them. Cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are puffed and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve at once.

Tips

• Keep the lid on for the full 15 minutes. The dumplings cook in the steam, and lifting the lid lets it escape and makes them heavy.
• Keep the stew at a gentle bubble. A hard boil can break the dumplings apart. For a vegan version, use plant butter and unsweetened plant milk.