Bean and Parsley Stew with Linseed Dumplings

As summer fades in the UK, this is a warm, comforting and nutritious dish for the cooler days. It is very versatile recipe as you can use any beans and vegetables that you have to hand. The recipe lists the ones that I used. I kept the chunks of vegetable quite large for the adults and then cut them up a bit more to serve to my daughter. Chop to a size you like! This recipe has 2 adult sized servings and 2 child sized portions.

Ingredients

Bean and Parsley Stew

• Glug of olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 pepper, chopped
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 50ml low salt stock
• 1 tin of butter beans (or equivalent cooked from dried)
• 1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped finely

Linseed Dumplings

• 50g vegetable suet
• 25g ground linseed (also known as flaxseed)
• 75g self raising flour
• 1 tbsp cottage cheese (optional)
• pinch salt

Instructions

1. To get the stew started, fry the garlic, onion and celery for a few minutes in a good glug of olive oil.
2. Add the remaining vegetables and fry for a few more minutes.
3. Stir in the tin of tomatoes, the stock, butter beans and bay leaf. Cover and simmer gently for around 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. The cottage cheese can be omitted if you want a vegan dish or don’t have any in your fridge!
5. Gradually mix in cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until you have a firm but slightly wet dough (I used around 5 tablespoons of water).
6. Scoop out the dumpling mixture and roll it into balls in your hand. This can be quite sticky so I use flour on my hands. I used a tablespoon of the mixture for adult sized dumplings and a teaspoon of the mixture for child sized dumplings.
7. Place the dumplings on top of the bean stew, nestling them into it. Cover and simmer for around 20 minutes.
8. The dumplings should be cooked so add the parsley into the pot (the dumplings are ready when they have swollen up a bit, look soft and with a fluffy, bread like texture). Turn off the heat and let the parsley wilt in the steam for a minute or so before serving. Remove the bay leaf before eating!

Nutritional Highlights: Beans are a source of protein, iron and magnesium. The addition of linseed to the dumplings brings omega 3 to the dish. Parsley is a wonder herb! It is a very good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamins A, C, K and a good source of protein, vitamin E, zinc and many others. A-L age and rating: First served at 14 months. A-L likes the flavour of this dish and enjoys eating the bite-sized dumplings with her hands whilst spiking the vegetables with her fork. She prefers the dish when it is freshly cooked (the dumplings are softer) but still happy to eat the stew when warmed up the following day. Freezer friendly? No Adult adaption: Add salt during the cooking process and a chilli or 2 at the same time as the garlic.

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