Low-Carb Beef Stew with Herby Dumplings

This braised beef stew is like your slouch jumper of Winter. Comforting, cosy and wonderfully warming. Gorgeously tender, melt in the mouth beef packed with lots of chunky low carb veg all bubbling happily in a sauce quite frankly I want to drink!

Dumplings don’t need to stodgy and heavy. These herby keto dumplings use Martina’s Ultimate Keto Bread recipe for a light, fluffy alternative. Second helpings? Almost compulsory!

Preparation time

Hands-on:    40 minutes
Overall:     3 hours 15 minutes

Nutritional values (per serving, stew + 2 dumplings)

Total Carbs	15.2	grams
Fiber	6.7	grams
Net Carbs	8.5	grams
Protein	39.8	grams
Fat	41.8	grams
of which Saturated	13.6	grams
Energy	599	kcal
Magnesium	149	mg (37% RDA)
Potassium	995	mg (50% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (6%), protein (28%), fat (66%)

Ingredients (makes 6 servings) Stew:

• 900 g stewing beef such as braising steak (2 lb)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or ghee
• 1 medium red onion, chopped (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 200 g pumpkin, ideally Hokkaido (7.1 oz)
• 1 medium carrot (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• ½ cup dry red wine (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• 2 cups beef stock or beef bone broth (480 ml/ 16 fl oz) - you can make your own
• ¾ tsp sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, or to taste
• ¼ tsp cracked black pepper

Dumplings (makes 12):

• 3 large egg whites
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup water, boiling (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
• ¾ cup almond flour (75 g/ oz)
• ⅓ cup sesame seed flour (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• ¼ cup coconut flour (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• 2 ½ tbsp psyllium husk powder (20 g/ oz)
• ½ tbsp gluten-free baking powder
• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan or sea salt
• 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme

To serve:

• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest (about ½ lemon)
• pinch cracked black pepper
• fresh parsley for topping

Tips for Crockpot:

You can make this meal in your slow cooker. To do that, use just half of the stock in the stew and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Browning the meat prior to slow cooking is optional but highly recommended as it will enhance the flavour. Serve with the prepared keto dumplings or with Cauli-Mash or Celeriac Cauli-Mash.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C/ 320 F (fan assisted). Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan. Brown the meat on a medium heat for 5 minutes, stir-ring regularly to seal the meat for approximately 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and place to one side.
2. Meanwhile, peel the onion, pumpkin and carrots and chop into chunks about 2 cm (1 inch). In another pan heat one tablespoon of olive oil and fry the vegetables on a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking.
3. Add the beef, rosemary, bay leaves, chopped garlic and tomato puree. Sauté for a further 2 minutes.
4. Add the red wine, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the stock, season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil.
5. Place a casserole dish in the oven to heat up. Place the stew in the casserole dish and add a lid. Roast in the oven for 3 hours until the meat is tender and the juices have concentrated. Remove from the oven once cooked. Turn up the oven to 175 C/ 350 F.
6. Make the dumplings as per my bread recipe 1 here. Grease a cupcake tin with olive oil to prevent sticking. Shape into dumpling shapes (3 to 4 cm/ up to 1-½ inch in diameter) and place individually in the cupcake holes. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Turn over with a spoon and place back in the oven to cook for a further 5 minutes.
7. Place the stew back in the oven to heat through if cooled slightly. Add the dumplings.
8. To serve, place the stew in bowls and top with grated lemon zest, fresh parsley and a pinch of cracked black pepper. Apart from dumplings, you can serve this stew with Cauli-Mash or Celeriac Cauli-Mash!

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