*

Italian beef stew with ricotta dumplings

Gino D'Acampo
Recipe by
Gino D'Acampo
"This recipe was shown to me by my Nonna Flora - I used to love it because the flavours were really, really strong. It tastes even better the day after you prepare it!"
Course
Main course
Cuisine
Italian
Occasion
Autumn, Winter

TAGS meat, one pot wonder

In another exclusive video Gino shows us how to make his Grandmother's Italian-style stew and dumplings.

Ingredients

  • 500 g17¾ oz beef rump steak cut into 2cm cubes
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 50 g1¾ oz diced pancetta
  • 200 g7 oz baby onions (peeled)
  • 1 large carrot (peeled and cut into 1cm cubes)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 150 ml5¼ fl oz red wine
  • 400 ml14 fl oz beef stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 sprigs of rosemary
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

For the dumplings:

  • 200 g7 oz 00 flour, plus a little extra for dusting
  • 225 g8 oz ricotta
  • 3 free-range egg yolks
  • 30 g1 oz parmesan, grated
  • 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
  • Salt and black pepper

Method: How to make Italian beef stew with ricotta dumplings

1

Place the beef in a large bowl and dust the pieces with the flour.

2

Pour the oil in a large non-stick flameproof casserole dish and gently fry the beef for 2-3 minutes until browned all over. Once ready, remove from the pan and leave to one side. Add the onions, pancetta, carrots and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the wine and take to the boil.

3

Return the beef to the pan with the tomato paste and gently mix well. Pour in the stock a little at a time and keep stirring as you do so, to create a sauce. Bring to the boil. Tuck in the rosemary and the bay leaf, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Cook the last 5 minutes without the lid, allowing the sauce to thicken. Before serving, season with salt and pepper and leave to rest out of the oven for 10 minutes.

4

To make the dumplings, mix the flour, ricotta, egg yolks, parmesan, parsley and seasoning together in a large bowl to form a soft dough.

5

Tip the mixture out onto a floured work surface and knead for 3-5 minutes. Roll the dough out into a long thin sausage shape then cut into dumplings about 2cm long.

6

Bring a pan of salted water the boil then drop in the dumplings. When they float to the surface they are ready. Remove from the water and serve with the stew.

More...