Beef and Guinness Slow Cooker

Ingredients

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) beef cheeks, cut into 4 cm

1 onion

1 garlic clove

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 carrot,

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) Guinness

2 teaspoons raw sugar

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) beef stock

Buttermilk dumplings

150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) self-raising flour

40 g (1½ oz) cold butter, cubed

3 tablespoons finely grated parmesan

1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus extra to serve SUBSTITUTE FOR CHIVES

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Put the flour into a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Dust the beef in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. In batches, cook the beef for 5 minutes until browned, then transfer to the slow cooker.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil to the pan. Cook the onion and garlic for 3 minutes until lightly golden.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute, then add the carrot, bay leaf, rosemary, Guinness and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, then let it boil for 5 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
5. Transfer to the slow cooker, along with the stock. Cook on low for 7 hours. Turn the slow cooker up to high.
6. For the buttermilk dumplings, put the flour into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
7. Mix in the parmesan and parsley, then the buttermilk and egg, to make a sticky dough.
8. Drop 12 heaped tablespoons of the dumpling dough on top of the stew and cover with the lid. Cook for 1 hour until the dumplings are cooked through. Serve with parsley.

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