Seasonal Vegetable & Cannellini Bean Stew with Cheese & Herb Dumplings

Serves 4 – 6 hungry people 

Ingredients 

​For the stew 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil 

• 1 onion, diced 

• 1 – 2 stalks celery, diced 

• 3 large cloves garlic, finely sliced 

• 4 – 5 sundried tomatoes, diced 

• 2 tablespoons each thinly sliced fresh sage, fresh rosemary and fresh thyme 

• 2/3 cup dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight (see note above)

• 2 cups mixed seasonal hard vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, pumpkin etc, cut into medium sized chunks 

• 2 cups mixed seasonal greens such as kale, silverbeet, carrot or celery tops etc, thinly sliced 

• Large handful of fresh Italian parsley and stems, finely sliced 

• 1 x 400 gram tin whole peeled tomatoes

• 4 cups water 

• 1 teaspoon paprika 

• 1 teaspoon salt 

• Freshly ground black pepper 

For the dumplings 

• 1 ½ cups flour 

• 2 generous teaspoons baking powder 

• 1 cup tasty cheese, grated 

• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme or rosemary 

• ½ teaspoon salt 

• ½ cup milk 

Method 

• Heat the oil in a wide deep pan that will be big enough to eventually fit the dumplings on top of the stew in one layer.  Add the onion, celery, garlic, sundried tomatoes and fresh herbs. Season with salt and gently sauté for a few minutes until the onion and celery begin to soften, making sure you don’t burn the garlic. 

• Add the drained cannellini beans, the hard vegetables cut into chunks and mixed seasonal greens, along with the parsley, parsley stems, tomatoes, water and paprika.  Bring the stew to the boil then place the lid on and turn down the heat. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the cannellini beans are cooked through, stirring occasionally, and adding more water towards the end if needed.

• While the stew is cooking make the dumplings. Mix the flour, baking powder, cheese, thyme, and salt together in a bowl. Slowly pour in the milk and mix using a butter knife until a scone consistency is achieved and the dough comes together – depending on the flour used you may need to add a little bit more milk. Divide into eight and roll into evenly sized balls. Set aside.

• Season the stew with salt and freshly cracked pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. This is your opportunity to get the seasoning just right before the dumplings are added. 

• Place the dumplings evenly on top of the stew, ensuring there is ample space between each one to allow for them for expansion. Put the lid back on and simmer for another 15 minutes, basting the dumplings with the sauce from the stew a few times while they are cooking. Be sure to replace the lid after basting to keep the heat and steam in. 

• Once the dumplings have cooked for 15 minutes test a middle one to see if it is cooked by poking a skewer in – if it comes out clean your dumplings are ready.  

Top with extra parsley and serve.  This meal reheats very well, just add a bit more liquid and simmer with a lid on until the stew is bubbling and hot and the dumplings are heated all the way through. 

Recipe notes

• You will need to put the cannellini beans on to soak the night before. It really is worth using dried rather than canned here, as they release a delicious stock while they are cooking while soaking up all the flavours from the sauce. I grow my own cannellini beans each year, but if you don’t, you can readily buy them from most supermarkets or bulk food outlets, and they are a relatively cheap option when compared to tinned beans.

  
  

• The dumplings are also an obvious liquid soaker upper, so I like to take advantage of this and baste them in the sauce. Using a large serving spoon, I carefully extract some liquid from around the vegetables and pour it over the tops of the dumplings while they are simmering in the stew. I do this three or four times during the dumpling cooking process, making sure I replace the lid after each baste.