Beef Stew and Dumplings

1.5 lbs boneless stewing beef or 2 lbs bone-in stewing beef
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup red wine
10 cups beef broth (I used powered stock because that’s what I had)
1 cup diced canned tomatoes with juice (optional)
2 bay leaves
1.5 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced turnip
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 tsp thyme

Season beef with lots of salt and pepper. Add vegetable oil to dutch oven and place over high heat. When oil just starts to smoke, add beef. Cook until beef is very brown. Reduce heat to medium and add celery, onions, and garlic. When onions and celery are soft, add red wine. Let simmer for two minutes. Add beef stock, tomatoes if using, and bay leaves and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 1-1.5 hours, till beef is tender enough to pull apart with fingers. Add turnip and carrot and simmer for 20 mins. Add potatoes and cabbage and simmer for 20 mins. If adding dumplings, follow recipe below for dumplings. Add thyme and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. If desired, thicken broth with 1 tbsp corn starch mixed with 3 tbsp water.

Dumplings
1.5 cups white flour
¼ cup white sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/3 cup margarine
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and cut in margarine with a fork till crummy. Beat egg with milk and slowly add to crummy mixture. Mix just until a soft ball of dough forms. You may need to add a little more milk or a little less of the milk and egg mixture (I didn’t measure anything when I made them last night so I could be a little off on the wet ingredients). Using a tablespoon, drop mounded spoonfuls into broth (balls about 1 ¼ inch in diameter). Replace lid and simmer for 10 mins.