Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Chicken stock, 1 litre
- Chicken (about 2 breasts worth of the equivalent in offcuts, chopped)
- 1 mug of pearl barley
- 10 new potatoes
- 2 carrots
- Mixed soft herbs
- 1 lemon
- Cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
For dumplings
- Suet (40g)
- Self raising flour (80g)
Method
- Roughly dice your onions and soften in your casserole dish, using some vegetable oil, until slightly opaque
- Finely chop your garlic and add to the onions, stir and let simmer for a minute
- Add the pearl barley, let these brown slightly with the heat of the pan and the oil
- Add the chicken stock to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer
- Chop your chicken into bite size pieces
- Wash and then chop your carrots and potatoes into 1cm squares
- Add the chicken, carrots and potatoes to the pot
- Simmer until the potato and carrots are just cooked and the pearl barley is soft with only a little bite
- Meanwhile make your dumplings. For 2 people (you can make more dumplings if you reheat the stew later):
- In a bowl mix your suet and flour
- Season and add a small amount of chopped soft herbs
- Add cold water slowly until you can form a dough
- Using your hands roll the dough into 8 small balls
- Add these balls to the top of your stew, place the lid on and cook for a further 20 minutes
- Remove the lid, fish out the dumplings, add a good handful of chopped fresh herbs + the zest of 1 lemon + half the juice to your stew.
- Stir and ladle into bowls before topping with your dumplings
- Add cheese on the top if you wish, a splash of L&P sauce and a final sprinkle of herbs
