Amish Meat-Lover's Beef Stew With Dumplings

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Winter is a great time to experiment with stews, like this Amish meat-lovers beef stew and dumplings. The cold Arctic winds are swirling outside, while a hearty stew is bubbling on the stove inside. I've been to Amish homes where the outdoor chores bring a chill-to-the-bone cold and the best way to warm up is o sit down at a farmhouse kitchen table loaded with a pot of warm stew, a basket of biscuits, and filling desserts. This is a "meat lovers" beef stew because the recipe is missing many veggies but, no fear, you can add them if you must: carrots, corn, and potatoes would all fit in just fine.

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• 🍲Stew Ingredients
• 📋 Stew Instructions
• 🥟Dumpling Ingredients
• 📋Dumpling Instructions
• 🍲More Amish Stew Recipes
• 🖨️ Printer-Friendly Meat Lover's Stew Recipe

Most Amish wouldn't buy a package of stew meat in the store (of course, there are exceptions). Most Amish either have their own steer that they butcher for meat or they know someone that does and are gifted meat or they buy it from someone local. One of the more popular cuts will be the shoulder, sometimes called “chuck”. This cut makes for wonderful melt-in-your-mouth stew meat. But plenty fo other "scrap" type cuts can be used as stew. Amish who do butcher their own beef will home can it and if they have a freezer, they'll preserve it that way. Some more progressive Amish sects has gas or electric freezers or in some more conservative Amish settlements, electric freezer rental is an option.

Amish Meat-Lovers Beef Stew

This Amish meat-lovers beef stew and dumplings is a hearty dish that comes from a Beachy Amish Mennonite woman in Ohio.  It is really hearty, comforting, and delicious, so if you're in need of a great supper recipe, try it!  This works well on a weekend or when someone will be home because it needs to simmer for a good 3 to 3 ½ hours, maybe even 4. This is also handy for a busy Amish homemaker juggling kids, ironing, baking, mending etc, because they can just put this on the stovetop and let it do its thing!

Beef, onion, and flour make up the building blocks of this delicious stew!

You want to get your stew meat nice and brown as it sizzles with the onion and then you move onto the dumplings!

The dumplings are the best part of this stew, delivering some bulk and flavor to balance out the chunks of meat.

🍲Stew Ingredients

• 2 pounds cubed beef
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons fat (or vegetable oil)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

📋 Stew Instructions

1. Cut meat into small cubes.
2. Melt fat in a hot skillet or Dutch oven.
3. Brown meat and onion in fat, keep it sizzling hot until nicely browned.
4. Sprinkle flour, salt and pepper over meat.
5. Add the boiling water and lemon juice. Cover the pan and lower the heat so that meat simmers for 3 to 3½ hours.

🥟Dumpling Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon solid shortening

📋Dumpling Instructions

Stir quickly together and drop from a spoon onto simmering stew.

Cover and allow to cook 20 to 25 minutes.

🍲More Amish Stew Recipes

Amish Chicken and Dumplings

Beef and Noodle Oven Stew

One Pot Amish Chicken Stew

Farmhouse Amish Beef Stew

🖨️ Printer-Friendly Meat Lover's Stew Recipe