Turkey Dumpling Stew

Wouldn't it be nice to have this on a freezing-cold weeknight?  Is it possible to make something like this after work?  Sure it is!  With a little planning and preparation, you could enjoy this fresh stew after a long day of work.

For the broth, prepare it in the slow cooker overnight or in the morning.  Have your veggies chopped and ready to go for when you get home in the evening. If you have all your vegetables chopped and broth ready, this stew can be put together in 30 minutes start to finish.  When you get home, simply heat-up the broth, throw the veggies in, prepare your dumplings, then throw them in and cook for 20 minutes.  Voila!  Your family will be in awe of your meal.

Leftover dumpling dough.

I baked this at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and had lovely biscuits to enjoy!

Now, let me tell you how wonderful this stew tastes!  The dumplings were fluffy and packed full of fresh chopped herbs.  The stew itself was a little bland but the dumplings really added a blast of flavour. 

The dumplings after they were done cooking on top of the stew.

I've never made dumplings before and was very nevous to try.  I was delighted with how they turned out.  I think the key was not to handle the dough too much, have lots of flour on the parchment paper, and ensure the butter and buttermilk were very cold.

TURKEY DUMPLING STEW
from Food Network Magazine, November 2010

For the Broth~
1 leftover roasted turkey carcass
1 onion, quartered (I used yellow onion, skin on which makes a clear broth)
2 stalks celery, quartered crosswise (save the leaves for the dumplings)
3 carrots quartered crosswise (I didn't have any so skipped this)
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs thyme (I just threw in some dried thyme)

Pull the turkey carcass apart into smaller pieces; set the meat aside.  Put the bones in a large, deep pot and add cold water to cover, 4 to 5 quarts.  (I used my slow cooker.)  Add the onion, celery, carrots and the bay leaf.  Tie the parsley and the thyme together with twine and add to the put, then cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (I put mine on in the slow cooker in the morning and it was done when I got home.)  Uncover, reduce the heat to medium low and cook 3 to 4 hours. 

Remove the bones and vegetable with a skimmer and discard, then strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer.  Return the stock to the pot and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half, 30 to 40 minutes (you'll have about 8 cups of stock).  (I didn't do this last step.)

For the Dumplings~
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 cup minces mixed fresh herbs and celery leaves (I used parsley, rosemary, basil)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1-1/2 cups cold buttermilk

Whisk the flour, herb mixture, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until sandy.  Stir in the buttermilk.  Turn out onto a floured piece of parchment paper.  Pat into 3/4-inch thick rectangle.  Cut the dough into rough 2-inch squares with a large knife.

For the Stew~
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 shallots, minced (I used 1 white onion, finely chopped)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 to 4 cups shredded turkey meat
6 carrots thinly sliced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Chopped fresh chves, for topping

Melt the buttter in a large, wide pot over medium heat.  Add the shallots (or onion) and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.  Gradually add the stock, stirring, and bring to a simmer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the sliced carrots and parsnips, cover and cook 5 minutes.

Stir in the turkey meat, lemon juice and green beans.  Add the dumplings in a single layer.  Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Ladle into bowls, top with chives.

Printable Copy

Happily submitted to Tastey Tuesdays over at A Beautiful Mess...(go have a look at this gorgeous blog)..

Enjoy!

from the book "Young Lucretia: and other stories"

by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman

1892, by Harper & Brothers

A PARSNIP STEW


Ruth stood by with a dish and spoon, while her mother stirred the stew carefully to be sure that it was not burning on the bottom of the kettle. Her sister Serena was paring apples and playing with the cat, and her father and her uncles Caleb and Silas sat before the fire smoking, sniffing the stew, and watching solemnly. The uncles had just come in, and proposed staying to dinner.

Mrs. Whitman squinted anxiously at the stew as she stirred it. She feared that there was not enough for dinner, now there were two more to eat.


"I'm dreadful afraid there ain't enough of that stew to go round," she whispered to Ruth in the pantry.


"Oh, I guess it '11 do," said Ruth.

"Well, I dun know about it. Your father an' Caleb an' Silas are dreadful fond of parsnip stew, an' I do hate to have 'em stinted."