Newfoundland Dumplings Recipes

NEWFOUNDLAND JIGG'S DINNER

Steps:

• Cover the corned beef with cold water and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
• Drain the beef and place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with fresh water. Place the yellow peas in a triple layer of cheesecloth and tie securely. Place the bag inside the Dutch oven with the beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, add the chopped cabbage, turnip, and carrots to the pot. Simmer for 25 minutes.
• Add the chopped potatoes and simmer an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are fork tender.
• While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the dumpling dough as follows: Combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl, then add the water a little bit at a time to make a pasty dough. You may not need to add all of the water. Divide the dough into 6 balls. Be careful not to over-handle the dough.
• During the last 5 to 10 minutes of simmering the vegetables, place the dough balls on top of the vegetables and cover with a lid. Allow the dumplings to steam in the pot for 7 minutes.
• When the dumplings are cooked through, remove all ingredients from the pot and arrange on a warm serving platter. Remove the cooked peas from the cheesecloth bag and mash with the butter and black pepper. Serve alongside the beef and vegetables.

MOM'S HEARTY BEEF STEW WITH DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering, and place the onion and beef into the hot oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the steak seasoning, stir the meat and onions well, and sprinkle with 1 more teaspoon of seasoning. Add the celery, and cook and stir until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in 2 cups of water to just cover the meat, onion, and celery, bring to a boil, and stir and scrape the browned bits of flavor from the bottom of the pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the beef is very tender, about 2 hours. Remove the meat and celery pieces from the pan, set the meat aside, and discard the celery.
• In a bowl, whisk together the gravy mix with 4 cups of water. Add the mixture to the juices in the pot, bring to a boil, and stir the meat back into the gravy mixture. Stir in the turnip and carrots, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, cover, and simmer an additional 20 minutes.
• To make dumplings, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture looks crumbly. Pour in the milk, and lightly stir the mixture just until it combines to form a dough.
• Remove 2 cups of gravy from the pot, and reserve. Drop the dumplings by heaping tablespoon onto the meat and vegetables in the pot, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not peek until the time is up. Pour the reserved gravy back over the dumplings, stir lightly, and serve.

NEWFOUNDLAND PEA SOUP AND DOUGH BOYS

Steps:

• Simmer the ham bone, garlic, carrot, small onion and water slowly in a large covered pot for 1½ hours. Strain the stock through a colander and return it to the pot. Skim excess fat from the surface of the stock.
• Add the split peas, bay leaves, dried thyme, pepper and red onion. If you are using salt beef, add it here.
• I don't add any salt at this point, the salt content of the ham you are using will determine if you need to add a little at the end. Let your own taste be the guide.
• Simmer slowly and gently for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the peas do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Add the diced carrots and diced ham.
• Simmer for an additional 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste the soup at this point to determine if any additional salt is necessary. In all likelihood, it will not. Now add the dough boys to a very gently simmering pot
• Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Using a wooden spoon, very quickly mix in the milk and melted butter.
• Do NOT over-work this dough. Stir in the liquid as quickly as possible and as soon as a soft dough forms , STOP mixing.
• Make sure you give the soup one last good stir to make sure that that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot then immediately drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls into the slowly simmering soup.
• Place the cover on the pot and do NOT remove it for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the dough boys from the pot and give the soup a final stir and remove the bay leaves before serving.

BEEF STEW WITH DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Dredge beef cubes in flour and remove, shaking off excess flour.
• Over medium high heat, melt one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of oil in 6-quart heavy bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven until slightly brown and frothy. Place half of the beef in the hot fat making sure that meat pieces do not touch each other. Sear two minutes per side. Remove from pan and heat another tablespoon of butter and oil then cook the second half of the meat. Remove meat from pan when done and set aside. Total time to sear all the meat is 15 minutes.
• Turn heat to medium and add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan. Add in chopped onions and cook three minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for one more minute. Add tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
• Add in red wine to deglaze pan, scraping up any brown bits from bottom.
• Add browned beef cubes, stock, water, bay leaf, thyme, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to a simmer and cover pot with lid slightly ajar. Simmer for 2 ½ hours or until beef is tender, adjusting water as needed. If all of the liquid does not fit, set some aside and add later as the liquid in the pan evaporates. Either way, check at the two hour mark and if needed, add more liquid. We used exactly four quarts of liquid (Three quarts beef stock and one quart of water).
• After 2 1/2 hours, add in carrots, potatoes, green beans, pearl onions and parsley and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• While vegetables are cooking, prepare dumpling batter as follows: Sift flour, baking powder and sugar together. Add salt and thyme into the bowl and then cut in butter with a fork until pieces are rice size. Add milk and stir with spoon until mixed.
• Add green peas to stew, adjust seasoning and turn heat to low. Remove and discard bay leaves.
• Drop heaping tablespoons of dumpling batter into stew until all batter is used. (Do NOT just pour the dumpling batter in all at once.) Cover and cook 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Check and if they are not puffed up enough, cook for another minute or two covered. Ours took exactly 15 minutes .
• Serve bowls of stew with dumplings on top.

NEWFOUNDLAND STYLE PEA SOUP WITH DOUGHBOYS (DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• For the soup:.
• Soak salt meat or sparerib and peas overnight. Drain off water. Add 6 cups of water and onion and simmer gently for 3 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, add vegetables.
• Make doughboys as follows:.
• Cut butter into small pieces into small pieces in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add water or milk to make a soft dough. Drop by teaspoonfuls into soup. Cover pot tightly and cook for 15 minutes.

NEWFOUNDLAND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• MAKING 1. In a bowl blend together flour, baking powder and salt. 2. Then stir in 1/2 cup milk, approximately and drop by spoonful over hot stew or soup. 3. With cover let it simmer 15 minutes without lifting lid. SERVING 4. Serve immediately. TIP To drop the dough over the soup or stew it should be just soft enough to drop from spoon.