Irish Stew With Parsley Dumplings

Directions

1. Wipe the pcs of meat and cut away excess fat, then dip them in the seasoned flour. Put a layer of meat in the bottom of a large saucepan, followed by some onion, carrot, leek and potato and season with salt and pepper. Then put in some more meat and continue layering the ingredients till everything is in.
2. Sprinkle in the pearl barley followed by approx 1.25 liters of warm water and bring to simmering point (if you do not make the dumplings you will not need as much water). Spoon off any scum which rises to the surface, then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and leave to simmer over a low heat for about 2 hrs. About 15 min before the end of the cooking time, make the dumplings. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and parsley in a bowl. Then fold in the suet - but it mustn't be rubbed in. Add in just sufficient cool water to make a fairly stiff but elastic dough which leaves the bowl cleanly. Shape into 8 dumplings. When the stew is ready remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon onto a large hot serving dish, cover with foil and keep hot.
3. Season the liquid to taste, then bring to a brisk boil. Put the dumplings in, cover and cook for 20-25 min, making sure they do not come off the boil.