Beef Stew With Mustard Dumplings

Heat the oil in a large heavy stock pot. Roll the meat in the flour and shake off the excess. Brown the meat in the pot.

While the meat is browning, mix the tomato sauce, stock, and the herbs and spices together in a bowl.

Once the meat has browned, arrange the onions and carrots over the meat and add the stock mixture. Partially cover the pot and simmer gently for about 2 hours.

While the stew is simmering, make the dumpling dough. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the spices.

In a separate bowl, add the milk to the beaten egg, then stir into the flour mixture. Add the melted butter and stir to blend. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness and cut with a very small circular cutter (like a doughnut hole cutter).

Once the stew has simmered for 2 hours, drop the dumplings into the stew, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then serve.