Here’s a recipe for some dumplings I served yesterday with a chicken casserole. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about them, just the addition of some bacon, but they made a tasty change. You will need:-
150g self-raising flour
75g shredded suet
130g pancetta cubes, or lardons (that’s the weight of the pack I buy – you don’t have to be exact)
Cold water
Extra flour
- Fry your pancetta cubes or lardons until they are as crispy as you like them then drain them on kitchen paper and leave them to go completely cold
- Mix the self-raising flour, suet and bacon together and add enough cold water to bring the mixture together as a dough
- Use the extra flour to lightly dust a board (and your fingers!). Knead the dough on the board then roll it into a sausage shape and divide it into 6 pieces
- Roll the pieces in your hands to shape them into balls
I was, as I said, cooking a chicken casserole so 40 minutes before the end of cooking time I dropped the dumplings into the pot and returned it to the oven (Gas 5) to finish cooking with the lid off. The result was happily received Chez Wizzud and has been added, by request, to our list of favourites.