The Best Recipe with Pork Neck, Bean and Dumplings Stew - By Far

The meal is designed for those long cold nights and short days, that are commonly called winter. It is six o'clock still dark and the dew is glistening on the grass outside, waiting for that early morning chill that will freeze those droplets of moisture, turning them into an frosty cold blanket.

The early morning wind starts to creep lazily into the house, not going around any object, but straight through, you know that a hearty, stick to your ribs type of stew is exactly what is needed to feed your family tonight.

Cast Iron Pots, or Dutch Ovens, are really the best way to cook this or any other stew.

The pots help the flavours to blend and the juices of all the ingredients, the meats and the vegetables remain intact, because there is little or no handling once the cooking process really starts.

Ingredients

• 1kg or 2lbs of Pork neck, sliced across the width of the neck try and get the very meaty bits
• 2 medium onions
• 6 potatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large turnip
• 2 large carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic
• 1 bunch of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large can of haricot beans
• 1 can of brown lentils
• 1 1/2 cups of seasoned flour

Method

Heat a large cast iron saucepan on the stove, with a tablespoon of lard in it.

Wash the pork neck. Peel and slice, or dice all of the vegetables, into the size that your family enjoy, with the exceotion of the celery, this needs to be very thinly sliced.

Celery is a natural flavour enhancer, this is similar to that magical chemical that Whitey-Chinese know as MSG. Celery, though, does not carry any of the side effects of MSG.

Dredge the neck in the seasoned flour and make sure that the meat is well coated.

Once the lard in the saucepan starts to smoke, flash fry the piese of pork until browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot; add a cup water, salt and pepper to the pot.

Reduce the saucepan to a brisk simmer, add the beans, lentils and then the browned meat, mix them together, gently. Then add the remainder of the vegetables, one final gently mixing of the contents of the saucepan.

Cover the contents of the saucepan, with water, a mixture or a mixture of water and vegetable stock, with a glass of wine, bring to the boil. Once boiling cover and leave to simmer for about 1 to 2 hours or until the meat is soft and tender while the potatoes are still firm.

Parsley Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1cup of flour
• 3 teaspoons of either fresh suet or vegetable fat
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs freshly chopped even better
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped parsley
• Water

Method

Finely chop the suet/fat then add to the bowl in which you have placed all the other dry ingredients Slowly add the water and mix until it forms a smooth thick paste.

The most important bit follows:-

1. Now bring the saucepan containing the stew to the boil.
2. Now quickly add the dumpling mix a large teaspoon full at a time, not to closely together.
3. Once you have added all the mixture, cover the saucepan completely.
4. Reduce to a simmer and leave for 20 to 35 minutes.
5. Do not remove the lid during that time, as the dumplings will fall flat.

There you now have an easy homemade stew, with that added extra to warm you up. Serve piping hot in bowls, with possible a good wine and some fresh bread.