Beef and Dumplings with Dill Sauce

Posted by Pussycat in Main Dishes | 21 Comments

Growing up this was a very traditional Sunday dinner.  The dill sauce is very creamy and hearty.  Also, these dumplings were  a staple around our house, some old czech recipes make them with yeast, but we find them a little finicky that way and so have adapted the recipe.  Hope you enjoy these!

Dumplings

  • 3 Cups Flour
  • 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 Cups Lukewarm Water
  • 1Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 day old Kaiser Bun (or other type)

Place flour, salt and baking powder in mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment and mix. Stop the mixer and create a well in the middle of the flour add the egg and about a ¼ cup of water.  Mix on low speed to create a ball of dough adding water as needed. Slowly add water ensuring all the water is worked into the dough really well.  Once you have a good soft ball of dough then pull the dough onto a work surface and knead in the chopped up bun.  Day old buns work best, as they won’t fall apart when you work them into the dough.  Ensure that the bread cubes are inside the dough; if they are outside they will get soggy as you boil the dough.

Form the dough into two even logs.  Boil a large pot of water; I use a roasting pan so that the dumplings have enough room to expand.  Boil the dumplings for 25 minutes in gently boiling water, turn half way through.

Once they are done, take them out gently and place on a cutting board.  Some people have cut these with a knife but I was taught to use thread.  You double up a white thread and slide it under the dumpling, criss-cross it over the top and pull through to cut through the dough.  Cut through one after another with each of them about ¼ inch thick.  Place in a bowl with paper towels under the lid so that the condensation doesn’t drip on the dumplings.

If you are not going to use them immediately steam to reheat. When steaming I put a paper towel under the lid so that the condensation doesn’t drip onto the them, as they really shouldn’t be wet.

Beef and Dill Sauce

Boil a beef roast in water with; bay leaves, carrots, celery, whole onion, peppercorns, and whole cloves of garlic in a soup pot and salt to taste.  Boil the meat until it is tender then slice and reserve the broth for adding into the dill sauce.

Dill Sauce

  • ¾ Cup Butter
  • ½ Cup Flour
  • 3 Cups Milk
  • 2 large Ladles full of the Beef Broth
  • ½ Cup Vinegar
  • ¼ Cup Sugar
  • One whole bunch of chopped Fresh Dill

In a saucepan melt the butter and then add the flour, cook on low heat for about 3 – 5 minutes, stirring often not letting the flour burn.  Then add the milk (it’s best if you warm it up in the microwave a bit so you’re not adding cold milk).  Stir and cook until thick.  Mix the vinegar, sugar and dill in a separate bowl and add this to the saucepan once the milk mixture is thick.  Add the two ladles full of the beef broth, salt to taste and serve over the sliced meat and dumplings.

If you are not eating this right away the sauce will thicken each time it is cooled.  In order to loosen it up add either milk or some beef broth as you are heating it up, add just enough to get a nice gravy consistency.

 

 

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