Kielbasa Stew with Dumplings

Stew:
2/3 a pound of kielbasa, cut into bite size chunks
1 rounded tsp tomato paste
1 14 oz can beef broth
1/4-1/2 cup water (or beer/wine)
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup frozen corn
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp crushed rosemary
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings:
1 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs butter
twist of pepper
1/2 cup of milk

Brown kielbasa, then set aside to a paper towel lined plate leaving enough grease in the pan to cook the aromatics. Brown the onions for a minute then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or so. Add the garlic in the last 30 seconds and saute till fragrant. Add the kielbasa back in and deglaze the pan with the broth and water/beer/wine. Simmer for 50-60 minutes till flavors mingle, stirring occasionally. If at the end you want it thicker use a cornstarch/water mix or add some flour when you are browning the garlic. Mix together the dry ingredients for the dumplings. Cut in the butter till combined, then add the milk and mix till combined. Reduce heat to low and add the corn and peas. Then drop the dough into the stew by rounded teaspoons or tablespoons and cover. Let cook for 10-15 minutes or till dumplings are cooked through. Serve hot.

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I needed to make something for dinner but I only had some kielbasa and frozen vegetables. Some folks over at Bakespace suggested stew. I never thought to make a stew with kielbasa, but figured I would give it a shot. It came out pretty well, slightly sweet and spicy with big friggin dumplings in it. Next time I think I will add some flour to the aromatics in the beginning instead of cornstarch at the end for thickening. More vegetables (carrots and peppers leap to mind, apples would be good too) would have been nice, but you work with what you've got. So here is what I did.

Brown some chunks of kielbasa. These are pretty thick, you don't want wimpy little pieces of sausage in here. When it's browned, transfer the kielbasa to a paper towel lined plate. Then brown up the onion and tomato paste. Americas Test Kitchen says to always brown your paste as it really improves the flavor. I haven't done it enough to have a good opinion on it one way or the other, but I trust ATK myself. Add the garlic towards the end, you only need to saute it for 30 seconds or so and you don't want any of it to burn. Deglaze the pan with the broth and water. While you can use wine or beer, I'm not sure it if wouldn't be a bit much with all the other flavors. I just used water and it came out good. Add the spices and sugar and simmer it for about an hour. After simmering for an hour I found it still too thin, so I thickened it with some cornstarch. Like I said before, next time I'm going to use flour like I did in the beef stew. I like that way better. You just need to let it simmer till the flavors mingle, the sausage isn't going to get any more tender. While that is cooking, lets make the dumplings. I got the recipe for these off this site. It's a nice, basic, all purpose dumpling. They were very good. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and a twist of fresh black pepper. Cut in the butter till it is pretty well incorporated. I used a fork, it worked surprisingly well. Once the butter is worked in, pour in the milk. Don't pour it all in at once though, you might not need it all. On the other hand, you might need more. You want it to be about like cookie dough. Before you put them into the stew you should toss in the frozen corn and peas. Unless you like them mushy, then you should add them earlier. Now scoop big teaspoons or small tablespoons onto the stew, then cover it and let them cook for 10-15 minutes. Once they are cooked through (you pretty much have to cut one open to find out) then that's it. Kielbasa stew with dumplings. Enjoy.