Chicken Casserole With English Ale And Stilton And Walnut Dumpli

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 ounces flour
• salt and pepper
• 8 chicken portions
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 4 ounces unsalted butter
• 8 slices streaky bacon, chopped
• 4 leeks, cut into 2in pieces
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups ale
• 1 teaspoon malt vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 ounces turnips, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 2 ounces stilton cheese, chopped
• 1 ounce walnuts, chopped
• 3 3/4 ounces flour
• 2 ounces suet
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch nutmeg (1 good grating)
• 1 pinch pepper

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°f.
• 2 season the flour generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. dust the chicken portions with the seasoned flour and sage.
• 3 heat the butter in a large casserole dish. add in the chicken and brown on all sides. remove the chicken and put to one side.
• 4 add the chopped bacon to the casserole dish and fry for 2 minutes.
• 5 add in the leeks, carrot, celery, onion and garlic and fry gently, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes.
• 6 add the chopped thyme, sugar, ale, malt vinegar and the dijon mustard and bring to the boil.
• 7 pour the chicken broth into the dish, then add the browned chicken, bay leaf, rutebaga and parsnips.
• 8 cover and bake in the preheated oven for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 275f and bake in the oven for a further 1 hour 30 minutes.
• 9 meanwhile, make the dumplings. place the stilton, walnuts, flour, suet, egg yolks in a bowl. add in the salt, freshly grated nutmeg and freshly ground pepper, mixing well.
• 10 combine the stilton mixture into a dough and shape into small, even-sized balls.
• 11 half an hour before the casserole has completed baking, scatter the dumplings over the casserole the top and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.