Turnip and barley stew with sage dumplings

We developed this recipe for an event at the Ulster Folk Museum called ‘An ode to the humble turnip’. Turnips are an important part of our food history here in Ireland, but these days are often overlooked for fancier (often imported) vegetables. They are very affordable, store well, are packed full of goodness and can be absolutely delicious if cooked properly - or even eaten raw! So hurrah for turnips - I recommend you eat lots!

This is hearty comforting dish makes the best of turnips and other late Autumn and Winter vegetables - if you have never eaten suet dumplings on top of a stew then you are in for a treat! It’s delicious with the dumplings but these can be left off if you want something lighter or just easier to make. If you are not adding the dumplings this is really good served with a couple of slices of good bread with plenty of butter.

Please note that we call the large root vegetable with yellowy-orange flesh a turnip - but you may know it as a swede.

Serves 6

For the stew:

2 tablespoon olive oil or 30g butter
2 onions
2 sprigs of rosemary
200g pearl barley
2 litres of stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 small turnip/swede (500g once peeled and chopped)
4 carrots (about 350g)
250g kale or chard
Salt and pepper

For the dumplings:

150g self-raising flour
75g suet (vegetarian is fine)
8 sage leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
100ml cold water
Salt and pepper
40g finely grated hard cheese (optional)

Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot over a high heat and once hot add the oil or butter and then the onions with a large pinch of salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook the onions gently for 10 minutes.

Finely chop the rosemary and add it to the pot with the pearl barley and stir well. Cook for another 30 seconds and then immediately add the stock. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a simmer.

Peel and chop the turnip into small cubes (about 2cm). Peel the carrots and chop into thick slices. Once the pot is simmering add the chopped veg and bring back to a simmer. Season well with pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Put the lid on and cook over a medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until the barley is cooked and the vegetables are tender.

Wash the kale well, strip the leaves off the thick stalks and roughly chop. If you are using chard wash it well and slice it into strips, but no need to remove the stalks.

Once the barley is cooked prepare the dumplings. Put the flour, suet, finely chopped herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub the ingredients together with your fingers until the mixture is like breadcrumbs. Slowly add the water mixing with your hands until a soft, but not sticky, dough forms. Divide the dough into 12 walnut-sized balls.

Add the chopped kale/chard to the stew and then put the dumplings on top. Put the lid on and cook for 20-25 minutes. The dumplings will have doubled in size. If you are using the cheese sprinkle it on top of the dumplings and then put the casserole under the grill for 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.