Vegetarian Stew and Dumplings

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl, pour over the boiling water, and set aside to soak for 20 minutes.

Once soaked, lift the porcini mushrooms out and roughly chop them. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve or a piece of kitchen paper to remove any grit. Reserve both the mushrooms and the liquid.

While the porcini soak, finely dice the onions, slice the celery, cut the carrots and parsnips into chunks, finely slice the garlic, quarter the chestnut mushrooms, and strip the thyme leaves. Measure out all remaining stew ingredients. Grate the cold butter for the dumplings and return it to the refrigerator until needed.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based casserole or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes until softened and beginning to turn golden at the edges.

Add the carrots, parsnips, and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.

Push the vegetables to the edges of the pot. Add the tomato purée to the centre and cook it in the dry spot for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly and smells caramelised.

Pour in the red wine and stir everything together, scraping up any browned bits from the base. Cook for 3 minutes until the wine reduces by roughly half and the sharp alcohol smell mellows.

Add the vegetable stock, strained porcini soaking liquid, chopped porcini mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves, and parmesan rind. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes until the carrots and parsnips are just tender when pierced with a knife.

While the stew simmers, prepare the dumpling dough. Combine the self-raising flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold grated butter and rub it in lightly with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining — do not overwork it. Stir in the wholegrain mustard and thyme leaves, then pour in the cold milk and mix with a fork until a shaggy, slightly sticky dough just comes together. Do not knead.

Add the chestnut mushrooms, cannellini beans, and soy sauce to the simmering stew and stir through.

Mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth, then stir the slurry into the stew. Simmer for 3 minutes until the stew thickens noticeably and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the parmesan rind and bay leaves.

Divide the dumpling dough into 8 equal portions and roll each gently into a rough ball with lightly floured hands. Nestle the dumplings on top of the stew, spacing them apart so they have room to expand. Brush the tops with the beaten egg.

Cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings have puffed and are cooked through — a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean and dry.

Remove the lid and place the pot under a hot grill (broiler) for 3–4 minutes until the dumpling tops are deeply golden and cratered. Serve immediately, ladled into deep bowls.