Vegetables with Cheese Dumplings

15g/1/2 oz polyunsaturated margarine
15ml/1tbsp corn oil
450g/1lb swede (rutabega), peeled and cubed
225g/8oz parsnips, peeled and sliced
4 carrots, scrubbed and sliced
3 celery sticks, trimmed and sliced
1 large onion, skinned and chopped
1 red or green pepper, cored seeded and chopped
1.1 liters/2pints vegetable stock
2.5ml/1/2 tsp dried rosemary
5ml/1tsp dried mixed herbs
225g/8oz cauliflower, cut into florets
225g/8oz broccoli, cut into florets
Cheese dumplings:
175g/6oz self-raising wholemeal flour
1.25ml/1/4 tsp baking powder
2.5ml/1/2 tsp salt
2tbsp chopped fresh parsley
25g/1oz Parmesan cheese, grated
50g/2 oz mature cheddar cheese, grated
Melt margarine and oil in a large flameproof casserole, add the swede, parsnips, carrots, celery, onion and pepper and cook for 5 min. Add the stock and dried herbs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15-20 min, until the vegetables soften.
To make the dumplings, put the flour, baking powder, salt, parsley, and cheeses in a bowl and mix well together. Add 100ml (4oz) water and using a round bladed knife, mix lightly to form a soft dough. Divide into 12 pieces and form into balls.
Add cauliflower and broccoli to casserole and place dumplings evenly around the top. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until dumplings have doubled in size.

This was really good. It was very simple, but not lacking in flavor. As for firsts, this was the first time I ever made whole wheat dumplings. I never really thought about it, I just assumed that dumplings had to be lacking in nutrition, big on comfort, plain white flour. These were not fluffy, but they were really tasty, and actually, I prefer my dumplings to be a bit heavier. The whole wheat flour made it seem like they were way healthy, even though they were packed with cheese. I don’t know if I would make this exact dish again, but I will definitely make the dumplings over and over again.

I found these in a funny cookbook from a second hand book sale. It was called Good Housekeeping Good Cooking. It was all recipes from Good Housekeeping magazine, but only the “Healthy” ones, because apparently when you use whole wheat flour to make a steak and kidney pudding, it suddenly becomes a light healthy dinner choice. Fun book. Good dumplings.