Beef and dumplings may be agitated (2,1,4)
I believe the answer is:
in a stew
'agitated' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'beef and dumplings may be' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is located in the answer.
'be' could be 'stew' (stewing is a kind of being) and 'stew' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for in a stew that I've seen before include "In a state of great agitation - simmering in pot?" , "Very worried" .)