Where beef and dumplings may be beside oneself? (2,1,4)
I believe the answer is:
in a stew
'where beef and dumplings' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I cannot judge whether it can be defined by this definition.
'be beside oneself?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'be' could be 'stew' (stewing is a kind of being) and 'stew' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ina' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'may' acts as a link.
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" .)