HAVING REALIZED that my baking tray may be used as a tub for home-cooked food, as well as something to hold up industrial lasagne etc in reheating, I have been fantasizing all week about making my own beef shepherd's pie (cottage pie). The difference from the illustration will be that mine will be a beef pie covered in cheese and potato not pastry and so will have chunks of beef, not ground up piggles.I've never done shepherd's pie in my life (can't remember whether we ever did it at school, though it's a typical school recipe) but my recipe was going to go something like this.
About 500g-1kg (1-2lb) stewing steak diced small
About 500g-1kg potatoes
One or two large onions
One or two large carrots
About 250g (0.5lb) mushrooms
About 100g 0.25lb) cheese
Broccoli to eat separately
Method: fry steak lightly for five minutes or so to "brown" (even though it goes grey not brown) and "seal in flavour" or whatever this is supposed to do. I'm quite sure that skipping this step makes no difference but have never dared do it as would hate to waste food. When done tip into large saucepan and continue simmering in a little water on low heat. Dice mushrooms and add to this. (Doesn't water come out of the mushrooms at some point? That's what I seem to recall occurring...) Fry onions.
At end of frying add seasoning which would be something like 4 teaspoons paprika, 2 tsps mild curry powder (Jamaican, Chinese, Garam Masala or mild Indian), 1 tsp "all purpose seasoning" (glorified celery salt), half to one tsp ginger, 1 tsp mediterranean or Italian mixed herbs, 4-8 tsps Lee & Perrins to taste, about 4 tsps soy sauce (makes excellent gravy browner), possibly one Oxo cube and/or 1 or 2 tsps Bisto-style gravy granules. Add all together including most of the fried onions into main pan and simmer fairly lightly for 2 hours, covered, adding more water if required but not too much or the pie will be ridiculously sloppy. Dice and add the carrot(s).
After 2 hours peel, chop up and boil potatoes. Mash, adding the saved fried onions to the potato. Add a little butter to the mash but not too much (I much prefer dry "natural" mash to over milky/buttery "creamed" potatoes). Preheat the oven to about 190C 350F(?) Gas mark 6.
Checking the pie-mix pan, boil off any excess water by removing lid and keeping on heat.
Now turf the piemix into the baking tin, covering carefully with potato mash. Sprinkle liberally with cheese and pepper the top. Bung in middle of oven for half an hour.
Boil the side order of broccoli.
Remove and eat!
I'll let you know how horrible it turns out when I risk making it...
There's no big news as I've stashed at home all week feeling not like doing anything. Those pills are not working yet, I am sure of it. Though it is "early days"...
I have cut down on my alcohol drinking as it was starting to get ridiculous at points (more then 6 cans a day at peak, which would be about 10 pints of pub-strength beer). Now I have got down to as little as one a day. I don't want to have to feel panicky at the thought of not drinking, I have enough problems with chemical dependency as it is!!
Can antidepressants actually make you feel worse? I feel dragged right down.. down.. down.
...The Germany Bible reading is coming on in fits and starts...
And that's about it!
VIDEOS
1:
Rolling Stones ~ You Can't Always Get What You Want from Rock and Roll Circus
2:
Science Lab ~ Flesh and Blood
Tekno with Shakespearean quotations!
(Sound only)
3:
Lattemaking
from Raymi the Minx blog
~ a glimpse into someone else's boring old life for a change ~
A bit of cookery trivia for you my dear...
ReplyDeleteShepards pie is using lamb mince (hence shepard, looking after sheep) cottage pie is with beef.
But you know, for a lovely pie whatever you call it... turkey mince... it's the leanest mince you can get and it's the cheapest as well!!!
Yum. Inspiration for tonight's dinner methinks. Without the garam masala. I love that Stones song . . .it's ageless. Hope you pick up soon!
ReplyDeleteHowdy Gleds.
ReplyDeleteLong time between chats.
When my wife had died, I spent a week being strong for the funeral and family etc. I then started drinking solidly and was spastic drunk for months. The depression was crippling. I finally went to a doctor who prescribed me something similar by way of anti-depressants and amazing it really helped. The problem was the drinking which made me crazy and each day was out of control. I had to do something so I gave up the anti-depressants and replaced it with heroin. Not a good move.
My point is alcohol and anti-depressants really blurs you mind. I went back to the anti-depressants about 5 years ago whilst on methadone (and some using) but it did nothing. I again went back on them 6 weeks ago and they seem to work a bit better now. It is probably because I am on SROM(morphine) instead of methadone, but it is working.
Moral of the story ... don't let your partner die.
The Cheesecake Factory (believe it or not) used to have a really good shepherd's pie. (Maybe they still do, I don't have occasion to go there much anymore.)
ReplyDeleteIt tasted more like it was beef, rather than lamb, though.
Whatever the mystery meat was--it was good.
Okay, I Googled it, and they said the Cheesecake Factory Shepherd's Pie was, "Ground Beef, Mushrooms, Carrots, Peas, Zucchini and Onions in a Delicious Sauce Covered with Mashed Potatoes and Parmesan Cheese."
ReplyDeleteHow come the guys on Brokeback Mountain never made this?
ZEN WIZARD - They were too busy going up and down that f*cking mountain all the time!
ReplyDeleteGELD - The meat will brown if you have the heat up high enough and don't over-crowd the pan. Fry the beef in smaller batches as needed. It goes grey if the heat is low and there is a lot in the pan so it doesn't seal quickly enough and the juices render. The sealing and browning of the meat can be quite beneficial for the flavour of your finished dish, the brown bit which caramelise will add a lovely gravy-like flavour.
ReplyDeleteMushroom will release moisture when cooked, but not a significant amount to affect your dish in this case.
My opinion is that two onions will be better than one. Start frying them on a high heat for the first few minutes and then turn low for at least 15 minutes so they turn a lovely brown and caramelise, this will add fantastic flavour to the pie. (Add a pinch of salt to them while frying).
I can also highly recommend a chopped leek to this recipe and a handful of frozen or fresh peas.
Good luck! (I made this a few days - the mince version!)
Vi: Tescos, however, are unaware of these facts and insist on labelling "beef shepherd's pie"... hmmmm
ReplyDeleteBaino: doesn't taste of curry. I guarantee it. That's my casserole recipe and I always add curry powder. It just tastes faintly middle Eastern and spicy, definitely not like something from a curryshop
Terry: o do you think DRINK is affecting them then? shyte. I still drink too much as it is. Am genuinely cutting down tho.... (bit by bit, ahem!)
ZenWizz: what on earth is Cheesecake Factory? I've never heard of it!
Nicole: thanks v much for that advice. I definitely shall be adding the peas. + doing the sealing in as you said... leeks I'm really not sure about. I find their texture rather offputting in stews etc. Can I cook it out though? Like onions kind of reduce to a background mush with 2 hrs of simmering..??
ReplyDeleteGled, the leeks will also disappear into the background of the pie if cooked right, but they are not necessary, I like them for the flavour and extra vegetable matter but if you put plenty of onion it's perfectly good. I usually half the leeks for my cottage pie and then slice the halves into thin semi-circles about a millimetre thick. I also don't use the very green bits because they can stay a bit rough, but the lovely white and light green parts become soft and behave pretty much like onion in the dish.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Vincent just reminded me. The cottage pie we make also has a stalk or two of diced celery. This makes for a great taste. It cooks through and you don't really know it's there any more, but it gives it great flavour in the end.
I think you'll do well with cooking this. It's great that you're in this new place where you have more room and resources to be creative.
And about the zucchini, you can stuff those with anything and bake them, minced meat is good too. My cousin Tarita taught me this tuna version and I like it a lot because it's light and very Italian tasting. I posted the recipe way back here.
That cottage pie is making my mouth water Gleds! I haven't ate too well the past few days either.
ReplyDeleteThat cottage pie is making my mouth water Gleds! I haven't ate too well the past few days either.
ReplyDelete