recipe - tried and tested - Shepherd's Pie - Nigel Slater.txt

# Shepherd's Pie

 

#### Ingredients

- 1kg of big, floury potatoes

- a thick slice of butter

- 2 large onions

- a few diced carrots and celery

- 600g minced lamb

- salt

- pepper

- thyme

- Worcestershire Sauce,

 

 

Shepherd's Pie was first recorded in Victoria's reign, and of all the ways of using leftover meat, this potato-topped pie must be the most enduring, though these days it is more often made with fresh mince.

#### THE RECIPE

Boil and mash 1kg of big, floury potatoes, adding a thick slice of butter as you mash.

Soften 2 large onions, peeled and chopped in a little butter. (You can add a few diced carrots and celery at this point.)

When they are golden, add 600g minced lamb, letting it brown thoroughly.

Now add your salt, pepper, thyme and a shake or two of Worcestershire Sauce, and about 350ml of stock.

Let the mixture simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Tip the lamb into a shallow baking dish, top with the mash, dot with a little butter then bake for 35-40 minutes in a hot oven till the surface is crisp. Serves 4.

THE TRICK

Nicely browned onions, a few leaves of thyme and maybe a shake of the Worcestershire Sauce bottle is all you need. Whether you are using minced, cooked lamb or fresh meat it should be neither too small nor too large. Let the mince cook for a good 30 minutes, if not longer. The crust must be crisp on top, so either pull a fork across its surface to create "furrows" or pile it up into clouds with a spoon.

THE TWIST

Using beef instead of lamb turns the recipe into a cottage pie. A layer of grated cheese is a wholly unnecessary but popular way of adding a bit more flavour. I often use mashed pumpkin or butternut squash in place of the potato, and leeks, softened in butter, in place of the onions. A mash of trendy celeriac and potato can be good, too.

#recipe

from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/25/nigel-slater-classic-shepherds-pie-recipe

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

recipe - Cream of Celery Soup - jamie Oliver

Recipe - Cream of Celery Soup Serves 4 Ingredients 1 head of organic celery, sliced 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, chopped Small bunch of flat leaved parsley, roughly chopped 1 litre of vegetable stock 100ml single cream (plus a little extra for serving if desired) A good pinch of nutmeg and some black pepper to season A couple of tbsps of extra virgin olive oil (or a mix of oil and butter) Method 1. In a large saucepan or casserole, heat the oil gently and add the sliced celery, onion and garlic to the pan. Sweat over a gentle heat till vegetables are soft but not browned. This process will take around 15 minutes. 2. Add the chopped parsley and vegetable stock then season well with nutmeg and black pepper. 3. Simmer the soup for approx. 15 minutes then pour into a blender or food processor along with the single cream. 4. Process/puree at high speed till soup is smooth and creamy. Serve with an extra drizzle of cream if you wish. #recipe
Read more

recipe - Leek, smoked haddock and black pudding risotto - James Martin

Leek, smoked haddock and black pudding risotto By: James Martin Serves 4 Ingredients 1 tbsp Olive oil 175g black pudding, cut into thick slices, then each slice into quarters 300g-400g undyed smoked haddock fillet 25g Butter 3 Shallots, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 100ml dry white wine 250g Arborio or Carnaroli rice 1.2 litres fresh fish or vegetable stock, (home-made or shop-bought, ready-made in a tub) 2 medium leeks, thinly sliced freshly ground salt and black pepper 2–3 tbsp Mascarpone 25g finely grated Parmesan 2 tbsp chopped parsley 1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the black pudding pieces briskly for 1-2 minutes until crisp on the outside. Remove and set aside. 2. Skin the haddock and check carefully for any bones by running against the grain of the flesh with your fingertips. If you find any bones, pluck them out with your fingers or use a pair of tweezers. Cut the fish into 1cm square chunks and set aside. 3. Heat the butter in a wide shallow pan. Add the sh
Read more

recipe - Spaghetti in the bag - River Cafe

Spaghetti in the bag serves 4 350g spaghetti 4 garlic cloves peeled and crushed 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes drained 1 red chilli de-seeded finely sliced 500g cooked prawns 1 lemon - juice 1 lemon quartered 3tbsp basil 120ml white wine extra virgin olive oil heat 2 tbsp olive oil - 2 garlic cloves - cook gently - add tomatoes and sea salt - reduce to thick sauce. separate pan - 3 tbsp olive oil - 2 garlic cloves - cook gently - chili and prawns - heat through - add lemon juice heat oven 200c cook spaghetti 7 minutes - drain and season - 3 tbsp olive oil cut 4 50cm squares of foil - drizzle oil 1/4 each of spaghetti - sauce - prawns - basil - season fold leaving 1 side open - put in 2tbsp wine 7-8 minutes, serve with 1/4 lemon From River Cafe Cookbook Pasta and Ravioli #recipe
Read more