Cottage Pie for Two

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) leftover roast beef, roughly chopped, or browned ground beef
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 stick celery, trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 small carrot, peeled and grated
- a 2-inch cube of swede (rutabaga) peeled and grated
- 1/2 TBS tomato paste ( tomato puree)
- 1/2 TBS plain flour
- 1 tsp brown sauce (HP sauce)
- 3/4 cup (200ml) well flavoured beef stock
- 1/4 tsp summer savoury
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup (50g) frozen peas
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- warm milk
- a knob of butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 TBS grated cheese (Parmesan or cheddar)
- melted butter to brush (optional
Instructions
- First make the potatoes for the thatch topping.
- Put the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water and
- bring to the boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Drain well
- and then return the potatoes to the pan. Shake the pan over the residual heat of the burner to dry them out a bit and then mash the potatoes well until smooth with some warm milk, and a knob of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the cheese. Set aside and keep warm.
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the
- onion, celery, carrot and sweet. Cook, stirring frequently over medium low heat until softened and the onion is translucent. Stir in the flour. Slowly stir in the beef stock and bring to the boil.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the tomato puree, brown sauce, and summer savoury. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and then stir in the chopped beef.
- Pour this mixture into the bottom of a buttered 1/2 litre (3 cup) shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the frozen peas over top evenly.
- Spread the mashed potatoes on top tocover. Rough up the potato a bit with a fork. Brush with melted butter.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Bake the casserole in the heated oven for 45 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let stand 15 minutes prior to serving. Serve hot with your favourite sides.
notes:
If you are using ground beef brown it in the skillet along with the onion, carrot, celery and swede. Proceed with the remaining recipe as directed.
I sometimes like to add a bit of creamed horseradish to either the topping or the filling depending on how I feel.
Did you make this recipe?
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
This is a lucious twist on traditional creamed vegetables however.
Creamed Cabbage
ingredients:
- 2 cups cold cooked cabbage, chopped (About half a medium head of white cabbage)
- 1 TBS butter
- 2 TBS plain flour
- 2 cups hot milk (480ml)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- cracker crumbs
- 2 TBS butter, melted
instructions:
How to cook Creamed Cabbage
- Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in the hot milk, whisking continuously, and cooking until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
- Place the cabbage in a buttered shallow casserole dish. Pour the cream sauce over top, covering it completely. Mix the cracker crumbs together with the melted butter and sprinkle on top.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the heated oven, until bubbling and nicely browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
How can it already be Sunday again! This week has just flown past, and here I am once again sharing a Meals of the Week Post with you!
This is something I decided to start doing about a month or so ago now. Not only does it help me to keep track of everything I have eaten over the past week, but it helps me to plan my meals for the next week, so that I don't end up repeating myself too much!
I had a pretty busy week, but it was a very rainy week off and on, so a bit of comfort food still figured here and there. I also took a meal over to my daughter and her husband as a bit of a treat for them. My daughter has had an earache this week so was not feeling too well.
Even on a day when I was not feeling entirely well myself (rain and arthritis = a very bad combo) I managed to make myself something pretty decent to eat for my tea. Simple but filling and delicious.
Having found myself living on my own after having cooked for a whole crew and others for over 50 years, I am determined I am not going to be that person who eats out of tins or who fills up on ready meals. That is okay every now and then, but so long as I am capable of doing so, I want to cook proper meals for myself.
I hope you don't mind me taking you along. Perhaps I can inspire you as well and give you a few ideas on what you can cook as well. I promise you nothing is extremely complicated and it is all delicious! I did eat a lot of chicken this week, so must take care to get in a bit more variety next week!
SUNDAY June 11th - Chicken Cordon Bleu
I had my usual Sunday Dinner at my sisters. This week instead of a roast dinner she did Chicken Cordon Bleu which we enjoyed with wild and white steamed rice, roasted asparagus and roasted broccoli. It was those frozen cordon bleu things that you can buy ready made from Prime, but I found a really lovely looking recipe that you could use to make your own on Carlsbad Cravings. I am going to give that a try sometime and downsize it for two people. The photo above is one I made on The English Kitchen about 7 years ago now. Also very good and linked above next to the date.
MONDAY, June 12th - Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich
My arthritis was playing up really bad on Monday so I took the simple route. Supper was a cup of soup and a Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich. I love club sandwiches, with thinly sliced deli turkey, crisp smoky bacon, sliced tomato and crunchy shredded lettuce. You could also add a slice of cheese if you wanted to. Harvarti is awfully nice with this. I loved the Harvarti we used to get in Germany.
This sandwich reminded me of the cold meats, cheeses, fresh brochen, etc. that we used to get at the breakfast buffet in Germany when we travelled there. Yes, I am a sandwich for breakfast kind of a girl.
On this night I enjoyed this sandwich with a few cheeky potato chips, a rare treat. I buy my potato chips in these large bundles of small single serve bags. That way I don't have to worry about them going stale before I can finish eating them, plus it keeps me in check and I eat a more reasonable amount!
TUESDAY, June 13th - Mini Quiche for Two
I had not had quiche for dinner for a very long time. Mostly because I don't want to have to deal with a whole quiche. I downsized my favorite recipe and made a small six inch deep mini one, and then took half over to my next door neighbor Sheila who declared it totally delicious when she returned my container the next day. I used my Butter/Lard pastry recipe for the crust. I think homemade pastry is so much nicer than anything you can buy ready made.
Now that I am living on my own, I still make the full recipe for a two crust pie, but I divide it into four small flat discs, wrapping each one really well and then I freeze the discs in an airtight container. Homemade ready made pastry at my fingertips. It only takes about half an hour to thaw, and will keep in the freezer properly wrapped for up to six months. And it is enough for four mini single crust pies, or two mini double crust pies.
WEDNESDAY, June 14th - Dinner out with Dad
On Wednesday nights I always have dinner out with my dad and his friend Hazel. Sometimes my sister comes with us. This week was no different. I enjoy these meals out with dad. It was something I could only dream about doing when I was living in the UK. This week I had my usual small eaters Turkey dinner with coleslaw instead of a roll. Hazel had a one piece fish and chips. I was treating dad for Father's Day so he had a burger and chips. He couldn't finish it.
He would have been better off with this Pub Cheese Open Faced Burger! Not too much bread, lovely grilled and caramelized onions, melted cheddar spread and a tomato and lettuce on the side. This with a few oven chips would make a really great midweek supper!
THURSDAY, June 15th - No Fuss Chicken Dinner
On Thursday I cooked something to take over to my daughter. I did enjoy one serving of it myself. This No fuss Chicken Dinner cooks nicely in the crock pot all day. It is a perfect midweek dinner, especially for those days when you know you are not going to have a lot of time to cook. It tastes a lot like a chicken pot pie without the crust. Pop everything into the crock pot in the morning and just get on with your day.
I sprinkled some crispy fried onions on top for a bit of crunch when I served it. It had potatoes, carrots and a flavorful gravy along with the tender and juicy chicken. I cooked some peas and corn on the side for Eileen and Tim.
FRIDAY - June 16th - TikTok Feta Baked Pasta for two
I had been intrigued with this viral TikTok recipe for a while. I am not one to go with trends, but it really did look good and sounded dead simple. I decided to try it, but downsized it for just two servings. This was AMAZING! I couldn't believe how simple and easy it was to make. I channeled two separate recipes and created one by using bits of both.
I thought it would be ultra salty with the feta cheese, but it wasn't salty at all. The sauce was rich and creamy with lots of bits of tomato. I actually am still thinking about how delicious it really was!! You really need to try this. I enjoyed it with some crusty bread and a bit of salad on the side.
SATURDAY, June 17th - Cast Iron Roasted Butterflied Chicken & Potatoes
I was inspired by a new cookery book I had just gotten and adapted this Roast Chicken recipe for a father's day celebration. The cookbook was called The Prairie Kitchen Cookbook, by Kayla Lobermeier of Under a Tin Roof. I switched out the flavors a bit. Hers was a Buffalo Roasted Chicken. I am not overly fond of the spice of Buffalo chicken so I created a delicious BBQ rub to use on mine in it's place.
The chicken is butterflied open and rubbed with a tasty rub both under and on top of the skin and then placed on a bed of baby new potatoes, onion, and garlic in a cast iron skillet. Roasted to perfection and basted with butter at 20 minute intervals, the end result is a delicious moist and flavor filled chicken. Those potatoes get all sticky and filled with lovely chicken juice flavors as well. Altogether very delicious. I served with some baby peas and carrots on the side.
And there you have it, my meals for the past week. I ate something delicious and yet simple every day. It was a really tasty week! I also now have some roasted chicken to use in sandwiches, etc. over the coming week and some bones in the freezer to make soup at a later date!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
If you are looking for an extra creamy, delicious and rich chicken casserole to feed yourself and your partner, with some added crunchy toppings then you have just struck gold. This is the one for you!
I served mine with some coleslaw on the side and a splash of soy sauce and some green tabasco. Not traditionally Chinese I know, but hey ho, it tasted fabulous, and that's what counts most!
Chinese Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS flour
- 1/2 Knorr gel chicken stock pot
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- Sauce as above
- 2 cups (280g) cooked chicken, cubed
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 medium carrot, peeled and grated
- 1 small stick of celery, trimmed, washed and chopped
- 1/2 cup (110g) mayonnaise
- 1 pouch Uncle Ben's cooked rice, mushroom and wild rice (about 1 1/4 cups cooked rice)
- 1/2 tsp garlic granules
- 1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 cup salted roasted cashews
- 1 cup crispy chow Mein noodles
- Soy sauce and hot sauce to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/ 190*C/ gas mark 5. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish. Set aside.
- Melt the butter for the sauce in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour and the gel stock. Cook for a minute. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens.
- Crumble the rice into a bowl. Add the cooked chicken, onion, carrot and celery. Stir in the sauce and mayonnaise, along with the garlic granules and pepper. You should not need any salt.
- Pour this mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Scatter the cashew nuts and crispy noodles on top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
- The casserole should be hot and bubbly and totally heated through.
- Spoon out to serve. Pass the soy sauce and the hot sauce. Delicious!
Notes:
If desired you can use 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted, in place of the sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
694.24Fat (grams)
45.71Sat. Fat (grams)
10.49Carbs (grams)
40.78Fiber (grams)
2.40Net carbs
38.37Sugar (grams)
3.37Protein (grams)
28.63Sodium (milligrams)
803.45Cholesterol (grams)
111.37


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