This is a delicious dish I made a while back and am only getting around to showing you now.  It's a delicious Greek Stew made with lamb shoulder, tomatoes, wine and a variety of spices. It may not look like much, but it's really fabulous!

Shepherd's pie is made using ground lamb.  Lamb was not something I ate a lot of in Canada. It was not all that easy to find although my late FIL raised lamb on his farm.  It is probably the same as it is in most places.

You have a hard time finding things that are actually grown there because it usually gets shipped elsewhere.  That's why we end up eating California berries and BC apples, even though we have really good ones here in Nova Scotia. It's all down to trade agreements.

I remember the first time I went up to the Horseshoe Pass in Wales. I was amazed at all the sheep. They were everywhere. Dotting the hillsides, on the roads, etc. 

I remember tip toe-ing through the grass trying to avoid their mess, not wanting to step on it.  But there was no getting away from it, and really it doesn't smell anyways.  Not like others.  You just had to give up after a while!

I use a bit of carrot in the mix with the meat and onions. This adds a little touch of sweetness and helps to get in a bit of extra veg. You could certainly add some celery if you wished or even grated turnips.  Both would work well.

I also flavour the gravy with Worcestershire Sauce. It adds a lovely touch. You could add a splash of HP sauce as well if you liked, or even Ketchup but it is  not really traditional if you do.

 

The thatch of potatoes on top is really nice and flavour filled as well. You will want to use a nice floury potato so that your mash is nice and light.  

Don't use new potatoes. Old potatoes work best. New Potatoes don't mash properly. I made that mistake once at Thanksgiving when I was really young and didn't know better.  Are you familiar with the consistency of glue?  haha  Yep, not very appealing in the least!

 

I have 20 years of lost time to make up for and I plan on doing just that for the remainder of my days.  Making up for lost time. Building memories for those grands that are much more than a photograph or a face through a screen that they cannot touch! 

That is the silver lining in all that I have been through lately.  Being able to be with family and forge relationships with my grandchildren.  That is the real gift. And I will never take it for granted, not ever.

 I have sized this recipe down to generously serve just two people. There are quantities in the recipe for both two and four servings. 

The larger servings are in brackets.  I hope that it is easy to understand and not confusing. I tried to make it as easy as possible.

 

The cheese tastes really good and  helps to get a really nice golden brown colour to the finished dish.  I think something which is topped with golden brown anything automatically tastes even better.

We eat with our eyes first.  Enjoy!

This was always one of my father's favourite suppers! He is a simple man with simple tastes and not too hard to please so long as it is not too far out of the ordinary!

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Tony grew up in the kitchen where his love for food developed, with his mother and grandmother always cooking delicious meals for him and his family at their home. This love of food and his upbringing is what drives his ambition to share the unique food and culture from Lebanon and the Middle East with the rest of the world.


Within the “souk” feel of the restaurant there is also a real “souk” (market), created by Tony to help guests find hard to find ingredients which are essential to make Middle Eastern food. These include spic’s such as Sumac, Zataar, or Orange Blossom, Rose Water, Tahina, and sweet treats such as Nougat and Baklawa. There is also homeware and goodies and handmade bags which are made by woman in local villages. For those who want to cook Lebanese food for their family and friends, there are two cookbooks, written by Tony and they have recently launched their third highly successful cookbook: Feasts from the Middle East . The book aims to enable guests to create a taste of the Middle East in their own kitchen at home.  (Shhh, don't tell Todd, but I ordered one from Amazon!)


The menu is made of recipes which Middle Eastern and Lebanese mothers use at home including Tony’s mother. Comptoir is a place that serves food all day from breakfast until dinner. It is a restaurant where everyone can eat casually and the food is served with warm and friendly hospitality, just like back home in the Middle-East and North Africa. Breakfast is an important meal in the Arab culture, the menu includes dishes such as Shakshuka - a classic dish made up of slow cooked tomatoes, red onions and peppers mixed with parsley, coriander and garlic. Topped with a fried egg and crumbled feta and served with pita. Alternatively , Man’ousha flat bread or full Lebanese breakfast.


The all day menu includes a huge variety of different dishes from a large selection of hot and cold mezze which are ideal for a quick snack or to share with friends and family. All the usual dips, salads and dishes are also available, from Baba Ghanuj to Marinated Jawaneh - Chargrilled marinated chicken wings with garlic, lemon & pomegranate molasses. Warm Lebanese wraps (served with a Comptoir salad and pickles) are especially popular, as are the Marinated Grills and Tagines.


No Lebanese meal is complete without something sweet there is a selection of Baklawa and Lebanese desserts, which are delicate, fragrant and delicious, such as Dark Chocolate Orange and Cardamom Cake. Refreshing homemade lemonades such as Romana - orange blossom water and pomegranate lemonade and Rosa - rose, lemon and lime lemonade, as well as Fresh Rose Mint Tea , served in a silver teapot are the perfect accompaniments to the meal as well as freshly squeezed juices, cocktails and a selection of Lebanese wines and beers, specially imported from the Bekaa Valley.

We were really spoilt for choice.  They offer a variety of drinks for their customers.  Hot drinks such as teas, coffees, chocolates (both European and Middle Eastern choices) along with a variety of wines, beers, spirits, cocktails and cold drinks.  We don't drink alcohol, tea or coffee, but were keen to try some authentic Home-made Lebanese Lemonades.

(Sorry we had taken a bite before I took the photo)

Lamb Kibbeh (3 pieces) (£6.25)  - Minced lamb cracker wheat parcels, filled with lamb, pine nuts and onion, served with a mint yogurt sauce.




Tony started his entrepreneurial flair from a young age selling lemonades and sandwiches outside his home on the street in Algeria. This drive inspired him to come to London with very little and grow the restaurant business that he has today. The authentic journey of flavours from the regions where Tony spent his childhood and where he still regularly travels now, continuing to source ingredients and decorations that will enhance the intoxicating eating experience of the Middle East.

The food is available to eat in the restaurant or to take home back to the office or to your home. Takeaway food is part and parcel of Middle Eastern culture and so Comptoir Libanais s proud to offer this service to guests at the Cheshire Oaks restaurant. Not only this, but the team will soon be launching an exclusive delivery service with Deliveroo . Comptoir Libanais will, therefore, provide the perfect option for eating at home or for picking up on the way back from work.

The restaurant also offers a large dedicated children’s menu with an activity pack and colouring in section to keep the little ones entertained. Priced at £5.95 it includes a main course, drink and dessert and includes favourites such as Halloumi Halloumi platter with falafel and hommos and Chicken wings with hommos and Lebanese fries.


About Comptoir Libanais 
There are 23 restaurants across London and around the country, including Manchester, Bath, Leeds, Reading, Birmingham, Oxford and Exeter. Comptoir Libanais also has a branch in Holland and is in the process of expanding further internationally, with restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Founded in 2008 by Tony Kitous, the name means Lebanese Counter, as it is a place where everyone can eat casually and enjoy Middle Eastern food, served with warm and friendly hospitality, just like back home.

www.comptoirlibanais.co.uk

60ml of milk or cream, gently heated (/4 cup)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 5.  Have ready a baking tray.  Cut a thin sliver off the tops of each of the crusty rolls.  Using your fingers remove as much of the insides of the buns as you can, without tearing the outside.  You should have a thin shell.  Place them onto the baking tray.   Divide the meat filling between each of the four rolls, Pressing it down lightly.   Divide the cooked vegetables between each bun, placing them on top of the meat filling.  Divide the mashed potatoes amongst each bun, piling it on top of the vegetables and roughing it up with a fork.  Sprinkle the cheese over top of all and then place the baking tray in the oven.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and everything is piping hot.  Serve immediately.

My husband is a really simple man with very simple tastes.  If meat and potatoes are on the menu, he is one very happy camper indeed!  He's been working really hard getting our garden Spring ready these past few days so I thought I would treat him today to a simple stew . . . which is one of his favourite meals of all.

 

I had some cubed leg of lamb that I had picked up at the butchers . . . perfect for a simple lamb stew.   It seems kind of silly presenting this as a recipe as it's something which I just kind of throw together . . .



There might be a few of you though that would appreciate some simple instructions as to how to go about it.   I can do it with my eyes closed, but that is because it is something which I have been throwing together for many, many years . . .

 

Stews are simple creatures . . . a bit of browned meat, some herbs, stock, a few vegetables . . . and you have something which is quite delicious and family pleasing.  Today I had some Chantenay Carrots that I had picked up the other day for 50 pence.  They were a bit larger than they normally are . . . each being about 4 inches in length. I thought it would be fun to simply peel them and then cut them in half before adding them to the stew.



I thought it gave a nice  look to the finished dish . . . unusual . . . and in that same vein of thought, I added peeled whole new potatoes, which held their shape nicely and were not overly large.  Altogether it gave a very rustic look to the finished dish, which I garnished simply with some chopped parsley and a few fresh thyme leaves . . . a bit of coarse salt and black pepper.   It went down a real treat and we are both looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow . . . because as anyone knows, any stew tastes twice as good for having ripened overnight in the refrigerator.




*A Simple Stew of Lamb*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
I love the simple things in life.  They always please, no matter what.


1 TBS olive oil
1 pound leg of lamb cut into bite sized chunks
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 leek, washed, trimmed and cut into rounds
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
2 TBS flour
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 TBS dried parsley
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
hot chicken stock (about 1 litre)
4 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
(Today I used half a bag of overgrown Chantenay Carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise)
12 medium new potatoes, peeled
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
a handful of cubed Swede (Rutabaga)

 

Heat the oil in a medium sized heavy dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add the lamb cubes, celery, onion and leek.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and the meat to brown.  Once the meat has browned all over, sprinkle it with the flour, rosemary, thyme, parsley and some salt and pepper.  Cook and stir to coat meat.   Pour over hot chicken stock to cover, giving it all a good stir. Cover tightly and simmer for about an hour.  Add the carrots, parsnip, swede and potatoes, adding more stock as necessary and leaving the potatoes whole.   Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer.  Cover tightly and cook until the vegetables and meat are very tender.   Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.  Spoon out into heated bowls to serve.