Showing posts sorted by date for query lamb. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query lamb. Sort by relevance Show all posts
I grew up in a home where dishes like this were not really served very often. My mother would make Pate Chinoise for my father from time to time, which we had to eat as well. Pate Chinois is a French Canadian version of Cottage pie, using minced beef, mashed potatoes and corn or peas. My mom always used peas, and tinned ones. She also used cheap ground beef, which I did not like at all. It was full of bits of gristle. It was never my favourite meal, but my father love LOVED it! Perhaps I was just too picky.
People often confuse the two, Cottage Pie and Shepherd's Pie. Traditionally both were dishes invented to use up the leftover gravy and veg from the Sunday dinner. With beef being used in the Cottage Pie and Lamb in the Shepherds Pie.
Most people just use the names interchangeably for the both. I can be a bit pedantic however . . . it is one of my weaknesses . . . for Shepherds Pie I use lamb and for Cottage Pie I use beef. It can be leftover or fresh ground, though. I am not quite that picky!
Basically both are casseroles with meat and a flavourful gravy on the bottom, a layer of vegetables and a lovely thatch of mashed potato on top!
These types of meals are my Todd's favourites. In fact today he had two helpings. He normally doesn't exceed his one serving of anything, but he was really enjoying this.
I have a secret ingredient for the potato thatch. I always add a tiny bit of cheese, which really helps it to brown to a nice golden brown and adds just a touch of flavour. Sometimes I will add a bit of horseradish to either the gravy or mash for a Cottage pie, because it goes so well with beef.
I like to make a pattern in the potatoes with a fork. Today it was a basket weave. Not hard to do at all. You don't have to do that, but do try to rough them up a tiny bit so that you can get some crispy golden edges!
I also use frozen petit pois . . . not tinned or leftover cooked. And I don't thaw them out before putting it together. I just layer them on frozen. The heat from the filling and the mash will cook them perfectly. (I have a real dislike of over-cooked peas. I can't help it.)
The gravy is also very simple to make. Of course if you happen to have leftover gravy from the Sunday lunch that would also work, but it is very simple to make your own from scratch.
I start by sweating a mirepoix of fresh vegetables in some butter . . . carrot, swede, onions and celery . . . aromatics and real flavour boosters! Especially when you have sweated them in a bit of butter.
A good beef stock made from a quality beef stock cube or gel pack. I like the Knorr ones. Some Tomato puree (tomato paste in the US), or yes even ketchup will work. If you are using ketchup leave out the HP Sauce. Just use a splash or Worcestershire.
I use herbs as well . . . to be specific, Summer Savoury . . . its an Eastern Canada thing. You can use Marjoram or thyme . . .
Today I made a delicious coleslaw to go along with it. Salad is nice also. Todd likes a slice of bread and butter with his. You could serve any vegetable on the side. Green beans and carrots are nice. I like salad.
Its a great way of stretching out leftovers. I do like a thick gravy with mine. I don't like it too soupy, but if you do, then you could certainly add more gravy, or make your gravy thinner, but do bear in mind that the potatoes will absorb some of the gravy, so you want your gravy to be a bit on the thick side and your potatoes as well. You don't want a soupy thatch!
Yield: 4
A Simple Cottage Pie
prep time: 20 minscook time: 45 minstotal time: 65 mins
Simple, delicious, and a family pleasing comfort food.
ingredients:
400g leftover roast beef, roughly chopped (about 3 cups)
1 TBS butter
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 stick celery, trimmed and chopped
1/2 carrot, peeled and grated
a cube of swede (rutabaga) peeled and grated
1 TBS tomato puree
1 TBS plain flour
1/2 TBS brown sauce (HP sauce)
400ml well flavoured beef stock (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp summer savoury
salt and black pepper to taste
100g frozen peas (1 cup)
For the potato thatch:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
warm milk
a knob of butter
salt and pepper
2 TBS grated cheese (Parmesan or cheddar)
melted butter to brush (optionalinstructions:
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.
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.
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 into
the bottom of a buttered 1 litre (1 quart) shallow baking dish.
Sprinkle the frozen peas over top. Spread the mashed potatoes on top to
cover. Rough up the potato a bit with a fork. Brush with melted
butter.
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 into
the bottom of a buttered 1 litre (1 quart) shallow baking dish.
Sprinkle the frozen peas over top. Spread the mashed potatoes on top to
cover. 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.
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.
Created using The Recipes Generator
We are really going to enjoy the leftovers today for our tea! Dishes like this have a habit of tasting even better the next day! Bon Appetit!
I still use the cream soup . . . but the addition of Worcestershire
Sauce, Mushroom ketchup, tomato ketchup really enhances the flavours of
this lovely stand by. It is very like a cottage pie . . . but with a tater
tot covering instead of mash. Of course if you are a tinned soup snob you can make a basic cream sauce in its place.
This is a real family pleasing meal. It's hearty and filling and so
very tasty. I like to make a salad to serve on the side and green
beans. The other night I added some garlic bread as it was a company
meal.
Yield: 6
Cowboy Casserole
prep time: 30 minscook time: 45 minstotal time: 75 mins
This may not look very tasty, but trust me when I say it's delicious. I like to make the meat mixture the day before and let it ripen overnight. I think it's even more delicious when you do this.
ingredients:
500g of extra lean ground beef (2 1/2 pounds)
olive oil spray
a knob of butter
1 large leek, split, washed and thinly sliced
1 small onion, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (or 3 tsp of Gourmet Garden crushed garlic)
1 tsp mixed dried herbs (thyme, summer savoury, marjoram)
2 dessert spoonful's of tomato ketchup
a good splash of Worcestershire sauce
a good splash of mushroom ketchup
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (340g) tin of sweet corn, drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tin of condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
125ml of whole milk (1/2 cup)
4 heaped TBS sour cream
8 ounces strong cheddar cheese, divided (2 cups)
1 1/2 bags of frozen potato nuggets (tater tots)
olive oil spray
a knob of butter
1 large leek, split, washed and thinly sliced
1 small onion, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (or 3 tsp of Gourmet Garden crushed garlic)
1 tsp mixed dried herbs (thyme, summer savoury, marjoram)
2 dessert spoonful's of tomato ketchup
a good splash of Worcestershire sauce
a good splash of mushroom ketchup
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (340g) tin of sweet corn, drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tin of condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
125ml of whole milk (1/2 cup)
4 heaped TBS sour cream
8 ounces strong cheddar cheese, divided (2 cups)
1 1/2 bags of frozen potato nuggets (tater tots)
instructions:
Spray a large and deep nonstick pan with some cooking spray. Add the
beef
and scramble fry, cooking until it is no longer pink and any liquid is
totally evaporated. Add the knob of butter and continue to cook, until
it begins to turn golden brown in places. Add the leek, onion, garlic,
and herbs. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are
wilted. Stir in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mushroom ketchup,
corn, soup, milk, sour cream and 1/2 of the grated cheese. Heat
through. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt and pepper.
Allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not let
it dry out. You want it slightly loose. (If you are making it a day
ahead, pour it into a plastic container at this point, cover and
refrigerate. The next day spread it into a 9inch by 13 inch glass
baking dish which you have buttered and allow to come to room
temperature before proceeding.)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Scatter
the frozen potato nuggets over top of the meat mixture. Cover tightly
with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the
remaining cheddar cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 15 to 20
minutes longer until golden brown and the meat mixture is bubbling
nicely. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before
serving. Serve hot. I like to serve this with some salad and green
beans.
beef
and scramble fry, cooking until it is no longer pink and any liquid is
totally evaporated. Add the knob of butter and continue to cook, until
it begins to turn golden brown in places. Add the leek, onion, garlic,
and herbs. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are
wilted. Stir in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mushroom ketchup,
corn, soup, milk, sour cream and 1/2 of the grated cheese. Heat
through. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt and pepper.
Allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not let
it dry out. You want it slightly loose. (If you are making it a day
ahead, pour it into a plastic container at this point, cover and
refrigerate. The next day spread it into a 9inch by 13 inch glass
baking dish which you have buttered and allow to come to room
temperature before proceeding.)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Scatter
the frozen potato nuggets over top of the meat mixture. Cover tightly
with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the
remaining cheddar cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 15 to 20
minutes longer until golden brown and the meat mixture is bubbling
nicely. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before
serving. Serve hot. I like to serve this with some salad and green
beans.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I will be back tomorrow with something fresh and exciting. In the meantime have a great day and Bon Appetit!
I make fried rice a lot. We usually don't have it as a side dish, but as a main dish and I have always found it a great way to use up leftover cooked meats, along with any bits and bobs from the vegetable drawer that are not enough on their own, but when put together go fabulous in this!
I actually didn't use chicken today, but some turkey that I had which was on the verge of going out of date, which makes this a great dish to make after Thanksgiving or Christmas.
I love the flavour of Chinese Five Spice Powder. Five-spice powder is a spice mixture of five or more spices used predominantly in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine. It is also used less commonly in other Asian and Arabic cuisines, and can be used for cocktails as well.
The spices traditionally used are Sechwan peppercorns, star anise, ground cloves, cinnamon and ground fennel seeds. On the surface they don't like much like things that would go together, but trust me when I say that together these are like umami magic! I have also seen turmeric, ginger root and cardamom used.
When I made my fried rice these days, I most often use the precooked packages of brown rice. Each pouch serves 2 people generously, and it is perfect for this use. My MIL who taught me how to make fried rice (and she learnt from a neighbour many moons ago) used Minute Rice. I have always used regular rice, and now . . . the precooked rice, and these days I use brown rice instead of white as it is more nutritious.
I grate in my carrot and any other root vegetables I am using. I like to use Swede. It works great in this. And I always use finely shredded, chopped white cabbage as I like the flavour it gives to the dish.
Can you see my every present kitchen companion in this photo? Mitzie is never far away when I am cooking, ever hopeful that I will drop something or let her taste something. I often give her carrots ends and stuff like that. She loves raw vegetables. (Never feed dogs, corn or potato or onion.)
You can use all peas or a mix of peas and corn. I like both for the extra colour they bring to the dish.
Chopped red pepper also adds colour, but you can use any colour of pepper you have. Green is nice and I have always liked to add chopped celery as well, although today I did not.
I always add some beaten egg which I scramble right in the pan, along with some soy sauce. A splash of toasted Sesame oil is also a tasty addition if you have any.
Todd always likes an extra piece of chicken with his. I cooked him a breaded chicken breast which he enjoyed along with some of my homemade Ketjap Manis drizzled on top!
Yield: 4 - 6
Five Spice Chicken Fried Rice
prep time: 15 minscook time: 15 minstotal time: 30 mins
Quick and easy to make, and delicious. I use ready cooked rice and leftover cooked chicken for this.
ingredients:
2 pouches cooked brown rice (each with 2 servings)
250g cooked chicken, cubed (2 cups)
2 tsp Chinese five spice
2 TBS sunflower oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 red pepper, deseeded, trimmed and diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
150g frozen baby peas (1 cup)
(Can use a mix of corn and peas if you wish)
2 large free range eggs, beaten lightly with 2 TBS cold water
1 TBS soy sauce
3 to 4 spring onions, washed, trimmed and thinly slicedinstructions:
Toss the chicken with the five spice mix. Stir fry to
heat through in half the oil for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the
garlic and vegetables. Stir fry til cooked through and crispy tender,
about 5 minutes Push to one side. Put the oil in the clear space and
add the eggs. Scramble lightly, then mix into the vegetables along with
the rice and soy sauce. Cook, stirring, until all are heated through.
Stir through the spring onions. Serve immediately.
heat through in half the oil for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the
garlic and vegetables. Stir fry til cooked through and crispy tender,
about 5 minutes Push to one side. Put the oil in the clear space and
add the eggs. Scramble lightly, then mix into the vegetables along with
the rice and soy sauce. Cook, stirring, until all are heated through.
Stir through the spring onions. Serve immediately.
Note
- You can add some thinly sliced cabbage, diced swede, chopped broccoli
stems, etc. to the vegetable mix. Just choose what you like. You can also use the equivalent in leftover cooked turkey for this, or fresh boneless skinless chicken breast cubed. In the case of the fresh chicken chicken breast, cook it with the five spice until the juices run clear.
- You can add some thinly sliced cabbage, diced swede, chopped broccoli
stems, etc. to the vegetable mix. Just choose what you like. You can also use the equivalent in leftover cooked turkey for this, or fresh boneless skinless chicken breast cubed. In the case of the fresh chicken chicken breast, cook it with the five spice until the juices run clear.
You can also use 300g uncooked rice (1 1/2 cups) cooked in the place of the ready cooked rice.
Created using The Recipes Generator
If you are looking for a quick and easy supper dish, you can't go wrong with this. You can use leftover cooked chicken, pork, dry scrambled ground beef, lamb or turkey. Its really very adaptable! Happy Friday and Bon Appetit!
Yes, its another chicken recipe to share with you today. We do eat a lot of chicken. I usually try to intersperse other recipes in between, but I messed up this week, so yes, its another chicken recipe, but it is not only a tasty recipe that I think you are going to really enjoy, but its a great store cupboard recipe, and perfectly sized for two. You can easily adapt it to serve more if you wish.
I was slightly inspired by a recipe I found in Miguel Barclay's latest book, Super Easy One Pound Meals. He has a recipe in there for a chicken parm, which uses skin on chicken thighs. I got rid of the skin in favour of a cheesy breading, which is much more authentic to my way of thinking, and . . . dare I say it???? Why not . . . a tad bit tastier.
I have to confess, I have tried a few recipes from his books, and I will be honest, they (to me) lack flavour. I mean no offense, truly. I did his Moussaka for us the other day, which was in his first book, I believe. The photograph looked really good, and we quite like Moussaka.
First off, the
sauce was pretty tasteless, which was easy for me to fix. I added some
cinnamon, and thyme, and a splash of white wine. I also chose to infuse the milk for the bechamel with some bay leaf. (Just warm the milk with a broken bay leaf added, and let sit for bout 10 minutes.)
The recipe called for eggplant/aubergine sliced lengthwise rather than crosswise, and layered in a pan
with the lamb sauce and the bechamel, which in theory sounds great. I thought to myself, what novel idea. It doesn't work. The end result is tough eggplant (especially when going by the cook time suggested in the recipe) It was actually quite rubbery. I scraped out the meat sauce and put it into a casserole dish, discarding the eggplant and bechamel. I topped it with some frozen mash and Todd had it for dinner as a kind of Greek Shepherd's pie, which he did enjoy. Lemons/lemonade . . . so . . .
Just sharing my experience, that's all. I mean no harm.The chicken parm recipe in his first book sounds and looks delicious, but with a few changes, such as the cheese/crumb coating on the chicken, rather than skin. To be honest, once you add the sauce the skin would lose any crispness, the crumbs stand up much better to sauce, than skin.
He also uses plain passatta (sieved tomatoes) with some oregano added. It sounded bland. I used a basil and garlic marinara sauce, which costs approximately the same, but has a lot more flavour, containing more herbs and garlic . . .
This gets added at the very end, so the crumbs stay nice and crisp, and then I topped the marinara with some Italian Four Cheese Blend, which I also thought had more flavour. It is a mix of mozzarella and other cheeses, so you still get the ooze, but it just tastes better. (Again only my opinion!)
What I did like about his recipe was the idea of roasting potato cubes along with the chicken. They got nice and crisp edged. We quite liked them.
I haven't costed the recipe with my changes, but I can't think that they would increase the cost by much as it is really only adding some herbs and a few different flavours. I have a well stocked herb cupboard.
I think on the whole his books are good for younger inexperienced cooks, the recipes make great canvases for cooks to play with, so its not all bad news. He really tends to play it safe when it comes to flavours, and a more experienced cook can easily play with them and amp things up.
But that is really the mark of a good recipe isn't it . . . its a recipe which anyone can cook, and which inspires you to want to cook, motivating you to want to stretch your abilities/tastes a tiny bit. You look at it and you say to yourself, what a great idea . . . and you grab the ball and run with it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
The changes I applied to this one worked, and they worked well. We were both very pleased with our dinners. I would not cook the moussaka one again. I'll stick to my tried and true one instead. I have always roasted my aubergine first and I would suggest if you try his, you do too, or you could just cook my tried and true recipe, which was adapted from one by the reliable Tamasin Day Lewis. I have never cooked one of her recipes that I did not fall in love with.
In any case, this was good. It was delicious. It was quick. It was easy.
Yield: 2
Quick & Easy Chicken Parm
prep time: 10 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 40 mins
This is a quick and easy meal, making use of some store cupboard ingredients. For those days when you are feeling lacking in inspiration but still want something really tasty to eat.
ingredients:
2 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs (alternately you can use small breasts)
4 TBS Panko Bread crumbs
2 TBS coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
120ml good quality tomato and basil pasta sauce (1/2 cup)
4 TBS Italian four cheese blend
2 medium baking potatoes peeled and cubed
olive oil
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Have ready a baking
tray large enough to hold the chicken and potatoes in a single layer.
Toss the potatoes in a bowl with a bit of oil and some seasoning.
Scatter them onto the baking tray.
tray large enough to hold the chicken and potatoes in a single layer.
Toss the potatoes in a bowl with a bit of oil and some seasoning.
Scatter them onto the baking tray.
Lay the
chicken thighs onto the baking tray in a single layer, stretching them
out and opening them up. Season with some salt and black pepper. Mix
together the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle evenly over top of the
chicken. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil. Pop the tray into the
preheated oven. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring the potatoes every
10 minutes. At the end of that time, spoon the tomato sauce over each
piece of chicken and scatter with the cheese blend. return to the oven
and roast until everything is heated through, the cheese has melted and
the chicken juices run clear. Serve hot.
chicken thighs onto the baking tray in a single layer, stretching them
out and opening them up. Season with some salt and black pepper. Mix
together the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle evenly over top of the
chicken. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil. Pop the tray into the
preheated oven. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring the potatoes every
10 minutes. At the end of that time, spoon the tomato sauce over each
piece of chicken and scatter with the cheese blend. return to the oven
and roast until everything is heated through, the cheese has melted and
the chicken juices run clear. Serve hot.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I don't know as I would bother with the potatoes again. I think really rice or pasta would go much better, but again that's just my opinion. Have a great day and Bon Appetit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons