Shepherd's Pie
OK, so I tried to take photos of this most favorite family dish but notta one turned out at all.....just looked like big, orange, fluffiness......?????
In person it looked beautiful and tasted wonderful. In fact, we must make this again soon!!!
From what I have heard Shepherd's Pie is a traditional food in throughout the British Isles with the Irish more often using beef and the British using lamb. However, I have never personally eaten Shepherd's Pie in either country so whether this is truth or lore, I have no idea. Lamb or beef? Your preference is all that matters!
Recipe serves about 4 adult portions. I doubled this for our family of 6 and we had plenty with enough for some the next day.
Ingredients:
a generous helping of mashed potatoes
1 T olive oil
1 T organic butter
2 T flour
1/8 cup red cooking wine
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 cup frozen or fresh shelled peas
1 lb ground meat (I used 1/2 ground turkey and 1/2 organic lean ground beef)
3-4 large carrots, finely diced or food processed
1 onion, finely diced or food processed
3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg white
optional: 1 medium turnip, finely chopped
Saute carrots, onions, and turnips in olive oil until softened. Add ground beef and thyme and brown. Drain fat. In a prep bowl mash the flour in to the butter. Add chicken broth and cooking wine, salt and pepper. Simmer covered 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add flour-butter mixture in pieces and stir until dissolved and sauce thickens (just a few minutes). Add peas. Remove from heat.
Pour meat sauce into a greased baking dish or casserole (I used a round 8 " diameter, 2 inch deep dish for this amount, an 11"diameter dish for a doubled recipe which was a better quantity for our size of family.
Top with mashed potatoes. Baste with egg white.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve with fresh parsley and a side of greens or dark green leafy salad.
This recipe is a mega family favorite passed down over generations throught the Swedish side of our family. In fact, I don't know if the recipe came from Seden or not, or even if they eat meatballs in Sweden, but it is part of our Christmas Eve celebration and was for decades before I was born. These are simply scrumptious and everyone who has tried them has loved them.
Grama's Swedish Meatballs
1 lb organic lean ground beef
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t ginger
1/4-1/2 ground cloves or allspice
1 egg
dash oregano
1/2 t sea salt
1 cup bread crumbs (I make mine homemade by food processing my 2 or 3 day old homemade bread and putting it in freezer bags by the cupful for freezer storage. Then I always have them and they are always process and preservative free)
1/2 c pureed onion
Mix together, roll into 1 inch balls, and put in greased baking pan. Add 1/4 broth or water. Bake about 25 mins or until brown at 350 degrees.
This is a variation from a recipe I found at The Nourishing Gourmet. It's very simple and so good for you! This is very easy to prepare, requires little physical work but it does require a
Braised Cabbage
1 medium cabbage, cut into 2 inch wedges
1 large sweet onion, sliced kinda chunky
1/2 - 1 lb lean ground meat (I usually use Shadybrook Farms 93% lean turkey), browned with a little sea salt and pepper to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste
couple shakes crushed red pepper
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
2-3 carrots chopped into 2 inch chunks
Spray glass casserole dish. Melt coconut oil and whisk together with broth. Add vegetables to dish, mixed together. Sprinkle meat over top the veggies. Drizzle oil and broth mixture over the meal. Sprinkle with couple shakes crushed pepper, oregano, pinch of sea salt, and 3-4 twists of pepper (I use one of those twisty things that cracks/crushes the pepper as you go -- name of it escapes me right now). Seel thoroughly with foil and braise for 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees. When you remove foil, bake another 10-15 minutes to slighlty brown the cabbage.
Serves 6.
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