About Me

I am a media professional ,settled in Mumbai.I am a product of various cultures happily co existing.Born of a Gujrati-Karwari father and a Goan Saraswat mother. Married to a Khatri from Lucknow.My closest friends are a Bengali,a Tam Bram,A Shetty.I revel in the colourful social tapestry I live in and blogging about its intricacies is my way of celebrating them.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Shepherd's Pie - Traditional British Cooking

There are many quintessential British meals that find their way to my table. Fish and Chips , Roast Chicken, Bangers and Mash, Bubble and Squeak and a full fledged English Breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon, beans, mushrooms, potatoes and on a day when the fridge is almost empty, a Ploughman's Lunch of a chunk of cheese, pickled gherkins and bread. Its great fun to put together a traditional meal. I enjoy serving up such traditional meals then whether they are Indian , oriental or continental. I am going to attempt to recreate them here as a series.
Starting with Shepherds Pie : Its typically a pie made with leftover meat covered with mashed potato. I make a slightly different version of this usually bland pie.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp Olive Oil, minced lamb or mutton about 500 gms, 1 large onion finely chopped , 1 large carrot chopped fine, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary ( you can use dry herbs if fresh ones are not available) garlic chopped fine, salt, pepper and  a teaspoonful of red chili powder ( yes it has a bite), 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce , 3 tbsp tomato puree, 1/4 cup red wine, 1 cup chicken stock.
For the Mashed Potatoes: 4 large potatoes boiled till very soft , 2 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup milk, 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese , salt and pepper to taste. 1 tbsp olive oil to drizzle on the top.

Heat oil, add in the mince and fry uniformly till well browned, add in finely chopped carrots, onions and garlic. Further cook it till dry, add the seasonings salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, red chilli powder, then add in the tomato puree and mix well. Pour in the red wine , cook , add chicken stock , cover and cook till the mince is well done. Dry it till it can be collected in a lump. Keep warm

Mash the boiled potatoes. Add butter, milk , salt , pepper  and cheese and whip well.

In a oven proof deep dish pile in the mince and flatten . Top with a generous layer of mashed potatoes , flatten and score with a fork. ( You can also put in some mashed potatoes in a piping bag and decorate the pie with it). Drizzle some olive oil over it and cook in a hot oven ( approx 180 deg Celsius) for 15-20 mins. Cut into wedges and Serve with a fresh garden salad.






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