Cottage Pie

It's been a hectic month, thanks to the hothouse of germs known as school and that other seasonal treat, winter. The children coped well, with their hardy constitutions and squirrel-like optimism, but I, stricken by the same bugs, needed to be propped up with advil, honeyed teas and a good wrapping of goosefeathers before I could face the Canadian outdoors ;)

Here's a twist on Cottage Pie, comforting and morish on a frigid day. It makes for tasty leftovers too. Substitute minced lamb instead of beef for a Shepherd's Pie :D

Cottage Pie

• Extra-lean minced beef, 1.2 kg (or two regular-sized packets)
• 3 onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, cut into small cubes
• 2 medium carrots, cubed
• 1 courgette, cut into attractive quarters
• 3/4 tbsp cummin, ground
• 3/4 tbsp mixed curry powder
• handful of parsley or corriander, chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 small can condensed mushroom soup, low-fat
• 
  Substitution possibilities: instead of cummin and curry powder, try a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg and add more chopped herbs for aroma. You could boost the veggie factor with florets of broccoli too. The soup may be omitted.
  
  Preparing the meat:

1. Saute the onions till soft, add celery, garlic, cook till fragrant and soft.
2. Add carrots and cook for a few minutes, add cummin and curry powder, mix them well into the veg and allow the aroma to come through.
3. Add the meat, mix well, add tomato paste, stir.
4. Add soup and a can of water and the zucchini.
5. Adjust seasoning (add pepper, salt to taste, even chilli flakes for extra zing).
6. Cook till meat is done - possibly 20-30 minutes.

For the mash topping:

• 3 large floury potatoes, cooked and mashed
• milk, as needed
• butter, as needed
• optional additions: touch of cream, salt and pepper
  

1. For the potato topping, mash the cooked potato with some butter and milk. For 3 potatoes, I add about 2 tbsp butter and quite a bit of 1% milk with a dash of salt, which works well.
2. Prepare the topping: grate a mix of cheeses. I use parmesan and cheddar, enough to sprinkle a layer over the top of the mashed potato.
3. Assemble your pie. Place the minced beef layer in a casserole dish, line it with foil to save some cleanup time. Add the mashed potato on top, you could smooth it or place it spoon by spoon, leaving the potato in peaks on top of the meat. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
4. At this stage, the pie can be covered in foil and kept in the fridge till you need it later in the day or the next day.
5. Bake in 180C oven for 25 mins if the meat was recently prepared and still hot. Bake possibly 50-60 mins if pre-prepared and refrigerated.

Mmmmm... enjoy!

Kids Get Adventurous

Here's a spicy meal my children will finish in 6 minutes - even during their lunch break on a school day. It has perplexed me that they have found curry dishes too spicy , considering a taste for these should be in their DNA. But now (oh what glee!), I believe they have transcended a spice threshold, which is gratifying since they do love a variety of food - from Hainanese chicken rice to salmon and tuna maki, satay and quesadillas.

Yoghurt Curry (known as Moru in Kerala, Southwestern India)

• Mustard seeds - 1/2 a teaspoon
• Shallot - 1, chopped finely
• Curry leaves - small sprinkling of
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - pinch of
• Ground fresh ginger - 1/2 tsp

1. Saute the above in some canola oil till the mustard seeds pop, the onions caramelise, or you get a strong fragrance of both.
2. Add a generous amount of unadorned, plain yoghurt - the healthy probiotic type with some fat content! Simmer till you start to see little bubbles round the pan. Take it off the heat.
3. Serve with steamed rice and veggies and mild tomato-chicken curry (see below):

Chicken Curry with Tomato

• Chicken fillet - 1, sliced
• Shallot - 1, chopped finely
• Tomato - 1 large, skinned and chopped
• Spice mix for fish* - 1/2 tsp
• Seasoning - salt as required

1. Saute shallot in some canola oil till fragrant and beginning to caramelise, add spice mix , stir till spices are cooked. Clues provided by your nose and eyes :)
2. Add tomato and some chicken stock or water if needed, cook it down till soft and mushy.
3. Add chicken pieces, cook quickly - on moderately high heat - but thoroughly to ensure the bird remains tender but non life-threatening.

An Autumn Salad

Autumn arrived this week, sending us scrambling for the family's warm and fuzzies, which had all been too happily discarded at the first peep of sunshine in May.

With Halloween approaching, weblike, skeletal adornments are creeping up the neighbourhood homes, while plump pumpkins preen at the grocer's.. haven't decided if the latter should adorn our porch because the only appreciation they got last year was from them darned squirrels. Even before they were carved, the scoundrels had bitten massive chunks out of them and there was indisputable evidence of a game of rodent rugby. The giant fruit, formerly seated majestically on the porch, lay in ruins, their orange glory in miserable shreds splattered gleefully over the front yard.

That's worked me up an appetite. Here's a salad recipe which well suits the fall. Why delay the inevitable mention of food (ignoring pumpkins and squirrels)?

Pear and Nut Salad

• Big bowl of assorted green stuff - spinach, lettuce, radicchio (ok red too)
• One ripe Bartlett pear, slivered evenly and in length
• Cherry tomatoes, handful (optional)
• Caramelised walnuts, a few
• Toasted, salted pumpkin seeds, sprinkle of

Layer the salad in the order above. Drizzle salad dressing over (see below).

Scrummy balsamic vinaigrette dressing:

• 3/4 tbsp seeded mustard
• generous pour of olive oil, whip both till creamy
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey. Whip it good.

Turn it into a meal with a fillet of breaded cod or tilapia or smoked salmon.

Bon appetit!