chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 09

cottage pie

This great British favourite would have been what Mamon Wellman would have called a 'poor man's meal'; that is one that was created by the working for the working class, using cheap ingredients or left overs. In this case probably the latter, and would have no doubt, been originally made with left over foods from the Sunday roast, (be it beef or lamb - see below)

It never fails to amaze me how often people will call shepherd's pie, cottage pie or vice versa. How many times I see Shepherd's pie on a menu, only to find out it is in actual fact Cottage pie. No, cottage pie, Shepherd's pie are not interchangeable names for the same thing.

How can you make Shepherd's pie with beef mince? Since when did shepherds look after cows? ....... "while shepherds watched their herds of Jersey cows by night, all seated on the ground"? I don't think so!..... Yes I am looking at you Aussie Sissy Sue!! Mind you, given the fact it doesn't have a pastry top, technically one could argue it's not really a pie at all.

There is also Cumberland pie, which is cottage pie with a layer of breadcrumbs sprinkled on top.

In our house it was always cottage pie by name and by nature. Mum always would have used minced beef, and her cottage pie was always eagerly looked forward to.

And at least back then it WAS beef, minced by the local butcher, from local cows. No fears of EU contaminated with horse-meat then. Mind you I don't know what all the fuss is about at the moment, we always said; "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse"!

This time around I have put up my recipe for a real gourmet version of shepherd's pie, that is best made a day or two in advance and enjoyed when all the flavours have had time to infuse. 

recipe - cottage pie a la mamon
001 pkt  instant mash potato

500 gm  minced beef  

001 pc   onion 
002 pc   beef oxo cubes
              flour
              grated cheese

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 170C

Roughly chop the onion and fry in a good knob of butter, until lightly browned. Add the mince and fry until browned. Sprinkle in some flour and stir in. Gradually pour in 1 cup of water, sprinkle in the oxo cubes and stir to combine. Season and pour into a casserole dish or similar. Make up the potato as per instructions and spoon on top of the mince, flatten out with a fork. Sprinkle with some grated cheddar and place in the oven for approx 40 minutes, until hot and golden brown on top. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffies cottage pie

001  kg  peeled potatoes (agria or king edwards) 
200 gm  butter

001 pc   onion 

001 pc   garlic clove
500 gm  steak mince
002 tbs  flour
002 cup beef stock
001 cup grated cheese

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 170C

Cut the potatoes into even sized pieces. Place into cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until cooked (feels soft when pierced with a pointed knife) Drain in a colander and leave for 5 minutes so the steam escapes, the potatoes dry and the outsides go floury in appearance. Mash by hand, or push through a sieve. Beat through the butter, taste and season with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Add a little warmed milk if required to loosen up the mash. Keep warm. 

Finely chop the onion and cook in a good knob of butter over a low heat, until softened but not browned, add the chopped garlic clove and cook gently for another 2 minutes. Add the mince, turn up the heat slightly  and fry until lightly browned. Sprinkle in the flour, stir in and cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually pour in 1-2 cups of a strong beef stock, until the preferred consistency is achieved (some like the mixture quite dry, some wetter). Taste and season. 

Pour into a large casserole dish or similar, or into individual moulds. Spoon the potato on top of the mince, flatten out with a fork. Sprinkle with the grated cheddar and place in the oven for approx 40 minutes, until bubbling hot and golden brown on top. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffies gourmet shepherd's pie

001  kg  peeled potatoes (agria or king edwards) 
200 gm  butter
001 cup grated mature cheddar
004 pc   lamb shanks 

001 cup red wine 
002 cup beef stock 
002 tbs  worcestershire sauce
005 pc   anchovy fillets 
001 pc   garlic clove
001 pc   onion 
001 pc   carrot 
001 pc   celery stalk
002 tbs  tomato paste
001 cup mushrooms of choice (cut into slices or 1/4's)
001 cup peas (defrosted, but not cooked)

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 160C

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add a little olive oil. Lightly dust the lamb shanks in four and brown them all over, remove and place into a large braising pan. Add the red wine, sliced garlic clove and anchovy fillets, cover and allow to simmer gently for 10 minutes, remove the lid and simmer until the wine has  reduced by at least half. Add the stock, worcestershire sauce, chopped vegetables and tomato paste,  replace the lid and braise in oven until the meat is fork tender (can easily be pulled away from the bone using only a fork); approx 3 hours. (the mash can be made during the last hour of cooking)

When cooked, remove from the oven, and place the lamb shanks into a large bowl to cool slightly while making the sauce. 

Remove and discard the thyme stalk and bayleaf, simmer until only 2 cups of liquid remains. Pour into a food processor (including any vegetables etc) and blitz to a smooth sauce, strain if required. Taste and season . 

Pull all the meat of the bone and shred with a couple of forks, moisten with sufficient of the sauce to taste (not all may be required) Place into appropriate oven proof dish (es) cover with the peas and the mushrooms. Carefully cover with the mashed potato (see below), sprinkle with the grated mature cheddar and place into the fridge overnight.

Three hours before required, remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temp for one hour while the oven pre-heats to 170C. Place into the oven and heat through gently for approx 90 minutes. 

for the mash - cut the potatoes into even sized pieces. Place into cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until cooked (feels soft when pierced with a pointed knife) Drain in a colander and leave for 5 minutes so the steam escapes, the potatoes dry and the outsides go floury in appearance. Mash by hand, or push through a sieve. Beat through the butter, taste and season with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Add a little warmed milk if required to loosen up the mash. Keep warm. 

next week - mum's ultra crisp roast potatoes....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 07

pies 

My mother used to make a standard steak pie, I don't remember it ever having kidney in it. As far as I recollect it was just straight steak and potato and I don't remember her making any sweet pies very often either. Jam tarts, yes, but not pies

I still have her porcelain pie funnel, that I believe was her mother's. A pie funnel is used by placing in the middle of the pie prior to covering with the pastry, the pastry is place on, crimped etc and the funnel poked through the pastry. It elevates the pastry and prevents it getting soggy and allows steam to escape as the pie cooks.

Pies have been a part of British cuisine and culture for centuries. So popular they were even immortalised in no less than four nursery rhymes that I can think of; Georgie Porgie, Little Jack Horner, Sing a Song of Sixpence and Simple Simon.

We love pies of any type, savoury or sweet. Chicken and mushroom, steak, steak & kidney, beef and ale, not to mention all the sweet pies; apple, blackberry, gooseberry, bakewell tart etc. Even Charles Dickens immortalised a pie/pudding in Pickwick papers; known as Pickwick Pie. It was a steak and kidney with oysters added. A dish that a pub in Fleet Street, London served as their only lunchtime dish for over 75 years and still does as far as I know.

So what differentiates a pie from a tart from a flan? These days not a lot. But originally:

• a pie would have a pastry base and top or a top only
• a tart would have a pastry base only
• a flan would have a pastry base only, and its filling would be dairy based. Such as creme patisserie. 

recipe - meat pie a la mamon

500 gm stewing beef steak 

001 pc  onion  (large)

002 pc  potato (large)

002 pc  oxo cubes 

200 gm short pastry 

recipe - method of preparation

Cut the beef into good bite sized pieces and brown in a frying pan, place into a pie dish. Add the chopped onion, cubes peeled potatoes. Sprinkle over the oxo cubes and barely cover with water. Place in the pie funnel. 

Roll out the pastry into a relevent neat shape (depending on the pie dish) egg wash the edges of the pie dish and place on the pastry, crimping to seal the edges. Using a knife poke a hole where the funnel is. Place into a pre-heated oven (200C) and lower the temperature to 170C. Bake for approx 1 hour until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. (make a thickened gravy if you prefer a thick sauce - mother never did, but I prefer it thickened) 

                                                                                                                                              


recipe - cheffie's meat pie 

400 gm lamb shoulder meat

001 pc small onion
001 pc egg

200 gm short pastry 
or 
200 gm hot water paste

recipe - method of preparation

Cut the lamb meat into very fine dice, so it almost looks minced. The meat should have approx 4 part meat to 1 part fat, if it is too lean the pie will be dry and tasteless. If the meat is too lean, add some finely chopped suet. Finely dice the onion and combine with the meat, Season well with a little cumin, cinnamon, sea salt and freshly milled pepper. Portion into 4 golf sized balls, and then flatten slightly to a sausage shape.  

Roll the pastry out and for each pie, cut two 8cm rounds and one rectangle 10cm x 5cm. 

For each pie, take a rectangle and form a 6cm diameter tube, pinching the edges together. Working carefully and quickly,  place the tube onto a circle and blend one open end into the base. Keeping one hand inside the tube to prevent it collapsing, pick up one of the meat balls and place into the tube. Pressing the meat into the tube working it to almost fill the tube, leaving half a cm of pastry free and curl it outwards, brush with some egg wash. 

Place the second pastry round on top and seal together, to form a pie that has a cotton reel shape. Repeat to make the other three pies. Place onto a lightly oiled baking tray, brush carefully all over with the remaining eggwash and bake in a pre-heated over (180C) for 45 - 60 minutes. Remove, allow to cool slightly and serve with a selection of pickled baby vegetables (see recipe below) and picked baby greens


recipe - pickled baby vegetables
004 pc  baby leeks 
004 pc  baby carrots 
004 pc  cauliflower florets 
004 pc  baby silverskin onions 
001 pc  candy beetroot
001 lt    cider vinegar
 1/2 tsp salt 
001 tbs brown sugar
001 pc  garlic clove
001 pc  chilli (red)
001 pc  clove
001 pc  cinnamon stick

recipe - method of preparation
Peel and trim the vegetables, slice the candy beetroot into paper thin slices. 

Combine the vinegar, salt, sugar and spices in a frying pan. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Taste and adjust with more salt or sugar as required. Remove from the heat. 

Immediately add the vegetables into the vinegar in the order they are listed (largest first), cover the pan and leave to oneside to cool. Once cooled, place into a bowl and chill overnight. They can be used within an hour, but best left to pickle overnight. 

next week - mum's corned beef hash ....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 08

corned beef hash

Tinned corned beef, has long been a popular item in the kitchen cupboards of the British home cook, ever since its creation circa 1899. When a processing plant was opened in Fray Bentos in Uruguay (probably by a Brit) who started exporting the product to the UK. The name Fray Bentos means Friar Benedict.

Growing up our kitchen cupboard was no different, we always seemed to have a can or two. It was long seen as a poor man's meal, but was a tasty source of animal protein in the diet.

To this day, in a day and age of such high technology, it still comes (regardless of brand) in its distinctive trapezoid shaped can, with a special key for opening it. The key is inserted into a tab, and turned and turned and turned to remove a strip off the lower part of the can, the base is then pulled away and the fatty, meaty, tasty processed beef slurps out onto a plate. Regardless of how careful you are, invariably the strip snaps part way through or the key snaps, leaving you with razor sharp tinned edges and a devil of a job to finish opening the can. I wonder how many fingers have been sliced open by these cans.

Wonderful in sandwiches, chilled and sliced with a summer salad and new potatoes, in a ploughman's lunch with pickles or in my mother's case fried as a fritter or as per the recipe belowas  a corned beef hash. The fritter recipe is the same as the spam fritter recipe, I have already posted. 

recipe - corned beef hash a la mamon

001 can corned beef 

001 pc  onion  

001 pc  instant potato mash
 1/2 cup grated cheddar 

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat oven to 180C 

Finely chop the onions and mix in a large bowl with the crumbled corned beef. Make up the instant mashed potato and season with salt, pepper and some butter. 

Combine all the ingredients and place into a lightly buttered casserole dish, even and flatten the top with a fork. Sprinkle with the cheese and place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve with lashings of tomato ketchup, and bread and butter 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffie's corned beef hash

001 can corned beef 

001 pc   onion  
001 pc   garlic clove

001 kg   potatoes
100 gm  butter
001 cup grated vintage cheddar

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat oven to 180C 

Finely chop the onion and garlic and cook gently in some of the butter until softened but not coloured. Place into a large bowl and crumble in the corned beef. 

Bake the potatoes until softened (approx 45 - 60 minutes), remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Peel or cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Mash thoroughly with the remaining butter, taste and season with salt and pepper. Combine with the corned beef mixture and half the cheese

Combine all the ingredients and place into a lightly buttered casserole dish, even and flatten the top with a fork. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and serve. 

                                                                                                                                           

Not one of my mother's recipes, but the following recipe came from a friend from the Solomon Islands where this dish is quite popular as a quick stand by meal. I was totally sceptic at first, as it didn't sound like a culinary winner to me. But I was pleasantly suprised. Hopefully you will be too. 

recipe - corned beef hash Solomon Islands

001 can       corned beef 

001 can       coconut milk 
001 bunch   spinach

recipe - method of preparation

Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan until almost simmering, add the washed picked spinach (stalks can remain intact) and crumble in the corned beef. Stir to combine and cook until mixture becomes homogenous. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with slabs of crusty bread with butter

next week - mum's cottage pie (not a shepherd in sight) .......