YumSugar

Would You Rather Eat Pot Pie or Shepherd's Pie?

partysugar — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:30:37 -0700

Source: Flickr Users gtrwndr87 and randomduck

Shepherd's Pie Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:30:45 -0800

If you live in a cool weather clime, you're probably sick of Winter and willing it to go away. But why not embrace it? There's only one time to appreciate chilly climate favorites, and that's right now - when they're the most comforting. The classic English pub dish known as shepherd's pie is the kind of fare that's most relished when you're bundled up and need a remedy for the cold.

These two variations are both satisfying - yet they couldn't be more different. The beginner version, made with beef, employs the help of prepared mashed potatoes, and takes less than half an hour; the expert version is made with lamb, and epitomizes shepherd's pie at its best. To see both cottage pie recipes, read more.

Beginner Shepherd's Pie
From Real Simple

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (such as carrots, peas, and corn), thawed
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Cheddar (optional)
1 16-ounce package refrigerated or frozen and thawed mashed potatoes

Directions

Heat oven to 400° F.
Place the beef in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until no trace of pink remains, about 5 minutes. Spoon off and discard any fat. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Spoon the beef mixture into a baking dish. Mix the cheese (if using) with the potatoes in a medium bowl. Spread the potatoes over the beef and bake until heated through, 10 minutes. Divide among individual plates.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images

Expert Shepherd's Pie
From Gourmet

Ingredients

Lamb and vegetable filling:
10 oz pearl onions
4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 lb boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup water
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
5 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Mashed potato topping:
2 lb russet (baking) potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Special equipment: a wide 3-quart heavy flameproof casserole (about 2 inches deep; not glass); a potato ricer or a food mill fitted with medium disk

Directions

Prepare filling: Blanch onions in a 2- to 3-quart pot of boiling salted water 1 minute, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain onions and peel, trimming root ends with a paring knife.
Wash leek slices in a bowl of water, agitating them, then lift out and drain in a medium-mesh sieve.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Pat lamb dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Put lamb and 3 tablespoons flour in a sealable plastic bag, then seal bag and shake to coat lamb. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in casserole dish over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown half of lamb, turning, about 6 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Transfer browned lamb and garlic to a plate with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining lamb and tablespoon garlic (do not add more butter).
Add wine to casserole dish and deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute, then stir in tomato paste and boil, stirring, until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, water, thyme, browned lamb with any juices that have accumulated on plate, onions, leeks, carrots, turnips, remaining teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over moderately high heat, then remove from heat.
Cover dish with lid or foil and braise lamb and vegetables in middle of oven, stirring once or twice, until lamb is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
Make topping while filling cooks: Peel and quarter potatoes. Cover potatoes with salted cold water (1 tablespoon salt for every 4 quarts water) by 1 inch in a 4-quart heavy pot, then simmer, uncovered, until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Bring cream, milk, and butter to a simmer in same pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted, then remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper.
Force hot potatoes through ricer into hot cream mixture and stir gently to combine. Keep warm, covered.
Assemble and broil pie: Preheat broiler. Make a beurre manié by stirring together remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and remaining 2 tablespoons flour in a small bowl to form a paste. Spoon 1 cup cooking liquid from casserole dish into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in beurre manié, then simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Gently stir sauce into lamb and vegetables.
Spoon potatoes over lamb and vegetables and spread evenly with a fork, making a pattern with tines. Broil about 3 inches from heat until top is golden, about 3 minutes.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

52 Weeks of Baking: Two Turkey Pies

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:27:19 -0800

I don't know about you guys, but after a week of cooking and prepping for Thanksgiving, I am looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation. That said, I've decided to cheat a little bit on this week's baking project. I wanted to figure out a way to use all the turkey leftovers, without causing a lot of work. So, instead of making my own pastry crust, I decided to pick up two premade crusts and turn them into two different turkey pot pies.

I only have one pie dish, so I put half of the mixture in it and inverted one of the pie crusts as a top crust. For the other pie, I put in half the mixture and topped with leftover mashed potatoes, creating a shepherd's pie.

Plan now for Friday's leftovers, pick up two extra pie crusts and call it a day. To get the easy recipe, read more

Turkey Pot Pie or Turkey Shepherd's Pie
From The Culinary Institute of America adapted by Boston Globe with additions by YumSugar

3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups turkey or chicken broth, heated to boiling
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potato, diced
4 cups diced cooked turkey
1 cup green peas (thawed if frozen - try not to use canned, they will be too mushy)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 nine-inch prepared pie crusts, frozen puff pastry sheets (thawed), or other topping such as leftover mashed potatoes

Note: This recipe is for four individual pot pies, however I used the filling to make two larger sized pies: one shepherd and one regular.

In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until tender.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the broth little by little, whisking well to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until thickened. Add salt and pepper.
Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand 4 individual baking dishes (about 2 cup capacity each).
Add the carrot, celery, and potato to the broth mixture. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add the turkey and peas and remove from the heat. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Stir in the parsley.
Spoon the filling into the dishes. Cut pie crust or puff pastry dough to the appropriate size and shape of the dishes to cover the filling. Cuts vents in the crust and press the edges of the dough onto the dishes to seal them.
Or alternatively, spoon filling into prepared pie crusts and spread leftover mashed potatoes on top.
Set the pies on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake them for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

View 21 Photos ›

Print recipe with images | without images

Monday's Leftovers: Shepherd's Pie

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:07:32 -0800

Sunday Dinners can be quite fantastic, but sometimes you just don't want to eat it again the next day. That is why I've created Monday's Leftovers. Every Sunday I'll show you a great new Sunday Dinner and on Monday I'll tell you what to do with the rest of it.

Yesterday's dinner was Pot Roast with Vegetables and luckily there are many different things you can do with the leftovers. There's roast beef sandwiches, stew, soups, fajitas and my new favorite, shepherd's pie. For the recipe, read more

Shepherd's Pie
From Diana Rattray at Southern U.S. Cuisine

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 large onion, quartered and sliced
* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
* 2 cups diced leftover roast beef
* 2 cups brown or beef gravy, leftover or prepared from mix
* 1/2 cup sliced or diced cooked carrots
* 1 cup frozen peas, cooked
* salt and pepper, to taste
* 1 egg yolk
* 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

PREPARATION:
Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat; add onions. Sauté onions until tender; add diced beef, gravy, carrots, and peas. Heat through; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to baking dish.

Beat the egg yolk into potatoes and spoon potatoes over the shepherd's pie meat and vegetables (press potatoes through a pastry tube, if desired). Bake shepherd's pie at 400° for about 30 minutes, or until mashed potatoes are browned and gravy is bubbling.

Print recipe with images | without images

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:30:00 -0800

One of my favorite all time meals is Shepherd's Pie. Normally it's made with ground lamb, but since I'm always trying to get my family to eat more veggies, I came up with a vegetarian version that uses beans and tons of veggies.

To see my recipe, read more

What you need:

Potatoes (8 white or sweet or a mix of both, each about the size of a lemon)
1 32 oz. container of Pacific Veggie broth
2 peppers (I prefer 1 red and 1 orange)
1 zucchini
3 stalks of celery
6 mushrooms
4 big carrots
1 can of beans (I prefer black or kidney)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
2-3 tbsp butter or Earth Balance (optional)
1 clove of garlic, minced

What you do:

Place a big pot of water on the stove on High heat.
While the water is heating to a boil, peel the potatoes (unless you love mashed potatoes with the skins). Then dice them up and place them in the pot of boiling water.
Now get another pot, pour the broth in and place it on the stove on Medium heat.
While that's warming up, cut up all the veggies and place them in the broth. Feel free to add other kinds of veggies if you want. Strain and rinse the canned beans and add them to the broth too. Mix everything up and allow to cook uncovered.

Check on the potatoes, and when they're soft, strain out the water in a colander, and return them back into their original pot. Using a fork or a masher, while they're still steaming hot, mash the potatoes until creamy. If you're using regular potatoes, you can add garlic and butter (or Earth Balance) for a smoother texture. If you're using sweet potatoes, they don't really need any butter (they're creamy enough). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Set the mashed potatoes aside, and turn on the oven to 350°F. Now check on the veggies cooking in the broth. You want to cook them for only about 10 minutes or so, so they're still slightly firm.
Now take a rectangular glass casserole dish, and using a slotted spoon place all the veggies in the dish. Now pour some of the leftover liquid over them, enough so that the veggies are covered, not swimming. You can save the leftover broth (if there is any) in a container in the freezer for a later recipe.

Now carefully scoop the mashed potatoes over the veggies, smoothing them out with the back of a spoon in a nice even layer. If you like cheese, go ahead and sprinkle it on top. I did half and half so you can see what it looks like.

Place it in the oven, uncovered, and bake for about 10-20 minutes. You'll know it's ready when either the cheese is melted and bubbly, or the potatoes are slightly hard on top.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. If you have any leftovers, place them in plastic containers in the fridge.

Print recipe with images | without images

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:55 -0700

A healthy twist on a comfy standard: Shepherd's Pie revamped - Mark's Daily Apple
Simple fitness prop for a great workout: a wall - Fresh Fitness Tips
Musicians are cooking up low-cal meals for late night Denny's menu - FitCeleb
Remove your roadblocks to healthy eating - Shape
Tales from the frontline battle against H1N1 - Vitamin G
Taste test: three coconut waters compared side by side - Mind Body Green
Does purslane measure up to its omega-3 hype? - Nutrition Data Blog

Non Voyage: A Capital Celebration Where You Need DC to Be

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:00:16 -0700

If the new administration has your family dreaming of our nation's historic roots, a trip to Washington DC is sure to inspire the next generation of public servants. We continue our week of big-city non voyages in the nation's capital with activities and food that will help families recreate the DC experience without breaking their wallets.

The National Mall is lined with some of the best museums in the world, and one of the most popular is the National Air and Space Museum. Teach your budding astronauts about the history of manned space flight and then have them create their own rocket ship that will transport them to the moon. Rockets can be built out of blocks, cardboard or with any scraps you have lying around.
The International Spy Museum is one of the most unique places to visit in DC, where children and adults alike can learn about the CIA and FBI's covert operations and the techniques used to keep the nation from harm. Recreate the experience with a backyard scavenger hunt where lil ones can search for hidden treasures and practice their detective skills. Don't forget the trench coats and magnifying glasses to make them feel official.
Even in the age of email, everybody still loves to get mail and the National Postal Museum shows kids how their letters get delivered. Visit your local post office and have the kids pick out their own stamps and mail letters to their family and friends. See if the postal workers will allow your tots to view the sorting machines in the back too.
It's hard to imagine what life was like before cars, computers and modern conveniences, but Mount Vernon, George and Martha Washington's home, does just that. Give your children the colonial experience by turning off the phone and computer for an afternoon of retro cooking with recipes from the birth of our nation, including johnny cakes, shepherd's pie and apple butter.
Washington DC brings Southern hospitality and Northern sophistication to the Mid Atlantic and the city's food reflects those cultures. President Obama has already visited the famed eatery, Ben's Chili Bowl, where the deliciousness is used to smother hot dogs, sausages and burgers, so make some of those goodies at home. The Obamas are also ushering in a new era in organic cooking at the White House so take your youngsters to the local green market or farm and let them choose the ingredients they would like to nosh on that night.

Cool Idea: Hanging Wedding Flowers

CasaSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:45:03 -0700

Miss Cherry Pie recently posted photos of her hanging wedding flowers. She's still perfecting the idea, but I think they look great already. She writes that she "spent some time this weekend with my shepherd’s hooks and cache of jars working out how to attach one to the other. First, I picked out 20 jars of a similar smallish size, and set them aside. Then, I went a-crafting. I took a trip down to Michael’s to pick up some wraphia (aka raffia), a natural-looking, grassy ribbon that’s strong enough to use as a hanger."

Then, she tied the wraphia around the mouth of each jar, fashioning a handle out of it, and hung them from the shepherd's hook. This is such a lovely, simple idea for displaying large flowers. It's a beautiful, easy arrangement for any couple planning a DIY wedding.

Source

Monday's Leftovers: Pastelón de Papa

YumSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:00:03 -0800

With the New Year approaching, perhaps you'll embrace the idea of cooking new things. If your freezer's still stocked with leftover ground beef, why not pass up the tacos and spaghetti in favor of this Pastelón de Papa?

Popular everywhere from Puerto Rico to Peru, this Latin classic is a cross between shepherd's pie and potato casserole. The fact that it's a self-contained meal makes it a plus for eating on the run. To get the recipe, read more.

Pastelón de Papa
From Every Day With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons melted
2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup frozen string beans, thawed
Paprika, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water and boil until tender, about 15 minutes; drain. Add the stick of butter and the milk and mash. Set aside.
Place the eggs in a small saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and place in a bowl of ice water; when cool, peel and chop.
In a large skillet over high heat, brown the beef, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, the olives, cilantro, tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste.
In a 9-by-13-inch pan, layer half the mashed potatoes, the ground-beef mixture, string beans and chopped eggs. Top with the remaining mashed potatoes, brush with the melted butter and dust with paprika. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

The Scoop: Joe Biden Picks His Puppy

PetSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:05:42 -0800

While we've been anxiously waiting for any announcement about the TBD Obama puppy, the "second dog" was just introduced over the weekend. Vice President-elect Joe Biden picked out a three-month-old German Shepherd from a kennel in suburban Philadelphia on Saturday. The lil boy won't join the family quite yet and still remains nameless. Turns out Biden told the breeder that honor will go to his grandkids . . . but, with five of them, how will everyone agree on just one name?!

Do you have any name suggestions for the cutie pie? Let's hear them below!