Have you ever had something to eat as a kid that you just cannot forget?
My first taste of cottage pie was at a friend's farewell party. I think we were 15 years old. She was one of my close mates in class and we had debates over Shakespeare's Macbeth. But her dad was relocating to the UK and subsequently to Sydney, hence the farewell party was held.
I took a bite of her mom's cottage pie and I was sooo sooo hooked on it. Seriously, I have NOT tasted such a well made cottage pie since then. I remembered being cautious.. not quite certain what I was eating (I was brought up in a Traditional soup, vege and meat meals home) but gave it a go anyway. It was in a aluminum tray...and it was huge.
And it was gone in minutes.
The worst thing was I was too stunned (and very unsure about my cookery skills!) to even ask for what her secret was. AND we lost touch soon after her re-location..
I can't get that image and taste out of my mind though.
Here is my version of cottage pie when the pangs hit.
Cottage Pie (serves at least 6)
3-4 medium sizes of potato (I used royal blue)
1/4 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of spread
seasoning
1 red onion chopped
1 tsp of garlic
olive oil
400 grams of lean beef mince
3-4 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
1/4-1/2 cup of beef stock
1 cup of peas
1 cup of chopped mushrooms
1 can of tomatoes
1 tablespoon of spicy mango chutney
2-3 celery sticks chopped
Cheddar and Parmesan cheese (around 1 cup)
1) Chop and cook potatoes till done. Mash with milk and spread. Season.
2) Pre heat oven 180C. In a deep pan, fry garlic and onion till soft and done. Add beef mince. Break the mince up as you cook it. Add stock and simmer. Add chutney, sauce and seasoning. Stir in the veges. Cook for around 10-15 minutes till done.
3) Place beef mixture in an oven proof dish. Then top it with the mash potato. Sprinkle some cheese on too. Bake for around 45 minutes till it is bubbling hot and golden brown.
Looks good! I'm not a cottage pie or shepherd pie person. Perhaps I haven't have the good one yet.
ReplyDeleteHow is this different from Shepherd's Pie? Is one minced beef and the other minced lamb? Always confused.
ReplyDeletei loved this kinda pie, very versatile and hearty as one pot meal. my boiboi loves the mash on top :p
ReplyDeleteFunny I just thought of making that soon.. haven't done it in ages! Minced beef is cottage, tigerfish, and lamb is shepherd's. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Daphne. I would like to know where do you usually buy your ingredients (food colouring) and bakeware such as the cookies cutter and paper cups in Perth.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends will be visiting Perth at the end of July and she would be helping me to get the items as above.
I would appreciate if you can tell me the shop name or location of where you buy your stuff. Thank you.
Regards,
Wendy Tan
That's right Sig!!! =) Lamb is shepherds and beef is cottage.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy, I usually buy my bakeware from Myers or David Jones (esp when they have 30% sale). The brand I buy is almost always Bakers Secret. I find them really study and lasts for years.
The other place I love to get things is from a shop called "HOUSE"-which your friend can find in Fremantle if she goes there, or major shopping centers such as Garden City, Carousel, Karriyup....etc. If your friend goes to Garden City, she can also check out "Wheels and Barrow" for cute bakeware.
As for food colouring you can find it in Woolworths or Coles (supermarkets). Alternatively, there are specialty baking stores but those are quite hard to get to (Called Major Cakes in Victoria Park).
Hope this helps =)
Wah thanks for all that info... must get sis to read this comment lol... what kind of cute bakeware in 'wheels and barrow'? ;P
ReplyDeleteHi Daphne, thank you so much for the information. I'll let my friend to know about it.
ReplyDelete