Shepherd's pie is a traditional dish that has been made for over 2 hundred years by cooking chopped lamb or mutton with gravy and topped with mashed potatoes
The family took a trip when I was 11 to England and rented a van to travel up to Scotland.
In London, I was dazzled by Sherlock Holmes' house, the wax figures at Madame Toussaud's, the expansiveness of Big Ben, the feeling of history in the Globe Theatre
I remember we so lavishly dined at Johnny Rockets before seeing Mama Mia-I sang/listened Abba and only Abba for months-
On our UK roadtrip- Mimi taught me how to knit-
One night between London and Edinburgh, in a small, dark, greenish restaurant, I ordered Shepherd's Pie. I remember mom first being worried i wouldn't like it-then she quickly remembered who i was.
it was soft and heavy-but felt good in my belly.
but unfortunately, i dont remember it being all that flavorful
This shepherd's pie is rather unlike the above description.
For-its vegetarian, uses Indian spices, and there are no mashed potatoes.
You ask, "Is this really a Shepherd's pie then?"
I still say, yes.
I've actually been making this dish in my head for a long while-
A rather unusual process for me-
But I have been pondering combining these two very traditional cultures in 1 pyrex, trying to make it something spectacular
I've been looking forward to it
I waited till I had several hours to prepare it, enjoy it, ect.
This opportunity rarely arises-
But one Sunday afternoon when I finally had a little time to do nothing-i realized i couldn't just do nothing! I would finally make my Shephard's Pie!
it was rather simple-
I slowly roasted my vegetables-eggplant, italian baby squash, sweet onion, brown button mushrooms-with turmeric, sweet/hot paprika, cumin, coriander, mustard
I cooked garbanzos with just a pinch of salt-and since the food processor died :( i mashed them by hand with a ton of mint and just a bit of greek yogurt
Veg first, Mashed beans on top-
And into the oven
It was a perfect combination-
the spicy, almost over seasoned vegetables exploding with indian flavor-
mashed with the cool, refreshing minty beans
What a Balance
How zen
I tried to eat only half and leave some for my roommate or someone to try and revel in my genius skills-
I really tried!
But i couldn't help myself-
I ate it all up :)
So there was nothing particularly special about this day's lunch.
But I wanted to share this meal with you because
1) It tasted spectacularly
2) I found a use for edamame hummus!
I bought a container of edamame hummus
I was intrigued
Would it have the same bite that a garbanzo bean possesses?
Would it have that acidic tang?
Would it be weird to eat edamame with edamame hummus?
All these questions, I needed answers.
I was excited when I first came home from class the following day, needing a little snack-
I cut up some cucumber slices and took out some sliced turkey-and sat down in front of the TV with my dipping utensils and the edamame hummus.
I slowly removed the plastic from the container-
this strange smell erupted in my nose
I tasted it...
And it tasted disgusting.
It did not agree with my tastebuds...
So I put it back in the fridge because I couldnt manage to trash it-there's nothing I dislike more than wasting food
And then this day for lunch.
I had a pretty basic egg scramble
1) Collard greens (I have never bought fresh collard greens before, what attractive, big, green leaves-and ive noticed how vivid green the leaf remains even after heat has been applied for some time)
2) Italian baby squash (I admit-when I bought this package of vegetables, i immediately thought it was okra and went on my way...it wasnt till i made this scramble that i realized what an illiterate fool i am) (a note on baby squash: they're adorable! and taste just like normal zucchini except they dont get as mushy)
3) Oyster mushrooms- a graceful and delicate Pleurotus ostreatus
But i needed something-and so...
4) edamame hummus!
It raised the dish up to a new level entirely!
The scramble was so creamy
Like velvet
and wildly healthy
I have come into the habit of buying a sammie from the coffee cart at school.
Now, these are actually pretty tasty-
But I've decided I need to start utilizing my groceries before dinner again
I didn't have a whole heck of a lot of time-less than an hour to make lunch, eat lunch, and drive to my DAT session-
So nothing too complex here
The apartment building gave us breakfast on the go that morning, and so I grabbed an orange for later, not knowing it would be a integral ingredient in my lunch...
A Simple Orange, Asparagus, Egg, Spinach Salad:
I made the asparagus nice and tender on the stove with a little salt and some white wine-the asparagus was this beautiful hunky veg-i was so pleased with it
I laid the asparagus on the bed of spinach along with orange pieces-
I sprinkled the salad with ChiaLife-
A friend (KB!) introduced me to ChiaLife in the fall when I was having way too much fun with my new juicer to add a bit more protein to my beverages
They're these little seeds, lookin like a poppy, that are a great source of fiber, Omega-3, antioxidants, are gluten-free without preservatives, and claim to be a higher quality of protein than soy.
It is also known to promote neurological and cardiovascular function-
I am in GOOD shape here
I also fried some eggs sunny side up to brighten the partly-cloudy day
and made a dressing out of the remaining orange:
Sour cream (STILL had some left over, had to use it up), dijon mustard, orange juice, salt, pepper, oil
and YUMM
SO refreshing and gave me the energy to pack a years worth of organic chemistry in 1 DAT session :)
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Whyy are cauliflower bunches so large?
I still had so much left over cauliflower after the big Top Chef Chowdown and really, not much else-except half a Texas sweet onion, half a purple onion, some sour cream, spinach, veggie shreds, asparagus, eggs, and some thyme
And so, instead of going to the grocery store, I did what any resourceful (lazy) individual would do
I decided to make a casserole
The idea of a casserole has been on my mind because even though the weather outside is delightful (synonymous with eating nice, light meals) - i still desire something hearty and filling to get me through the studying-day
People may associate casseroles with unsophistication and domesticated women who would make a 1 pot, no fuss meal consisting of boring ingredients
and put cheese/breadcrumbs on top to mask its blandness
Ridiculuous. That's absurd. Who thinks like that?
A casserole is a wonderful dish-
It allows you to combine different tastes and textures, all in one scoop!
And is an excellent solution to left overs :)
Cheesy-Cheese-Less-Cauliflower-Casserole
Step one:
Chopped and caramelized the 2 different onions for a very long time in some salt and sugar
when they were nearly done i added some garlic powder and oregano for a little something extra-then i added sour cream, thyme, a little salt, and Veggie Shreds
Veggie Shreds are pretty cool-
It is a soy-based product with no cholesterol, very little fat (certainly no trans fat), some salt and protein...and it's a cheese substitute.
Oh i know you are skeptical!
But the mozarella flavor is real good-
and last year, I made a quiche using only Veggie Shreds-
it was a huge hit-
nobody could tell it was cheese-free!
And everybody was thrilled to hear how darn healthy it was-
Step 2:
Steamed the cauliflower and chopped it up real nice
Step 3:
Combined it all together with some more VegShreds, chopped spinach, and some white wine into the mini casserole dish
Step 4:
Baked in the oven
Step 5:
Enjoyed.
delicious-light, but filling-it tasted frenchy...and strangely reminded me of fondue
with each bite, i was immediately transported to those precious times my family would make the 45 minute trip to the Melting Pot as a young, hungry child (this was way before they put one in KOP)
those were good times.
and that was one simple and sophisticated tasting meal.
hours later, the apartment still lingers with the aromas of the casserole-and i feel satisfied.
If you talk to me for ehh, 7 minutes-Hungary/abroad is bound to come up
It's been over a year-and yes, I know I shouldn't still be this excited and obsessed
But the country charmed me
I am under some kind of Hungarian Spell
Love Potion Number Kilenc
And i'm lucky that 4 other DU kids went on my 20 person CIEE program (dominateddd)
and that we all love each other and get together for good food and good reminiscing
While I usually make Lesco (pronounced Let-cho), i decided to change it up a bit
Atypical Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage
Filling:
First I did make a pretty traditional Lesco-
but i fried up the sweet Texas onions in veg oil and salt and a ton of paprika paste (piros arany, it is literally a paste that comes in a tube and has unreal flavor, and i use it in nearly everything i make, and even sometimes just with raw vegetables for snacking, and sometimes i add a bit to greek yogurt for breakfast-dont make fun of me-its awesome.)
when i was being a bit overzealous with the paprika paste, some squirted onto my shirt-and i looked later and the paste is so serious my belly was stained orange! hahah i laughed out loud
so i added 2 green peppers/2 yellow peppers chopped real small
there is no equivalent to the flavor that a Hungarian paprika pepper has-but ive experimented a great deal-and i think half green half yellow works alright
Stewed, for a long time-i really wanted the peppers to sing
then some bouillon, some salt, some lemon, some sweet (edes) paprika
Stewed, for a long time-layering flavors
Then i added ground turkey-some more salt, Maggi, more edes paprika, and sour cream (which is a first for me-but it added a nice tangy flavor)
And let everything meld together, layer, for another while
Stuffing the cabbage:
I steamed some cabbage to make them flexible and easy to work with, took the leaves piece by piece and added a spoonful of filling-wrapped up it up, and placed it back into the pot-and then i kept the pot on low heat to allow the flavors to develop even more
And there you go-
Neat and tight packages of Hungarian Love
There is something about lately that has made me in the mood for noodles-
Not only do i love saying the word noodles (what a jolly, silly word, nooooodles)
but theyre comforting, and fun to twirl around your fork
That night, i couldn't have a huge, stuffing meal and fall into a food coma, like i so love to do-
i needed to stay focused-get some real studying done later on
When I was strolling through the Safeway I spotted the Soyrizo-I had just watched a Hungry Girl video a few days ago where she used soy-chorizo in a healthy, mexican pizza
And so, Dinner was Born:
Cabbage Noodles with Soyrizo Bolognese
Saucy:
Carmelized onions with paprika paste/salt
Big can of tomatoes in basil, fresh sage and thyme, chicken bouillon, 2:1 sweet(edes):hot (eros) Hungarian paprika, lemon, Maggi, salt, and soyrizo
Cabbage Noodles:
I used savoy cabbage to add a bit more texta-
and simply took a leaf and sliced it long-ways to produce a ton of long, slender cabbage noodles and added them to the pot-where everything continued to stew
When the noodles went nice and limp, i dove on in!
It was a crafty dish-
and yea
it tasted damn good.
So when people ask me about my view of reality tv-which obviously happens often due to my "television afficionado" status-my immediate, jerk reaction, is a disgusted face.
HOWEVER-
i think some reality tv is kinda incredible
i used to obsess over American Idol (shout out to halls 5 south)
I am in a serious relationship with the cooking channel
not to offend my first love, the food network
and of course the travel channel
But, there is something special about Bravo.
I feel like Bravo revolutionized reality television into not only something incredibly entertaining, but educational-and starred people that are relatable and lovable-
andd produced the show that reigns supreme over any other, TOP CHEF
So to make an event out of this season's finale-my rooms suggested we make dinner from the Top Chef Cookbook (and of course Annie is as devoted as I am, and made the finest decision to buy the cookbook)
Casey and Dale's Turkey and Pork Meatballs with Orecchiette Pasta and Spinach-Almond Pesto
So,
I watch recipes being prepared
I read recipes in magazines, online, various cook books
But even when i was first starting out...
Neverrrr did i follow a recipe.
They're wonderful for inspiration-but to follow one?
You see, cooking is a creative outlet for me-
i combine new and interesting flavors and textures in different ways-its my favorite activity, my release-and following a recipe would contradict all that i love about cooking
(Oy-this makes me sound like such a snob, huh?)
BUT, I really respect Casey and Dale
SO I reallyyy tried to follow their directions!
For the Meatballs:
Ground turkey, ground pork, garlic powder, parm, beadcrumbs, some softened minced onions, parsley, fresh oregano, white wine, lemon zest (which was a serious feat without having an actual grater, i used the edge of a sharp serrated knife), egg, salt
fried 'em up in some oil in batches and set on a paper towel
Pasta:
normal and al dente, drained and set aside
Vegetables:
cauliflower, artichoke hearts-i left out the baby carrots because uuhhh i dont like them all cooked, and i added some broccoli stem too-just sauteed in some wine wine and a little salt and peppa
Spinach Almond Pesto:
Chopped the spinach, garlic powder, sliced almonds, parm, lemon juice, veg oil, and my own addition-carmelized onions-
but something inexplicable happened to the food processor! i dont know whats wrong-
So, my super duper amazing next door neighbors and friends AMANDA and JORDAN let me use their magic bullet-
and i did it in batches-and it worked perrrfectly! that little bullet is truly magical.
mixed everything up in a big pot
finished in exemplary time, right as the finale began
That night, i had some seriously scrumptious pasta, lovely company/conversation during commercials...but what was most satisfying? RICHARD WON! Love you Richie, you clever, whimsical chef, you have finally gained The Title...of...TOP CHEF
