Turkey Shepherd’s pie with a kick

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I like making this when I had any leftover mash. You could of course make the mash specially for the dish on the day but it’s easier any time you are making mash to make too much and use the next day following refridgeration of course.





If I want it fresh I steam my mash using 2 medium potatoes (1 white, 1 sweet potato) , peel and slice very thinly (cooks quicker) and steam for 15 minutes, turn the hob heat off and mash using the  remainder of heat left on the hob (makes for a smoother mash) with a knob of butter and 1 tbsp milk.





Per person:





Using 1tsp oil, brown 75g of turkey mince in a fry pan with half a chopped white onion stirring for 2 minutes.  Drain a small can of black eyed beans and add to the fry pan with 2 tbsp chopped tomatoes from a can and sprinkled with white pepper, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp easy mixed chillies, 3 grated garlic cloves, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and a dash of tabasco sauce. Simmering for 3 minutes.





Put the mix into a small round casserole dish and top with grated 75g red Leicester cheese.





Spread the mash on top using a fork to decorate. Sprinkle with freshly ground black peppercorns and bake for 25 minutes 200C / 180 fan / 350F / Gas 4.





Serve with an extra sprinkling of grated cheese and two raw tiny broccoli florets as garnish. I would advise waiting 10 minutes before eating, I’m frequently greedy and burn the roof of my mouth!


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Favourites:
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One pan Ostrich and mushroom orzo

Steamed sweet potato and dill crab cakes

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(Chicken) Meatloaf

Scallops, chorizo with white kidney beans

Pork and chorizo bake

Teriyaki tofu bake

Tandoori chicken with roast veg and chickpeas

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Red kidney bean and buckwheat curry

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For a medium / hot curry, prepare:


(1) In a small bowl – 4 cardamon pods 1 cinnamon stick


Ginger garlic paste (blend together 2 tsp fresh ginger, 5 garlic cloves, half tsp water)


(2) In a small bowl – 2 tsp fennel powder, 2 tsp dried ginger, 1 tsp easy mixed chillies (or use 1 fresh green chilli), half tsp chilli powder, pinch asafoetida


1 finely chopped white onion


1 floret of broccoli cut into long thin slices (stalks included)


Gently brush clean 2 chestnut mushrooms and cut into long thin slices


Half 1 baby sweetcorn lengthways and cut again to make 4 pieces


2tbsp tomato puree


Drain 1 large 454g can of red kidney beans





Heat 2tbsp rapeseed oil and add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick pieces and fry for a minute on low heat.


Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds.


Increase heat to medium and add the chopped onion and cook for 7 minutes stirring intermittently.


Add the 2tbsp tomato puree, broccoli, mushrooms and baby corn and stir for 2 minutes.


Add the drained red kidney beans, 2 tbsp buckwheat grains and the contents of small bowl (2) and stir well for 1 minute.


Add 150ml water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes with a lid on.
Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks.


Crush some of the beans with the back of a spoon before serving with shop bought papad.
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I like to try new to me and different meat cuts. Here's a few recent recipes using ostrich and kangaroo steaks.
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ot pepper thick kangaroo steaks with pan fried maple pepper veg

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Fillet steak with 3 onion pan fried cake

Brownies for one

October recipes –

Kangeroo steaks with rosemary garlic butter

Ostrich steak with onion bhaji

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Latest February recipe:
Turkey Shepherd’s pie with a kick

Tomato and rosemary focaccia

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I tried out my new copper chef pan which apparently has abilities to be used to bake, stew, steam grill, deep fry and roast.

If you don’t have one use a 30cm diameter baking tray.

 

Proving of the dough can be done the day before up to the point below –

‘TO PROVE THE DOUGH’ by leaving in a switched off oven overnight and all then required is to gently press back the dough then prepare and assemble the topping for baking.

 

Sift 500g strong white flour into a bowl. Stir in 2 tsp easy bake yeast.

Make a well in the centre and add 3 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil (or olive oil, I just prefer the raspeseed).

Add 300ml warm water and a pinch of salt. Mix to a soft dough with a wooden spoon.

 

Turn out on to an oiled work surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Or pop it into a mixer with dough attachment for the same amount of time.

 

Place the dough onto a lightly oiled 30cm diameter baking tray

TO PROVE THE DOUGH:

Leave for 1 hr in a warm place to double in size.

 

After the timing use your fist to lightly punch back the dough and use a knuckle to make 9 indents evenly spaced. Cover the dough with oiled clingfilm and leave for another 30 minutes.

 

Prepare and assemble on the ready to cook dough:

Leave 1 green olive intact and slice 4 others in half, put the whole one in the middle indent and one half in each of the remaining  indents.

Freshly grind some black pepper onto the dough and a sprinkling of dried rosemary

(small sprigs of fresh rosemary can also be randomly used).

Spread the following ingredients on top:

Half a large tomato then remove and discard the seeds. Slice the tomato into thin strips.

On eighth orange bell pepper thinly sliced

Longways thin slice a chestnut mushroom

Longways thin slice one quarter of an onion

Longways halve 2 baby sweetcorn

Using large grate area grate 4oz mozzarella cheese.

 

Bake 200C / 180 fan / Gas 6 for 30 minutes

 or until golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped.  Serve warm or cold.

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Favourites:
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Steamed sweet potato and dill crab cakes

.

(Chicken) Meatloaf

Scallops, chorizo with white kidney beans

Pork and chorizo bake

Tandoori chicken with roast veg and chickpeas

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.

Latest February recipe:
Turkey Shepherd’s pie with a kick

 

Tandoori chicken with root veg and chickpeas

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If you want to make this vegetarian just omit the chicken.

 

Per person:

Drain and rinse a small can of chickpeas. Dry any remaining residue with a kitchen towel and transfer to a baking / serving dish.

Slice a boneless chicken into long thin slices and put on top of the chickpeas.

In a bowl mix 1 tbsp rapeseed oil, 2tsp tandoori powder, half tsps each of onion flakes, garlic powder, paprika. tea salt and ground black pepper.

I find the easiest way to coat food is to use a pastry brush. Brush all over the chicken and chickpeas with a third of the bowl mixture. Peel and long slice one white onion and 1 chestnut mushroom and place evenly on top of the chickpeas mixture.

Use a kitchen brush and water to clean a quarter of a butternutsquash. Pat dry, cut into rectangle shapes then cut each rectangle into half inch cubes. Peel a half inch round of sweet potato and cut it into similar sized cubes. Randomly put all the cubes into your baking dish. Brush with one third of the tandoori oil.

Scrub a white baking potato, pat dry, cut into 2 pieces and slice 6 discs from the potato as thinly as possible reserving the remains of the potato for another day.  Leave on disc the same size and put it in the centre of your baking dish. Half the other discs and place them around the edges of the food. Snip off the head only of a broccoli floret and finely chop then sprinkle a bit on each potato disc.

Brush with the remainder of the tandoori oil.

Remove the seeds from the butternutsquash, put into a small baking dish and brush with some of the tandoori oil. Reserve the remains of the butternutsquash for another day.

Bake in the centre of a preheated 180fan, 200C, 500F, Gas 6 oven for 35 minutes.  Bake the butternutsquash for the last 15 minutes alongside the meal and serve a few sprinkled between the potato discs.

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Fresh tuna with spicy mixed grains

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Fresh tuna with spicy mixed grains

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If you made my fish stock from my previous recipe Baked sockeye salmon with mayo / cumin topping, use it for this recipe.  Otherwise use half pint of shop bought fish stock or boiling water as a last resort.

Soak 2tbsp wild rice, 1 tsp each of red and green lentils, 1 tsp spelt just covering with water whilst you prepare:

Dice half a white onion.

Finely chop 2 garlic cloves

Measure 1 tsp easy mixed chillies or use fresh if liked

1tsp hot paprika

Cut a palm sized tuna steak into long slices and cut into small cubes, sprinkle 1 tsp dill over the tuna

Rinse 6 sugar snap peas

Rinse 2 baby sweetcorn

Rinse a handful of fresh baby spinach

 

I use a steamer with the baby sweetcorn and sugar snap peas in the second layer but if you don’t have a steamer they can be cooked with the rice mixture.

 

Put the fish stock in the bottom pan (using 2 tiers  of  steamer set) and add the onion, paprika, garlic and chillies and the tuna cubes bringing to the boil.

Sieve the grains mix and discard the liquid then add the grains to the onion mix. In the second tear put the baby sweetcorn and sugar snap peas and add a lid. Bring to boil, then lower the heat to medium.

Steam for 20 minutes without lifting the pan lid. Turn the heat off and leave for 5 minutes before serving on a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves with the sugar snap peas on top of the rice and baby sweetcorn as a side.

NB the grains should have absorbed all of the liquid but if necessary sieve and discard any residue.

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My recipes where you could retain jumbo prawn shells in the fridge for easy fish stock:

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Sweet and sour blacktiger king prawns

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Baked tamarind ginger king prawns
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Easy snack -
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No cook anytime snack

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Another new recipe this month:

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Baked sockeye salmon with mayo / cumin topping

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No cook anytime snack

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This no cook snack is so easy to prepare the night before, fridge then eat for breakfast but it would as easily serve as an any time of the day snack. Full of healthy nutritious food which fills you up for around 25o calories, if you are counting.

I buy 254g peanut butter in plastic jars which are a handy size to wash well when eaten and they can be used as storage jars for a variety of dried beans, etc.

 

Wash and dry a 254g size jar and fill in repeated layers as follows:

2 tbsp dried porridge oats

Half tsp mixed seeds (I use sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)

Half tsp mixed dried berries

Half tsp crunchy peanut butter

1 tsp Canadian maple syrup

 

Finish with a layer of the oats and half tsp of milled linseed with goji berries / raspberries mix. Pour in either almond milk or full cream milk and let the milk sink into the food. Wait a few seconds and add more milk until it will no longer sink but settles at the top of the jar. Place in the fridge overnight for morning breakfast or if using as a snack through the day allow at least 15 minutes to soak all the snack.
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Popular this month: -

Asian spiced squid n roasted peppers

Sweet and sour blacktiger king prawns

Bacon chop with leek / pear topping

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Fresh tuna with spicy mixed grains

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