Ye olde cottage pie is a favourite in our household. It’s one of the ever culinary Mr P’s signature dishes and as such I usually don’t go near the making of them myself. I wouldn’t dare. He has been know to whip up a cottage pie, impromptu, on a chilly autumn evening that makes the child in me weep with joy. But one evening, with a bumper load of Summer produce in the fridge, a package of minced beef ready to use and Mr P working rather later than usual, I decided to tread on his territory a little and rustly up dinner loving. He didn’t really seem to mind too much, so I know it’s not half bad.
This is a great dish to make as the weather turns a little nippy and you want to use up some Summer produce still kicking around.
Incidentally, does anyone know the difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherds pie? I’ll give you a hint, the reason is in the name!
Summery Cottage Pie
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 stick celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb/ 450g minced beef
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 ½tsp balsamic vinegar
1 Patti pan or zucchini, coarsely chopped
6 or 7 chard leaves, chopped
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
2 large potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp Olive oil
splash of milk
salt and pepper
- put a pot of water on to boil. When it’s boiling add the potatoes and lower the heat. Cook for about 10 or 15 minutes until done (when a fork slides easily into the potato chunks). Drain and reserve.
- preheat the oven to 350˚F
- over a medium heat, saute the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes
- add the beef and cook until browned, separating the little clumps with a wooden spoon as you go
- add the tomato paste and balsamic and caramalise for a couple minutes
- add the Patti pan, chard, wine and stock and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the mix is thick and yummy
- mash the potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper to taste and enough milk to give a silky but firm texture
- half fill a casserole with the meat mixture, top with the potato mash and bake for 25 – 30 mins, until the top is browned and crisp.
We have one of those in my family which my mom used to make at least once a week. It is surely one of my favorite comfort food. I make it myself a lot too.
But the in the Brazilian version we mostly use manioc pure made with manioc, butter, parmesan cheese and little bit of milk (manioc has lot of water), salted curried meat (in some regions of the country curried goat meat) and we place some cheese (a kind of creamy cheese spread) between the meat and the manioc pure. We can also used potatoes and regular minced beef.
This dish is the one I make when I am purely homesick! Very rarely have the proper meat then I use curried bacon.
I still didn’t get the difference about ‘cottage’ and ‘shepherd’ pies.
See ya,
Claudia
Shepherd’s pie uses minced lamb instead of beef, right? At least I see to remember that explanation, I hope I didn’t hallucinate it at some point in my checkered past
That looks delicious, my mother used to make it when I was a kid, but then she stopped, I don’t know why. I made this once and it wasn’t great, but that was my fault, not the dish’s!
Mmm, you’ve just given me an idea of what to make for dinner… I’m feeling a little worn down by life in general and could do with some nursery food! And agree with previous commenter – shepherd’s pie uses lamb while cottage pie uses beef
Comfort food at it’s best! It is so cold in Cape Town at the moment, I do not know what happened to summer!
Too late for today but its going to be tomorrow night’s dinner. I feel in need of comfort!