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Spiced Shepherd’s Pie with Bean Crust

4 Antworten

For he GFGF group we are chosing a new recipe for the Thanksgiving table. That was easy. Because Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Germany, I could select anything new. I chose dried beans as vegetable and served

Spiced Shepherd’s Pie with Bean Crust

Spiced Shepherd's Pie with Bean Crust

And for dessert a licorice pipe.

As the Lemon Meringue Pie is threaded through all the books from Louise Penny’s Gamache, the Shepherd’s Pie is served at least six times, proven prepared by Gabri, Myrna and Clara.

Serving Shepherd’s Pie started in Still Life *

When Gamache arrived back at the B&B, he found Olivier and Gabri getting ready to head over to he Morrows for a potluck dinner.

„There’s a shepherd’s pie in the oven for you, if you want“, Gabri called as they left.

Myrna brought it along in The Cruelest Month * and A Great Reckoning * and it is Clara’s comfort food in The Nature of the Beast * after Peter had gone. Gabri served it in Glass Houses *

Gabri returned to his kitchen and poured himself a bulbous glass of red wine. And sat on a stool by the counter, looking out the back window into the darkness.
Getting up to prepare the shepherd’s pie, comfort food for their dinner, Gabri suspected his guests would find very little peace in whatever Gamache discovered. And probably no comfort in the food.

And in Kingdom oft he Blind * it is served with chocolate cake like in A Great Reckoning *

„How did the meeting go, yesterday?“ asked Gamache as he and Jean-Guy settled into the study. They’d had their dinner. Shepherd’s pie and chocolate cake. Honoré was asleep in his room.
The Gamaches‘ unexpected guest, the young man with the weird hair, Benedict, had gone of for the bistro for a few drinks. He’d spent much of the time, after being introduced to Annie and Jean-Guy, playing with Honoré. Once Honoré was put to bed for the night and they’d had dinner.

So why not serving it on my not Thanksgiving Table.

Spiced Shepherd’s Pie with Bean Crust

Yield: 4 generous servings

Spiced Shepherd's Pie with Bean Crust

Spiced Shepherd’s Pie with Bean Crust has a bean tahini mash topping instead of a potato one. The pie can be assembled up to two days ahead, and refrigerate, in which case add five to 10 minutes to the baking time, to allow for it being cooked from cold.

Ingredients

  • 90 ml olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced
  • 3 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 600 grams minced lamb
  • 2 tsp. cumin seeds
  • 3 tsp. ground allspice
  • 2 lemons, grated zest
  • salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground
  • 3 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp. rose or regular harissa
  • 100 grams dried apricots, quartered
  • 280 ml chicken stock
  • 220 ml white wine
  • 80gram green olives, pitted, cut in half lengthways
  • 670 g cooked dried beans **
  • 3 tbsp tahini paste

SOURCE

modified by from:
Ottolenghi in The Guardian

Method

  1. In a large, heavy-based pan for which you have a lid, heat three tablespoons of oil on a medium-high heat, then saute the garlic and shallots for about five minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden. Turn up the heat to high, then add the lamb, cumin, allspice, half the lemon zest and half a teaspoon of salt. Fry for five minutes or so, stirring every now and then, until browned all over, then add the tomato paste, harissa and half the apricots. Fry for two minutes more, then add the stock and wine, turn down the heat to medium, cover and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. Once cooked, set aside the meat to cool, then stir in the olives and remaining apricots, and spoon the stew into a 20cm x 25cm high-sided ovenproof dish and refrigerate for at least half an hour. This will firm it up, making it easier to spread the mash on top.
  3. Heat the oven to 180 °C/350 °F/gas mark 4. Combine the butterbeans in a large bowl with the remaining lemon zest, two tablespoons of olive oil, the tahini paste, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper, then mash with a potato masher – the beans don’t need to be totally smooth, just spreadable. Add some cooking water if necessary.
  4. Spread the bean mix evenly over the top of the lamb, then make shallow dips here and there in the surface of the mash with the back of a tablespoon. Drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of oil and bake for 30 minutes, until nicely coloured and bubbling. Leave spiced shepherd’s pie with bean crust to rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

** Ulrike: 400 g uncooked beans soaked in water overnight with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, drained and boiled until cooked
total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
prepararion time: 15 minutes
cooking/baking time: 1 hour 5 minutes

 
 

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more Gamache inspired recipes at Küchenlatein:

Parsnip and Apple Soup

6 Antworten

This week GFGF-group cook with any vegetable we still get fresh. Last month I chose parsnips and a few days later I came across the selection of recipes inspired by the Gamache series. The parsnip and apple soup is served twice in the Nature of the Beast. First Reine-Marie eat it in a conversation with her husband in the bistro, then she prepared it herself.

Dinner was served, starting with parsnip and apple soup, with a drizzle of walnut infused oil on top.
„Olivier gave me the recipe,” said Reine-Marie, turning down the light in the kitchen.
[…]
Gamache took a couple of spoonfuls of soup. It was smooth and earthy and just a touch sweet.
„Delicious,” he said to Reine-Marie, but his mind was elsewhere.

All ingredients for the

Parsnip and Apple Soup with a Drizzle of walnut-infused Oil

Parsnip and Apple Soup with a Drizzle of walnut-infused Oil

were fresh available. It is a very delicious soup. I served it as a main dish with English muffins

Parsnip and Apple Soup

Yield: 4 servings as a main

Parsnip and Apple Soup with a Drizzle of walnut-infused Oil

Parsnip and Apple Soup with a Drizzle of walnut-infused Oil is served twiced in the book The Nature of the Beast from Louise Penny

Ingredients

Walnut-Infused Oil

  • 60 grams walnut pieces
  • 60 ml walnut oil

SOUP

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 2 medium leeks, about 340 grams, light green and white parts cut into 3 cm length, washed
  • 70 grams celery root, peeled and diced, prepared weight
  • salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground
  • 340 grams parsnips, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 apples, Ulrike: Holsteiner Cox, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped, 325 grams prepared weight
  • 750 ml chicken broth
  • 30 ml orange juice
  • 1 lemon, the juice
  • 1/2 tsp. tumeric, ground; Ulrike: left out
  • 1/2 tsp. cardamom, ground
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, ground
  • 300 grams yoghurt, 3,8 % fat
  • 4 tbsp. chives, thinly sliced

SOURCE

Nature of the Feast

modified by from:
The Nature of the Feast

Method

  1. For the WALNUT-INFUSED OIL preheat the oven to 180 °C /350°F. Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and bake until well toasted, about 12 minutes. While still warm, add them along with
    the walnut oil to universal chopper * for the hand held blender. Process until the walnuts are very smooth. Scrape the walnut oil into a small bowl. Cover tightly and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours, but no longer.
  2. .For the SOUP heat the olive oil and butter in a 5-liter pot over medium-low heat just until the butter is foaming. Stir in the leeks and celery root. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, just until the leeks have softened, but not browned, about 8 minutes
  3. Add the parsnips and apples, reduce the heat to very low, and cover the pot. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the parsnips and apples have softened, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the broth, orange juice, lemon juice, turmeric, cardamom, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and adjust the heat so the soup is simmering. Cover and cook until all the vegetables are
    tender, about 20 minutes. Set the soup aside to cool slightly. Puree the cooled soup well with a hand held blender *. The soup may be made to this point up to 2 days in advance.
  5. Return the soup to the pot and reheat gently until simmering. Stir in the yogurt and chives just before serving. Spoon into warm soup bowls and drizzle some of the walnut oil over each serving

total time: 1 hour
prepararion time: 20 minutes
cooking/baking time: 40 minutes

 
 
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more recipes with parsnips
more Gamache inspired recipes at Küchenlatein:

Sautéed Beets With Pasta, Sage and Brown Butter

3 Antworten

I am not a huge fan of red beetroot. The taste is earthy. It feels to me like biting into a pile of soil. But there are yellow and red and white beetroots. I got some red and white beetroots

Ringelbeete

at the weekly market and enjoyed them as

Sautéed Beets With Pasta, Sage and Brown Butter

Sautéed Beets With Pasta, Sage and Brown Butter

Another advantage from red and whihte beets: the kitchen stays clean. A very tasty combination of sweetness, a hint of earthyness, nuttiness combined with sage. This is my first recipe from Mark Bittman. I have a food account from the New York Time, were I discovered this for me unusual recipe

Sautéed Beets With Pasta, Sage and Brown Butter

Yield: 2 – 3 servings

Sautéed Beets With Pasta, Sage and Brown Butter

Grated beets, sautéed in brown Butter and sage and served over Pasta

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 680 grams beets, peeled and grated; Ulrike: red and white beetroot
  • 20 fresh sage leaves
  • 160 grams Rigatoni

SOURCE

modified by from:
Mark Bittman in the NYT

Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions
  2. Put butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Heat butter until it turns nutty brown, then add the beets and sage leaves.
  3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beets are tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Garnish with Parmesan.

total time: 30 minutes
preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking/baking time: 10 – 12 minutes

 
 
* = Amazon Affiliate-Link

Photo Credit: I ♥ Cooking Clubs
October POTLUCK time!
 
 
 
 
For all other great IHCC October Potluck! entries visit the I heart cooking clubs site
 
 
 
 
 

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