When most people talk about pie you might assume they are talking about the 'pie' that involves 2 layers of pastry with a savory or sweet filling in between... and that type of pie I love! As I've said before anything cooked in pastry is good...especially my Aunties apple pie....no one on the planet makes apple pie like hers...not even me!...Mary Berry eat your heart out is all I'm saying!Pies are defined by their pastry crusts.....a bottom crust.....a top crust....or a double crust as in top and bottom.... but then we get on to pies that are not 'pies' like 'Cottage Pie', more commonly known as 'Shepherd's Pie' around here, as in here in Ireland. This is a prime example of a pie with not an ounce of pastry in sight!
'Cottage pie' is a very English thing, reportedly originating among the working or the servant class, through necessity rather than a desire for something tasty and filling!
The exact history of the origins of such 'pies' are unknown but I have a theory that the dish probably originated in the 'big' houses where an economically minded 'lady of the house' made sure that the cook pressed every bit of leftover food from the families dinner table into another use.....that use being to feed the servants, of course!
No whole joints such as a tenderloin of pork, a crown of lamb, a sirloin of beef or a haunch of venison would have appeared on the table in the servants hall, there may have been the occasional piece of tough mutton or beef silver-side boiled to within an inch of its life, but stews using the cheapest pieces of meat were the order of the day....servants were not there to get 'fat' on their masters good graces!
The old Cottage Pie was a good way to use up leftover roast meats or meat that was left on the bone after the 'family' had done with the joint. This leftover meat was scraped off the bone and no doubt lots of gristle with it, then minced down and mixed with whatever vegetables were available, gravy remains from the table, and topped with a potato crust, which would have been much cheaper than pastry which would have involved flour and fat etc.....and the cooks time! Such dishes would have been made by the under-cook or kitchen maid anyway who might not have possessed the necessary skills to make a good pastry.In the homes of the working tenant farmers or 'cottagers', Cottage pie was usually made from beef, and 'Shepherds' pie, which is the more familiar name to us here in Ireland, was made from mutton or lamb...hence the name 'shepherd'. Again this 'pie' was topped with potatoes, which were cheap, rather than pastry, yet it was still called 'pie'.
These days though, mutton would be very hard to come by, I can't even remember the last time I would have seen mutton for sale, I'm sure it was in the late 1980's, it probably went out of fashion along with tripe!
Nowadays you can buy 'shepherds pie' in convenience form, ready for the oven or microwave ready, it may even have lamb in it, but if recent media scandals are anything to go by your guess would be as good as mince....sorry, I mean mine! when it comes to identifying exactly what is in it!
Shepherds pie is a dish that everyone seems to love. It combines tasty flavors with all those things that sum up great comfort such as mashed potatoes, a nice rich gravy and an easy to eat meat.
Young and old seem to love it and it would have been one of the first 'adult' dishes my children would have eaten as toddlers.
When people make a popular family dish like shepherds pie at home, they tend to make it with minced beef, but I find that beef can get a bit boring after a while.
As we all love shepherds pie so much in our house, it is usually on the menu every week. I try to mix things up a little by varying the fillings and toppings while sticking to the basic idea.
As I'm all for equality I re-named my version of the classic to 'shepherdess pie'!
While the shepherd went out roaming the hills and tending his flock his wife would have been at home tending to her household and her domestic animals, namely the pigs....such was the inspiration for this dish!
Minced pork is now readily available in every supermarket and butchers shop and is at least half the price of buying beef! You can either buy it pre weighed or you can ask your butcher to mince some for you, remember minced pork loin, as well as being more expensive, could end up being rather dry so I would suggest you ask for pork shoulder or leg of pork, these cuts have slightly darker meat and retain more moisture during cooking, but either way minced pork is lean enough to be healthy, full of flavour and cooks a mite quicker and with more guaranteed tenderness than beef!
Not only does minced pork make great meatballs and burgers it makes an excellent pie!
Shepherd's pie is great for using up bits and bobs of vegetables or even leftover cooked vegetables #wastenot I say. You can also add things like green or red lentils, any type of cooked bean that you fancy like chickpeas or black-eyed beans or even kidney beans......the choice is yours, raid the cupboard and be imaginative
So for my Shepherdess Pie.......
You will need: to feed 4 people
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
400 g lean minced pork
1 medium white onion
150 g peeled carrot
150 g peeled turnip
100 g mushrooms
4 tablespoons brown sauce (optional)
Worcestershire sauce or Tabasco sauce
2 pints chicken stock (or you can use water)
cornflour/gravy powder/gravy granules
1 kg peeled potatoes...use 'white' potatoes or maris pipers, something that is a dry fluffy potato
50g butter
100ml single cream
salt/pepper
1 bunch spring onions (scallions)50 g good strong cheddar grated
How to:
- Dice the onion, carrot and turnip into nice bite sized pieces and set aside
- cut the mushrooms in half and set aside
- remove the roots from the scallions and any other not nice bits, finely slice then wash them, drain well, pat dry on kitchen paper and set aside
- quarter or cut the potatoes into even sizes and place in a saucepan, cover with cold water and put on to cook
- in a deep casserole pot like a cuisinier pot...my favourite receptacle..in which you can also cook your pie....(if you don't have one then use a saucepan to prepare and an oven proof pie dish to cook the pie in).....heat the sunflower oil and fry the pork mince until lightly browned, add the vegetables and fry for a few moments more to start them cooking but don't brown them too much
- add the chicken stock or water, bring to the boil and put a lid on the pot
- turn the heat down and let it simmer away for about 10-15 minutes, by then the vegetables should be almost cooked
- while the meat is cooking, melt the butter gently in a saucepan, when the butter is melted add the cream and bring to the boil, turn the heat off immediately and add the scallions....the heat from the cream will help cook the scallions, add some salt and pepper to taste
- when the meat is cooked add the brown sauce and either the worcester or tabasco sauce or leave it out if that's your taste, personally I like the worcester for its bite but if you like a bit of heat then tabasco is your thing!
- there should be sufficient liquid left to make the gravy, if you like a lot of gravy then add a little more water, bring to the boil and thicken with whatever method you prefer. I am a fan of the gravy granule for its speed, again...check the label for those unnecessary naughty additives and choose wisely!
- now if you are using a ceramic or cast iron pie dish, pour your meat mix into it, if using the casserole then your already set. Turn the heat off and let it cool a little until the gravy begins to set on top, the underneath will still retain its heat.
- when the potatoes are cooked, mash them or pass them through a potato ricer if you are that way inclined! to see what a potato ricer looks like CLICK HERE.
- now that your potatoes are smooth you can add the cream and scallions, and grated cheese, mix really well then have another test for seasoning
- take your mash and start spooning it gently in small amounts not big dollops! on to the top of your meat, use a fork to help you spread the potato around, try not to press down too hard as the potato will sink into the meat, we want a crust not a stew!
- now place the whole thing in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees centigrade and cook until the top is nice and golden brown, be prepared for the gravy to start bubbling up around the sides when it gets hot so a tray beneath might be a good idea!
- when its cooked serve straight from the dish and enjoy!
Chefs notes:
1 kilo may seem like an awful lot of potatoes but we want to have a good deep crust on top, this is a one pot dish after all and you may be able to feed five or six from this if you cook some extra vegetables!If you want you can put the grated cheese on top of the potatoes rather than in them.
There's no reason why you can't serve something like this up at a dinner party or a supper for friends....you could make them in advance in little individual dishes and just cook them when needed. You could even pipe the mashed potatoes prettily on top in rows, a nice spiral or rosettes.
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