Indian Shepherd's Pie

The other day, I decided that I did not want to go to the store, so I scrounged around to see what I had on hand. There was a pound of lean ground beef that I had purchased, meaning to make Korean burgers. A day later, this did not appeal to me. I also had some spinach and potatoes, along with my various spices. I decided that I would experiment and make an Indian version of shepherd's pie. I liked the result. My Hen was not as thrilled. I cheated and used instant mashed potatoes, and used too much water. The result was soupy.

Begin by boiling the potatoes, for mashing. I am constantly making the mistake of not letting the potatoes boil long enough. Do not do this. You can't mash a hard potato. Let the potatoes boil a bit before you begin to prepare the rest of the food. Once the potatoes have been mashed, set them aside. In a skillet heated on medium heat, add some oil. I used vegetable oil. I should have used ghee; but alas, I could not find it. Olive oil can also be used. Once the oil is hot, add a chopped onion, some minced garlic, and your spices. I used cumin, turmeric and garam masala. I like a lot of spice. Using a spatula, mix the spices with the onion and garlic. Then, add the lean ground beef. You can also use beef or lamb cubes. Once the meat has been browned, add the spinach. Okra would also be nice. Add the mashed potatoes to the skillet, and mix well. Add spices as needed and desired. I try not to use a lot of salt; but, many will want to add sea salt. If you feel the need for pepper, you can add that...but I like to let the other spices speak for themselves. You may also want to put the meat mixture in a casserole dish, and top with the mashed potatoes, making for a more traditional look.

The above is not the exact recipe I used; but, represents the improvements I will make the next time. I should have made real mashed potatoes.  I mixed some tandoori masala into the meat, and was less than thrilled with the result.

You can be as simple, or as complicated as you want with this dish. I chose simple. You can add yogurt, ginger, celery, tomatoes, lentils...the list goes on. Also, other spices and herbs can be added, such as paprika, basil, oregano or thyme. Cheese can also be added. This is a great recipe for using those odds and ends you have in the refrigerator.

I think you will enjoy this Indian touch to a much enjoyed dish. Namaste!

 

BURMA

The cuisine of Burma, now known as Myanmar, is a delightful blending of Chinese and Indian. You may wonder, at first, how the spices of these very different foods will blend. Let me tell you...wonderfully! Bring on the ginger powder and masalas...there's a party in the kitchen! The special guest is beef and okra, Burmese style!

I began with some vegetable oil heating on medium heat. I chopped up a sweet onion and added this with a lot of minced garlic, some ginger powder, turmeric. hot Hungarian paprika, chili powder garam masala, sesame oil, cumin and chopped chives. Saute the spices until the neighbors pound on the front door, drooling like zombies to get in. Then, add a couple of cups of beef stock, some cubed beef and a cup of rice and trimmed okra. Bring to a boil. Then, simmer with the lid on the skillet. I let this simmer for about 20 minutes. Just long enough to board up the windows.

The result? Intestinal happiness! As usual feel free to experiment with how much spice you use. I tend to use a lot.

Western Africa

My next stop was to Burkina Faso. This is a Western African country. Rather than trying to come up with something specific to Burkina Faso, I decided to cook food that would represent Western Africa. There are differences between the countries; but, with enough similarity for me to find something I liked. I decided to make peanut soup.

While I prepared the rice, I diced 2 large onions, a green bell pepper and a red bell pepper. Also a large sweet potato was peeled, and diced. A couple inches of ginger root was peeled and sliced. I used a can of crushed tomatoes, with the juice. All of this was cooked with a little oil in a large soup pan. After 5 minutes, I added a couple tablespoons of crushed garlic. This was cooked for 5 more minutes. Then, I put in 4 cups of water.

The above was cooked for 25 minutes. Then, I added about 4 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter. You can put in more or less. I prefer more. While this was cooking, I threw in some salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. I don't generally make exact measurements when cooking this type of food. personally, I like hot food; so, I put a lot in...stirred it...tasted it...and put more in. The amount you use is purely a matter of taste. About this time, the rice was done; so, I threw that in there too. If you want, you can throw in a cake of soft tofu and green onions. I did not. You will find that the more peanut butter you use, the thicker will be your soup. Mine ended up being a thick stew. In fact, I could have put on a plate instead of a bowl.

I ate this with lamb that was spiced hot, using salt, pepper, cayenne and minced garlic. I put about half a teaspoon of garlic on each lamb chop. This was broiled for about seven minutes. The inside was very red, and warm.

I love...love...LOVE the peanut soup. I think you will too.

BULGARIA

After being downed for a bit, I have finally made a new stop in my quest for World Domination. This week's stop was in Bulgaria. This Slavic Republic sits next to Romania; and, was one of the Gothic nations. Chock full of archeological treasures, Bulgarian cuisine is known for its rich salads, which hold a place of prominence at every table.

I decided to represent Bulgaria by making Gyuveche. This dish does not have any set ingrediants, other than some kind of meat, vegetables and Feta Cheese. This is a dish you make when you want to get rid of left overs. I used browned, lean ground beef for the meat. For the vegetables, I used tomatoes, mushrooms, a diced onion, whole black olives, and fresh parsley and basil. Of course, I topped this off with Feta cheese. I also added a thin layer of sharp cheddar cheese. The ingredients are layered, with the feta cheese going on top. After baking for about 20 minutes, in a preheated oven at 375, a whisked egg is added to the top, and cooked for about 5 more minutes. This will create a glaze. Two eggs would be good for a larger casserole. Mine was small.

The result is a nice meal, that doesn't cost much; and, there should be left overs. In fact, it is better the second time around. There are a couple of things I would have done differently. I would fry the onions before adding them. A lot of people cannot tolerate onions that are near raw. Frying them will make them palpable to just about anyone. I would have cooked it about 10 minutes longer, and covered it in foil, until the eggs were added. My result was good; but, the ingredients did not seem to exactly blend. Putting the leftovers in the fridge, and reheating it the next day took care of the problem. That's not to say my result was not good...but it could have been better.

If you decide to make this dish, experiment with the ingredients. This is your chance to get rid of some odds and ends in the fridge.

HEART FRIENDLY

Lately, I have been focusing on meals that are more heart friendly. The meals I have been making are actually pretty healthy; but, hey, we're not getting any younger you know.

Basically, I have been cutting down on that amount of salt that I use, along with using less butter.

I have discovered this, while shopping with a semi-vegan friend: http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/product/original-buttery-spread/. It has a nice, slightly nutty flavor. I use it in place of butter for sauteing. I will admit that I still put a little butter in the mix when making shrimp scampi...but even small improvements help.

I have also begun using Skim Plus milk and Half and Half.

BRUNEIAN CHICKEN

Brunei is a Southeast Asian sovereign state on the island of Borneo. It shares Borneo with Indonesia and Malaysia. Brunei is predominantly Muslim. This, and it neighboring countries gives Brunei an interesting cuisine. I have learned that they can do crazy things with a chicken and coconut milk.

I went with a Bruneian chicken recipe, based on a dish called "Beriani". I started with a pound of chicken thighs. I ground together a clove of garlic, a 2 inch piece of ginger, 2 Serrano peppers, seeds included, a tablespoon of poppy seeds, 10 cashew nuts and 10 almonds. In a skillet, I heated some ghee. You can find ghee at an Indian market. You can also use olive oil, or vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, fry up 5 cloves, a 2 inch piece of Cinnamon and a cup of sliced shallots. In goes the chicken, a little salt, and a teaspoon of curry powder. Stir this up, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Here comes the fun part...I put a can of coconut milk in a pot, and added a little more than a cup of basmati rice. Add in a little salt. I can't describe how good rice is when it cooked in coconut milk. Heat until the rice absorbs the coconut milk. After a little bit, I added just a little bit of water. The coconut milk is a little thick, and needed to be thinned out a bit. Then, I put the rice in the skillet with the chicken, and simmered it for about fifteen minutes.

This is a very tasty meal. To make it VERY tasty, add larger amounts of the spices.

BRAZILIAN SHRIMP STEW

The dish I prepared to represent Brazil is shrimp stew. I upped the cayenne and coconut milk factors, creating a dish that, after a little cilantro was added, could have just as easily been found on a Thai menu.

I have finally come to the point where I view recipes as suggestions, as opposed to strict instructions. This view would not work with baking...which may be why baking has never appealed to me. This particular recipe was not my first attempt at making a Brazilian dish. The others were rather bland; so, I decided to take a Brazilian dish, and pop up the volume by adding three times the cayenne.

I thawed out a pound of raw shrimp and removed the tails. In a bowl, I mixed some black pepper, salt, garlic and lemon juice. I rolled the shrimp around in this, and let it set while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. In olive oil,I sauteed one medium onion chopped and a green bell pepper chopped, for about eight minutes. I then poured in the cayenne...about a teaspoon and a half...maybe a little bit more. A little chopped cilantro followed. Stir this up and cook for a minute or two. Then, I added a can of diced tomatoes, juice and all. I let this simmer for about ten minutes. I added a can of coconut milk and boiled; then, added the shrimp. This was alowed to boil for about five minutes. On the side, I was preparing some basmati rice. After the rice came to a boil, I added some cayenne, and a little coconut milk. I have found that it is a good idea to introduce a little of the spices you use in a dish to the rice. Put a little garlic in there too. Now, get a bowl, put in some rice, and spoon some of the shrimp stew on top of the rice. The result is pure wonderfulness!

This recipe belongs on my personal list of favorite dishes. It is both hot, and a little sweet. It could work equally well as a Spanish dish; or, as an Asian side, served with a broiled whole fish, spiced up.