Traditional Shepherd's Pie (STLCC-Culinary)

Traditional Shepherd's Pie as cooked at STLCC Culinary Program:

SHEPARD’S PIE

Yield: 6

INGREDIENTS:

            15 oz               Lamb stock (or light beef stock)

            1 oz                 Dried wild mushrooms

            1 ½ lb              New red potatoes, cut into medium dice

            4 ea                  Garlic clove, minced

            8 oz                 Sweet butter

            2 oz                 Heavy cream

            1 oz                 Scallion, finely chopped

            1 ½ tblsp         Parsley, chopped

            To taste           Salt and black pepper

            4 oz                 Onion, medium dice

            6 oz                 Button mushrooms, sliced

            1 ½ lb              Ground lamb

            1 oz                 All-purpose flour

            4 oz                 Dry sherry

            1 tsp                Dried thyme

`           15 oz               Corn kernels

           

METHOD:

1. Bring the lamb stock to a boil and add the wild mushrooms.  Remove from heat and let rest.
2. Place the potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Cook until the potatoes are tender, remove from the heat, and mash until smooth.
3. Stir into the mashed potatoes, one third of the butter, heavy cream, green onions, and parsley.  Mix until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.  Reserve.
4. Heat half the remaining butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat and sauté the onions and button mushrooms for 3-4 minutes until the onions become translucent.
5. Add the ground lamb and continue to cook until it is browned.
6. Strain the wild mushrooms from the stock and finely chopped.  Reserve the stock and mushrooms until needed.
7. Sprinkle the flour over the lamb mixture and stir until incorporated,
8. Cook while stirring over medium heat for 3 minutes.
9. Add the sherry and the reserved wild mushrooms and stock.
10. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly.
11. Add the thyme.  Season with salt and pepper.
12. Melt the remaining butter in another sauté pan over medium heat and add the corn kernels.  Sauté the corn for approximately 5 minutes or until tender.  Season.
13. Spoon the lamb mixture into a slightly greased baking dish and spread mixture evenly on the bottom of the dish.
14. Spread the sautéed corn kernels over the lamb.
15. Spread the potatoes over the corn kernels.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Fish Marinade

Simple little marinade I wrote and used last year (2008) when my brother and father returned from a Salmon Fishing trip to the Great Lakes.

Grilled over a medium heat and used wood chips in a packet.

Fish Marinade

1 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 Cup Chardonay

1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

4 tspn. Old Bay Seasoning

4 tspn. Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 tspn. Liquid Smoke (Hickory or Mesquite)

1 Tbl. of Sea Salt

2 tspn. Parsley Flakes

2 tspn. Garlic Powder

1 tspn. Onion Powder

2 tspn. Crushed Red Pepper

Zest of 1 Lime or Lemon (Sqeeze Juice into marinade)

Blend all ingredients and pour over fish until it is covered, let marinade for 30-45 minutes. Preheat grill to 400 degrees F. Place heavy foil on grill surface and on foil that fish will be placed on, spray with or brush with Olive Oil. Using Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper season fish and place Lime or Lemon slices on fish while cooking.

Grill or smoke fish until done, fish will flake with a fork.(About 12-15 minutes)

Enough Marinade for 4-5 6oz. fresh fish portions.

Suggested sides: serve with Wild Rice medley, Steamed Vegetable Medley, Fresh Garden Salad, and Garlic Bread along with a lemon wedge as garnish.

Life, Food, Love, & Flavor

From my earliest age, Food was always a part of my life. I cooked my first time by myself when I was around 7 years of age. I was not supposed to but being raised on a farm in Central IL, everyone one who could have prepared a meal was out farming. So I being a master culinaire of PBJ, Cheese Sandwiches (Velveeta), and the classic Mayo or Butter Sandwiches, decided that I wanted a hamburger!

I got my pan out, turned on my mother's ancient gas stove, pattied out a rather large raw meat hamburger and began to pan fry it. It browned quickly and I thought it was done...

Wrong... This was the most raw burger I have ever seen since!

But from there things have gotten better. I then was encouraged to take a project in 4-H of cooking, there I perfected the cooking of Peanut Butter Cookies, and got a blue ribbon at the county fair. My mother taught me alot about cooking, then there were my Grandmothers, one a farmers wife and the other suburban housewife, who grew up in Chicago. Both lived thru the depression, gardened, cooked real home cooked meals, both for large families or lots of farm hands. It was at their sides, I learned to cook immense amounts of food with lots of flavor, lots of love, and to live life.

Whether it was preparing a meal for the farm hands, a family dinner for a holiday, birthday, or some church dinner, there was always some reason to cook table fulls of food. I would be remiss in mentioning where I came from in Audobon Township, I think we had more than our far share of great country cooks. When there was not a family dinner, holiday, or birthday party, there was some gathering requiring lots of food; The Fox & Coyote Drive, Chilli Supper, Oyster Supper, Pancake & Sausage Breakfast, etc. There was not a lady in the county or township who would not share her recipes proudly!

Then there was the many funeral dinners, that I went to, this being a small town community, when someone died, there was food to be taken to the home of the deceased, the church where the funeral dinner was held. Then there was the various dinners, pot lucks, and such when there was a holiday, season change, or revival. So I had plenty of opportunity to sample great foods prepared with lots of love for others.

This has given me a great deal of love for food, people, life, and flavor. I discovered many years ago, that the best food was prepared with lots of love and if there is no love, I have found it is edible but that the unique flavor imbued in the food is not there! I have no scientific proof of this ingredient called love, but I have my experiences.

I have always cooked, for my family, friends, and dates. I love cooking and from my father, who by the way knows his way around a kitchen, campfire, and grill; I learned to be experimental and to throw things together to make tasty meals. This gave me a love of creating my own recipes. Recently, I have began to write down my creations and one day, I hope to publish a cookbook. Additionally, my father's Aunt Viginia and her husband Uncle Dale owned the Morrisonville Cafe for many years, I saw how people loved them and swore by their food, they in turn loved the people who they cooked for. My late Grandfather, (father's father) was a master on the grill, when he passed away in 1993, I recieved his grill and used it for many years until it was stolen from my patio. My family already has a simple cookbook put together of family & friends recipes.

Please enjoy this blog as I post my recipes in the future, along with pictures of the completed foods. Should you ever need any clarifications, have questions, please feel free to ask me. I can also search for recipes should you wish to cook something and do not have the recipe. Great cooking and enjoy a flavorful life full of love and great food!