Casseroles

Shepherd’s Pie

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I am half English and grew up eating (and loving) Shepard’s Pie. Every family has their own version of this comfort food! Since I have started cooking, I have created my own version of Shepard’s Pie and I am not sure my Dad is on board with it quite yet (as a good Brit, he does not boast the chili-belly that I inherited from my mother who was raised in Venezuela). I use both lamb and beef, my mother only used beef, generally called Cottage Pie, because she does not care for lamb. You can use whichever you prefer. One day soon I will make it the old-fashioned (and delicious) way by making a stew with the meat, but for now I typically stick with this quicker version for the weekdays. There are a million variations to this and you can try whatever you like (I can’t wait to). You ca:  use mashed sweet potatoes for higher nutrition; use garlic mashed potatoes; make cheesy potatoes, you can use mashed potatoes, parsnips, and turnips; add whatever veggies you would like (or have on hand).  Shepherd’s Pie can literally be whatever your heart desires.

I tend to use lamb because it is leaner (and also the authentic Shepherd’s Pie meat); also, I like to top it with garlic mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. In my mashed potatoes, I sub a good amount of chicken broth for the milk to lower the calories and alleviate dairy-related complications. I also like my meat layer to be pretty saucey so that you can mix the juice with the potatoes.  So this is the version you are getting.

Shepherd’s Pie

For Meat Layer 

One tablespoon Olive oil
One large onion, diced
Four ounces pancetta, small dice (optional)
One large carrot, peeled and chopped
Six cloves garlic, minced
One pound ground lamb (or substitute half with another ground meat)
One cup beef broth (can sub chicken)
Worcestershire
Small handful of sun-dried tomatoes, minced (optional)
Small dash of red wine (optional and to taste)
One to two tablespoons tomato paste ( I like to use about 1.5 and I also like to use sun-dried tomato paste)
Season to taste with the following: Italian seasoning; garlic; salt; white pepper; crushed red pepper flakes, fresh thyme and rosemary (optional)
Two cups frozen peas

For Potatoes

Two pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Three tablespoons unsalted butter
One-Third cup milk (any fat content)
One-half Cup Chicken Broth (adjust more to reach desired consistency)
Kosher salt to taste
Four to Six Cloves Roasted Garlic (can sub garlic paste or just garlic powder)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
One-half Cup Aged Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
One cup Green onions
Sprinkle of Paprika

Note: If you have a large, oven-proof stove-top dish, feel free to use it to make the meat layer and then be the baking vestibule (then you wont lose any flavor).

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the pancetta and brown. Then add the onion, garlic, carrot and saute for a few minutes. Add meat and cook until brown for a few minutes. Add the Worcestershire, Wine, Broth, Sun-Dried tomato paste, herbs and seasoning and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the peas, stir well and reserve.

Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain. Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, broth, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread them over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork. Sprinkle mashed potatoes with paprika (and cayenne or Sriracha if desired). Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove and top with cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes more (when crust is golden, cheese is melted, and meat stew is boiling). Once you remove the pie, top with green onions (or Chives) and let cool for a few minutes. Serve and Enjoy!

*You can add crispy shallots as garnish as well for a bit of texture.

Green Bean Casserole

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Who doesn’t love Green Bean Casserole? I have been (not-so-secretly) pining to do a dinner consisting of ham, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes and other veggies. I was partially satiated over Easter weekend. We spent a great weekend with D’s family and there were two HUGE hams….D literally ALWAYS wants scalloped potatoes, so I decided to make those and my green bean casserole. I was happy as a clam. Incidentally, I do not think that I have ever had green bean casserole made with canned beans. I always use fresh. Additionally, I usually make my own cream of mushroom soup when I have the time so that I do not have to fill my body (and the bodies of everyone eating) with all the bad things in the processed kind, but this version will be featuring partially processed food. In fact, this sauce is a hybrid of  “made from scratch” and processed – I was trying to use up some cream that was set to expire the next weekend and did not want to buy more because I was shopping at HEB versus my usual stores. Ergo, I did not have quite enough of the ingredients I needed to make the sauce entirely from scratch. Also, I usually fry my own shallots as toppers to my casserole but used the canned french-fried onions in this version. As I was a guest in someone’s house and had already made a good mess (and they had company) so I just wanted to save time and the mess and go the easy, processed route. My apologies to the health nuts and you are welcome to those in a time crunch.

  • 4 Cups fresh green beans, sliced into one inch pieces (and washed)
  • 2 cups fresh mushrooms, halved
  • 5 large shallots, thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup cream
  • 4 TBSP butter
  • Red Pepper flakes, to taste
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • Handful of French Fried Onions or Fried Shallots
  • Chicken Broth

Boil Green Beans in Chicken Broth (or water with chicken bouillon) until slightly underdone (about 8 minutes) and then transfer immediately to an ice bath. Reserve some of the chicken broth.

In a pan, saute the shallots, garlic, red pepper, and mushrooms in the butter (salt and pepper to season). Add a splash of white wine, cream and mushroom soup and allow to reduce (add pepper and other seasoning to taste). Once the texture is as you like it (I like mine in a semi-tick sauce – combine with green beans and top with fried onions. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Scalloped Potatoes – Twice – Yikes

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Friday night. I have the flu. D and I go to my mom’s house so that she can take care of me and the boys can have man time with horseshoes. Mom tells me that she is making one of my favorite English meals – Bubbles and Squeak. 30 minutes later a phone call delivers the horrifying news that corned beef has been recalled and is incredibly hard to find in America (and that if it is found, we may contract some disease). Well crud! That was literally the only thing I wanted in the world. Plan B was pieced together from what she had already bought at the store preparing for Bubble and Squeak and their dinner the next night – steaks. Daddy was thrilled because he loves steak and potatoes. My Heart was broken. Somehow this whole “Andi is sick and needs to lay down and be taken care of” turned into Dalt and Daddy pleading with me to make scalloped potatoes and me scrounging through my parents pantry and fridge to acquiesce. Then, the very next day, D and I decided to stay the night again and I had to make an additional dish for me (I do not eat pork and that was on the menu for the evening) so we ended up at the Super S – which was like  a culture shock for me – and the pasta I was making turned into Dalton saying, ” You know if you wanted to make scalloped potatoes again, I would eat them.” So, for the second time in two days, I made scalloped potatoes – these were different than the night before, I have included both recipes. D was so excited about his leftover potatoes – Daddy only had me leave him enough for one small lunch serving so the rest went into a Ziploc for D. Alas, they were left behind (and yes this means that I have to make scalloped potatoes again in the near future to make up for it – those are going to have oven-baked onion rings on them).

Friday Night

  • Chicken Broth
  • 4 red potatoes – sliced up to a quarter inch thick
  • Mozzarella, Shredded
  • Cheddar Cheese (aged 2 years or more). shredded
  • Monterrey Jack, Shredded
  • Sherry
  • Shallots
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme – to taste
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • 2 percent milk, Half and Half, or Cream
  • Mushrooms
  • Bacon Bits

In a stock pot, bring water to a boil (I like to use a bit of better than broth bouillon for extra flavor). Once a rolling boil has been achieved, add sliced potatoes and boil under fork tender. Strain and return to pot.

Melt butter, Saute garlic and minced shallots with flour and crushed red pepper. Once a light roux is formed, add sherry and cook until alcohol is just cooked out. Add a bit of broth and the milk and allow to thicken. Season with desired amounts of cayenne, salt, pepper, and the thyme. Add in cheeses a handful at a time allowing time for the cheese to melt into the mixture. Keep on low heat.

In another saute pan, heat butter or oil and then add mushrooms and sliced onions. Cook until glassy.

In a buttered, oven-safe dish begin to place one potato round down to cover bottom of pan. Spoon some of the cheese mixture over the bottom layer and spread to cover well. Add sauteed mushrooms, onions, and some bacon bits on top, then repeat this process (potatoes, cheese mixture, mushroom mixture) until the potatoes are gone and the layers are complete. Top the top layer with some shredded cheese and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake in the oven on 350 until bubbly and brown on top. I like to add a little bit of chicken broth around the sides to just keep the dish moist. Top with green onions (if you have – which I did not this night) after removal from the oven.

Saturday Night

It is a little interesting that one sauce seems more authentic than the other. This one uses a can of cheddar cheese soup and some freshly shredded cheddar cheese (I did not have either the night before) in addition to the ingredients from the first night. I also used Green Onions. I omitted as many mushrooms because I needed to save some for my dad for breakfast the next day.

To make this version, follow previous instruction adding the cheddar cheese soup to the cheese/milk mixture. Chop green onions and sprinkle in layers along with bacon, onion, and mushroom mixture. Everything else is fairly similar. In this version you can reduce the amount of flour that you use because the soup will thicken it.

Broccoli, Chicken, Cheese Casserole in Andiland

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This was amazing…I mean amazing. Thank God I can eat Broccoli again. I made this up on a cold night at the lake, a budget, and limited to HEB (obviously did not make up broccoli cheese casserole but this is the recipe that I put together in my head for the way that I like to eat). It was delicious and the most satisfying broccoli cheese casserole I have ever had. Yum…I wish I could have thirds. Just thought I would share – great for a big group because it is relatively cheap and also gluten free/vegetarian optional!!! This is a great pantry meal – all you need is fresh broccoli and mushrooms (if you have leftover chicken or frozen chicken) and a great way to use up leftovers or whatever veg needs to be cooked.

Broccoli, Chicken, Cheese CasseroleServes 4-6

2 lbs Roasted Broccoli,  chopped
5 large Shallots, diced
4 cloves chopped garlic
chicken (shredded), as much as you want/have (for a vegetarian option, omit chicken)
Shredded cheese (I used a blend of jack and cheddar because it is what I had) I used about a half cup on the inside and then shredded the remainder of the cheese on top of the casserole
cream of chicken soup*
cream of mushroom soup or Portabella Mushroom Soup
12 mushrooms sliced (optional)
Basmati rice (1 cup)
Chicken Stock (2 cups)
1-3 table spoon butter- to taste or fat content preferences (sorry I am not Paula Deen here)
2 tablespoons milk or cream – or more to consistency preference
Pam or olive oil spray
crushed red pepper (optional), pus other seasoning as desired
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
handful of your favorite breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

*You can use any combo of cream of chicken, mushroom, broccoli – I have successfully used Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken, as well as using Organic Mushroom Soup. You could also use Broccoli Cheddar soup if it is in the pantry. Imagine or Pacific Organic Soups are great in this if you have those in the pantry.

Preheat oven to375

Cook rice with chicken stock until done.

Option one: Steam broccoli whilst simultaneously shredding chicken and cheese. Once tender to a fork toss all ingredients with tad bit of salt and lots of pepper. Option two: roast broccoli with some sliced shallot and garlic, toss with lemon zest (this can be done in a greased baking dish that you will bake the casserole in). I highly recommend option two if you have the time. Place cooked broccoli in a greased baking dish with shredded chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, and flaxseed.

Sauté onions and garlic – properly seasons – for a couple minutes in butter. Add the mushrooms and crushed red pepper if using. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are almost browned. After a few minutes, add the soup, additional seasoning such as garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, black pepper – to the onion mixture. Add a tablespoon of butter and let heat a bit whilst waiting for the rice to cook. Once done, add sauce to broccoli, chicken, cheese and sun-dried tomato mixture. Add the rice to the mixture and then season to preference. Add two tablespoons cream or chicken broth (to keep the rice moist whilst baking and then stir well, flatten the top and then shred cheese over the top. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, cayenne and paprika and then place in an oven preheated to 425. Bake about 30 minutes or until cheese is golden and melted and sauce is bubbling.

Variations…that I am going to test out very soon… I personally think it would be good with tomatoes baked on top or topped with crispy prosciutto or fried shallots. I also think it would be fantastic stuffed inside tomatoes and baked as leftover meal the next day with a twist. =) you can add as many veggies as you like or use whatever you have on hand – I think zucchini would be good, though I would not steam it first so that it retains some bite. Steamed golden beets and carrots would not add much flavor (and a little sweetness) to the dish even though they would increase the nutrient level and allow you to use them up if you need to. If you do not have chicken, then leave it out no worries!