Category Archives: Dinner

Shepherd’s Pie another way, recipe from Guest cook: Caelin

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My friend Caelin is Carrie Bradshaw; she loves shoes, drinks out, writing, and she may or may not use her oven as a sweater warmer more often than for food. Oka, okay she is not actually Carrie Bradshaw, mostly because she does not have mysterious source of shoe-income, does not live in New York, does not have a TERRIBLE love life (Dave is lovely, did Carrie ever even have a British bloke?), and well, that might be it. In any case, she has one food recipe that she can make and she proposed we make it together for the blog, Gordon Ramsey’s (ha! of course) Shepherd’s Pie. It was delightful! The making of the food involved the requisite alcohol consumption, great night, 10/10, will do again. Oh, also check out her blog! The Life and Lies of Caelin Charge, she’s cool.

Gordon Ramsey’s Shepherd’s Pie

This recipe is tasty, and a different style than my previous shepherd’s pie. It’s funny, when Gen and I first started dating I made him a super simple shepherd’s pie, similar to my original post, he LOVED it but said he could do better. Months later he cooked up a tomato-based shepherd’s pie that was… terrible is not the right word, not-as-good is more like it. Anyway, with this memory, I was reluctant about the tomato in this recipe, but it was good, warm, homey. Also, I know, I know it’s Shepherd’s Pie when made with lamb, it’s a Cottage Pie when made with beef, and apparently it’s a purist’s dream when made with sheep, but for familiarity’s sake, we are calling it Shepherd’s Pie, even if you choose beef.

Ingredients

Meat

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1.5 lbs ground lamb or beef
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 1 large onion (any colour), diced
  • 1 stalk of celery, diced
  • 1/2 tsp fresh Rosemary (or 1/4 tsp dried)
  • 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (or crushed in a press… Caelin and Dave have THE WORST GARLIC PRESS EVER)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 small can of tomato paste
  • 1/2 (up to 3/4) cup of your favourite red wine (also known as a few glugs)
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock

Potatoes

  • 1.5 lbs of your favourite potatoes, we made it with reds this time, skin on!
  • 1/4 cup of cream
  • 3 1/2 tbsp butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Cube your potatoes, boil some water with a pinch of salt, add your potatoes, boil for 15 minutes, until tender. In the meantime start your meat section.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  3. In a hot, large pan, add your olive oil and ground lamb or beef. Stir over medium-high heat to brown the meat, as you are stirring, break the meat up with your spoon until it is in small pieces and fairly even. Add your rosemary, thyme, and garlic, and continue stirring. Add your carrot, onion, and celery, and continue stirring over medium heat until everything is nice and fragrant and well-combined.
  4. Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, and red wine, stirring well to evenly combine. Allow the mixture to cook down over medium heat for a few minutes.
  5. Add the chicken stock and allow the mixture to cook down again for 3-5 minutes.
  6. While the meat mixture is simmering, strain your potatoes, add the cream, butter, salt and pepper, and half (1/2 cup) of the parmesan cheese, and mash well to combine and smooth.
  7. Spread the meat evenly in the bottom of an 8 x 8 casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
  8. Cook in the 400°F oven for 18-20 minutes, until the meat is bubbling and the potatoes have golden bits.

Stirring, cooking down, tasting, salt and peppering as needed.

Lovely layers of deliciousness. DIG IN (oh, wait, this was before we put it in the oven… cook for 18-20, then dig in)

Gen’s Birthday Pizza

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Gen’s birthday was on Saturday and he asked for pizza, yum. I whipped up an easy and delicious pizza dough and topped it with simple ingredients. It was an great way to spend a Saturday night.

Pizza

Ingredients

  • 4.5 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 cups warm water (not hot, don’t kill the yeast)
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp white sugar

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, olive oil, salt, sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine.
  3. Using a strong wooden spoon (I stress this because I broke my Kel’s favourite) or your dough hook (if you have a mixer), mix until a dough that pulls away from the bowl has formed. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
  4. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Roll into desired shape (I had no pizza pans so I used my cookie sheet covered with parchment paper). Cover with your favourite toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. This recipe makes two pretty huge cookie sheet pizzas, so we froze one of the balls of dough for later.

Soft pillows of dough.

My favourite toppings?

» Good tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil.
» Kalamata olives, marinated artichokes, feta, (roasted red peppers are great here too).
Brush your prepared dough with some olive oil, use the artichoke liquid if you are feeling feisty. This actually helps to prevent the crust from getting soggy. This also makes the pizza leftovers (if there are any) freeze well.

Oh yes, and one of the best parts of getting packages from my parents is the fantastic drawings my dad does on the outside.

Portobello Fries with Basil Aioli

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I found this recipe a couple years ago and have only made it a handful of times since, which is silly because it is delicious and easy. These ‘fries’ are crunchy and juicy (the mushroom is juicy… this is a good thing) and are the perfect vehicle for the surprize star of the show, the basil aioli. Now, I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I make some tasty mayonnaise and it is made even better with the addition of a handful of basil, some garlic, and lemon. Don’t be afraid of making mayonnaise, it’s easy and WAY better than store bought. But, if fooling around with raw eggs isn’t your thing (or if you are vegan), by all means, buy some, just don’t let anything stop you from making these!

Baked Portobello Fries with Basil Aioli

Lightly adapted from this gorgeous blog’s recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of panko bread crumbs (other bread crumbs will do, I just had these on hand)
  • 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese or pecarino
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp of oregano
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 portobellos
  • 3 large eggs, beaten (or to veganize, use dijion mustard and no cheese… or daiya, as suggested to me by my great friend, Lauren!)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray (I was at a friends, we made do with aluminum foil and olive oil, but I don’t recommend that).
  2. On a plate, mix together the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
  3. In a small to medium bowl, beat the eggs.
  4. Cut the portobello mushrooms into 1/4″ slices.  One by one, dip the portobello slices in the beaten eggs and transfer to the place with the bread crumb mixture, being sure to coat the mushrooms thoroughly.  Place the bread crumb covered mushrooms on the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, checking on them after 10 and flipping them to ensure thorough baking.

Basil Aioli

  • 1 room-temperature egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp mustard (your favourite kind)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • your favourite oil (remembering strong-tasting oils like olive oil will make your mayo taste like that flavour)
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar (more to taste, depending on your tang levels)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ cup packed basil leaves
  • ½ tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 medium garlic clove, pressed
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Mayo-making time! I will do a picture tutorial for this, just not today. In a tall, clean container (a jar works), put your egg yolk and a half of the egg white (discard the rest of the white). Add your mustard and some salt and pepper. Using a hand blender (easiest way by far, but you can also use a whisk or a food processer or a blender) blend the egg a bit. Slowly drizzle in oil. You will see the mayo coming together (emulsifying). Once you’ve reached a consistency and amount that you like (it will grow forever, more oil = more mayo), add the vinegar and mix it together. You may want to add a little bit more oil at this point to thicken it up a bit more, as the vinegar might loosen the mayo. Taste, adjust as needed.
  2. Now that you have delicious homemade mayo, make it into aioli!
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Stir well. Chop the basil well and add into the aioli, at this point you can hand-blend it quickly to make a nice smooth dip, or stir the basil through for big bites of basil flavour.

Ready to be baked!

Munch time!

I was over at Caelin’s for this recipe… so of course there was Jamesons.

Seared Scallops on Quinoa Risotto

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Oh yes, this is an amazing dinner. I could bathe in this risotto and use the scallops for pillows. This recipe doesn’t make quite that much, but it happily filled our bellies and left more lunch tomorrow, huzzah! I bought the scallops weeks ago in anticipation of this meal but just hadn’t had a chance to gather the rest of the ingredients. The final touch was a batch of fiddleheads, which I have heard of, seen, but have never made. I used quinoa for this risotto because we have a lot of it on hand and I thought it would be something unique, and it worked perfectly.

Gen’s quote, “It was tasty and cheesy, I liked the cheesiness and the fiddleheads. I liked the lemon zest, could’ve even used more. Make it again please!” It’s true, I used less lemon zest then intended, largely because I don’t have a zester and I had to make do, but also because I am hesitant about citrus in savoury dishes… well it ROCKED in this dish, so yes, there will be more zest next time, because I am definitely making this again!

Quinoa Fiddlehead Risotto

Adapted from this lovely Vogue recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of quinoa, rinsed
  • 3 tbsp of butter
  • 1 large onion (I used yellow, but any colour will work)
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 cup of white wine
  • 1-1.5 litres of homemade chicken stock (or vegetables stock)
  • 1 1/4 cup of fiddleheads (one package at 10oz)
    • Alternatively/also you can use asparagus
  • 1 cup of frozen peas
  • 2 cups grated parmesan (throw the rind in during cooking for extra flavour)
  • 1 lemon’s worth of zest and juice (wash the lemon to remove any wax)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 chives or any green herbs roughly chopped

Directions

  1. Thoroughly wash fiddleheads with cold water (at least three times) removing as much of the brown papery stuff as possible. Trim the ends. Bowl a pot of water and add the fiddleheads, boil for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse. (Do not be alarmed if the boiling water is dark brown, it is not to keep, chuck it)

    Rinsed and ready to cook.

  2. While the fiddleheads boil, pour the chicken stock into a saucepan, bring to a boil and keep at a low simmer, lid on.
  3. In a separate, large, wide pan, heat a tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the boiled fiddleheads, season with salt and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, set aside.
  4. Heat up the last 2 tbsp of butter and gently fry the chopped onion for a few minutes until soft and translucent.
  5. Add the garlic and the rinsed quinoa and stir well for a minute until the quinoa is thoroughly coated in the butter.
  6. Add your white wine and stir to deglaze the pan.
  7. Add a ladle of your hot stock to your pan, stir until it begins to be absorbed by the quinoa. Continue adding 2 or 3 ladles of stock to the quinoa as it absorbs it, unlike rice risotto, the quinoa is forgiving and you don’t have to watch it constantly.
  8. The original recipe suggested that the risotto would be close to done in 8 minutes, mine took closer to 15-20. I started testing the tenderness at about 10 minutes and made judgements from there. Once your quinoa is close to done (almost tender) add in the fiddleheads and the peas, stir them in gently.
  9. About now you will want to start your scallops, they are quick but it is good to have both parts of the dish ready to go at once.
  10. Turn off the heat after a few minutes, you may have stock left over (I had a couple of cups worth), you can add more if you want a soupier risotto.
  11. Stir through your grated cheese, herbs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

    Grated parm and zested lemon, ready for the risotto.

    Adjust as necessary.

  12. Top with extra fiddleheads if you thought ahead for presentation purposes… I clearly didn’t. Sprinkle with chives.

Seared Scallops

Ingredients

  • 12 large scallops
  • 2 tsp butter
  • 1 tsp of olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Pat the scallops dry, salt and pepper both sides.
  2. Put the butter and oil in a large pan over high heat.
  3. When the oil begins to smoke add the scallops, placing them evenly in the pan.

    Lovely large scallops searing away.

  4. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. When you flip them, they should’ve formed a brown crust.
  5. They are done when they are slightly firm, and opaque on the ends.
    If you over cook them, they will be tough, be careful!
  6. Plop these on top of a pile of risotto.

Creamy, rich, fresh.

Creamy Herb and Tomato, Sausage Sauce

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Well this is something I have made a couple times in a couple of different ways, and I’ve tried to capture my process in recipe form. I happened to have some delicious sausage on hand and wanted to make something to top my shell pasta that wasn’t your standard sauce, so this recipe was born. It is easy, adaptable, and full of flavour.
Also, I promise I will do a lovely baking post for Sunday, because what is better on a Sunday than a delicious piece of coffee cake! In the meantime, sausage pasta sauce!

Creamy Herb and Tomato, Sausage Sauce

Ingredients

  • 6 gourmet sausages (I have made this with Rosemary Lamb and Italian Turkey sausage)
  • 6 large white mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 jar of tomato sauce or pasta sauce (pick your favourite)
  • 1/3 cup of cream
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup parmesan (I have a big chunk of it in my fridge so I just break off pieces)
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (double if you have fresh)
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano (double if fresh)
  • 1/4 tsp thyme (double if fresh)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place a large pan over medium-high heat (add a tbsp of olive oil if desired). Remove the casings from the sausages and place the meat in the pan, using your spoon to break it up. Cook the sausage until done, about 5-8 minutes. Take out your 1/3 cup of cream and allow it to come to room temperature (this will prevent it from curdling).
  2. Moving the sausage to one side of the pan, add your butter, sliced mushrooms, and garlic. Sauté the mushrooms and garlic for about 5 minutes, stir into the sausage when done.

    Mushrooms added!

  3. Pour in the pasta sauce over the meat and mushrooms. Add your spices. Pour the cream into the sauce, stirring quickly to incorporate. Top with chunks of parmesan, allowing them to melt as you stir them in. Let it simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes. In the meantime, cook your favourite pasta al dente.
  4. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  5. Serve over your favourite pasta (SHELLS!).
Also! I served this with my beer bread, to which I added 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar. Perfect!

Cheese added.