Recipes for Shepherd’s Pie often proclaim the quick and easy nature of the dish. For a St Patrick day celebration a little more than quick and easy should go into a Shepherd’s Pie. This recipe has been in our house for years and we have made a few adjustments to make the original a bit easier but it is not exactly quick, easy and inexpensive. It is simply excellent.

Ingredients:

For the filling

2 lb boneless lamb shoulder cut into ½ inch slices
4 or 5 carrots cut diagonally into 1/3 inch slices
2 turnips peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
4 leeks ( white & pale green part) cut into ½ inch slices
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup beef broth
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 ½ tablespoons softened unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Potato Topping:

2 lb baking potatoes
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Blanch onions for 1 minute then put in cold water. Drain-peel and trim
Wash leek slices in a bowl of water Change water and repeat several times
Dry lamb and season with salt and pepper
Place lamb and 3 tablespoons flour in a plastic bag-shake to coat
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet on med.high heat
Brown ½ the lamb for 8 minutes add 1 tablespoon garlic for final 2 minutes stirring
Set aside
Repeat with remaining lamb and garlic
Set aside
De-glaze skillet with white wine over high heat 1 minute
Add tomato paste stir until liquid is reduce by ½ about 4-5 minutes
Add all ingredients(lamb-vegetables-broth –water-salt& pepper)
Bring to simmer over med-high heat then remove from heat
Transfer ingredients to a baking dish and cover with foil
Place in a 350’ oven and braise for about 1 ½ to 2 hours
Stir a few times and season to taste with salt and pepper

Preparation of Potato Topping:

Peel and quarter potatoes
Place in pot and cover with cold water salted
Simmer uncovered until tender ( at least 25 minutes) Drain in colander
Bring cream, milk and butter to simmer in now empty potato pot over moderate heat
Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper
Put potatoes through a ricer into hot cream mixture- Stir to combine-cover & keep warm

Final Assembly and broil

Remove baking dish from oven- set aside uncovered
Place 1 ½ tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour in a small bowl and stir to a paste
Take about 1 cup of liquid from baking dish and bring to a boil in a small sauce pan
Add paste and whisk over heat in liquid until thickened ( 2 minutes)
Stir gently into lamb and vegetables
Spoon potatoes over lamb and vegetables and spread evenly with a fork
Place baking dish 3 inches under the broiler for about three minutes

Note—Keep an eye on the last step under the broiler. Pull the Shepherd’s Pie when the potatoes are golden

This is not the time to take a break for a Guinness. A minute too much and the
Gold on the potato topping will be gone. Enjoy the Guinness along with the complements; you will receive, about the best Shepherd’s Pie that has ever graced the table at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Other notes: Rinse the leeks really well. FYI: The paste that is combined at the end to thicken the lamb & veggies is called “beurre manie” If your Irish Crowd is like mine they really won’t care what it is called. They will be enjoying the dish and the Day.

I think the original recipe came from the, now gone,Gourmet Magazine to which we subscribed for many years.

The cucumber is somewhat amazing and not just for its nutritional benefits…

The Cucumber:

Most of the time my post includes a recipe. This time it covers 13 uses for cucumbers, most of which are not part of a recipe. This was sent to me by an old acquaintance who for some reason has a web server in the United Kingdom with an address za designation which is South Africa. Rather than forward his email, possibly from dubious origins, I’ve cut and pasted the suggestions. They are worth knowing.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day
Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber
Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower?
Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror: it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?
Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool?
Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes. The phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache?
Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body has lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, and avoiding both a hangover and headache!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge?
Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes?
Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe. Its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Need to fix a squeaky hinge?
Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don’t have time for a massage, facial or visit to the spa?
Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finished a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints?
Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath. The phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your taps, sinks or stainless steel?
Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean; not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake?
Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing. Also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!

Some interesting stuff and item number 6 is a timely tip for a number of my relatives with St. Patrick’s day a little more than a week away

A sore back put me in bed for nearly a week in which I read nearly every book in the house. My wife had several Laura Childs “Tea Shop Mysteries” which I read towards the end of my confinement. I never read Childs previously since my tea knowledge and interest has been limited to Formosa Oolong and then not too often.

Her writing has stimulated an expanded interest in tea. Not only was her description of various teas woven in the mystery cleverly but she threw in some recipes that are interesting. Chicken Perloo was one such recipe and a dish I have had in the Carolinas a number of times.

This chicken and rice dish has numerous variations but the Laura Childs Chicken Perloo version is simple and Southern to it’s core.

Laura Childs Chicken Perloo

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil
4-5 pieces chicken-skin removed
2 slices bacon cut in ¼ inch pieces(or 2 oz. diced salt pork)
1 large onion sliced
½ green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup long grain white rice
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. minced parsley

Preparation:

Step 1. Heat oil in 12” fry pan(medium high heat)
Step 2. Add chicken and cook for 8 minutes till golden (turn once) Set aside
Step 3. reduce heat to medium –cook bacon or salt pork 4 minutes till brown
Step 4. Remove and set aside discard all but 2 tsp. bacon fat
Step 5.Saute onion and green pepper for about 10 minutes
Step 6.Add rice and stir till coated
Step 7.Add bacon, broth, salt , pepper and ½ cup water
Step 8.Return chicken to skillet –heat to boiling over medium high heat
Step 9.Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 25 minutes

When serving, garnish with a few steamed green beans and the minced parsley

This recipe came from Childs “Shades of Earl Grey”. Earl Grey is not only a tea but the name of her main character’s dog in the book.

St Patrick’s day is a few weeks away so it is not too early to think about how to make the day a truly Irish Celebration. Everyone knows a little bit about this English missionary priest who went to Ireland and converted this nation of wild Irish pagans to Christianity.
The shamrock was used by St. Patrick to explain the difficult concept of the Trinity to pagan leaders.

The Irish may not be known for a delicate complicated cuisine but have some classic dishes that are appropriate dishes to be used on March 17th when it seems everyone seems to have a “bit of the Irish in them”. My grandparents immigrated from County Cork and one of the recipes that came with them was for an Irish Stew that is enjoyed at more times than simply St Patrick’s day.

Irish Stew

Ingredients:
3 pounds lamb shoulder-cubed
2 pounds Russet potatoes Generously cubed
5 medium onions quartered
3 large carrots sliced
6 stalks celery sliced
1 bunch parsley chopped
1 stalk dried thyme
2 quarts beef stock
12 ounces Stout
Salt & pepper to taste
1 ½ cups water
1 cup pearl barley

Preparation:
Cook the barley in water and 1 cup of the beef stock for 20 minutes –set aside
In a large pot
Season the lamb with salt and brown in oil- then set aside sprinkle lightly with flour
Saute onions carrots and celery with thyme for 3-4 minutes – add the stout and deglaze, then set aside- remove thyme sprig
Return lamb to the pot with the barley and enough stock to cover
Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer-cook for 1 1/2 hour
Add back the onions, carrots and celery with remaining stock
Add potatoes as the final layer of ingredients
Low Simmer till meat is tender (about 1 1/2 hours)
Check seasonings
Add parsley & cornstarch (mixed with 3 tablespoon water) and cook for several minutes to thicken.

Notes: We use Guinness Stout. I’m not sure what my Grand mother used
Make sure that you cut and dice the ingredients into sizable pieces. The long cooking would make small pieces soft and unappetizing. Some add rosemary to the herbs- your choice- not my favorite

Service: An Irish Skillet Bread goes well as does the more usual soda bread. A few bottles of the Guinness is an attractive beverage addition