Do Shepherds Really Eat This? – Episode 51
Written by Rachel, Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, This Week's Feast, Thoughts
It’s been cold here lately. I grew up in Ontario, Canada; I’ve visited Alaska in January, and Minnesota in February, so I know what cold winters are. Our winters, here in LA, are not particularly cold. But, the past two weeks have been pretty darn chilly. Yesterday morning when I was walking the dog, I slipped on some ice on the sidewalk. WHAT?!
That’s the second time I’ve slipped on ice in less than a month, in two different countries. This time I didn’t fall. I did look silly. There was someone in a car that had just pulled up to the curb right behind me. I hope he laughed. I hope it made his day. Thinking about it is making me giggle. Oh and I think I yelled “WHOA!” as I was flailing. Now I’m laughing out loud at myself.
Want to know something else that’s totally unrelated? We re-use plastic bags in our home. But, I have a confession to make: I hate washing them. Hate. Sometimes, when I think they’re too dirty, I throw them away. And it makes me happy to not have to wash one more bag.
Do I have anything else random to tell you? No. I don’t think so.
Since it’s cold, it’s the perfect weather for warm foods like soups, stews, and Shepherd’s Pie. Husband really loves Shepherd’s Pie. I do too. (Good that we both like it. It’s a bummer when one person hates the dinner and the other is gobbling it down while making yum yum noises.) I love that it’s easy to tweak – it’s a whatever veggies you have on hand kinda meal. You really could do a lot with it. I keep it kinda traditional, in that it has the ground beef and veggies layer, topped with mashed potatoes, and then sprinkled with cheese. But, if you wanted to, you could do polenta instead of potatoes, shredded chicken instead of ground beef, BBQ sauce instead of the balsamic sauce, corn and collard greens for the veggies… Hey! I think I like that idea. With some cheddar biscuits on the side!? I’m gonna make this sometime!
Anyhoo, my point is that it’s a pretty versatile dish. You can swap out veggies that your family prefers, or that you have on hand. I based this particular recipe on what came in our Abundant Harvest Organics box. That’s why I used Korean daikon radish, mustard greens, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and broccoli raab.
Does anyone else pronounce it “broccoli rob”? No? Just me. OK.
This meal re-heats really well too. After dinner, portion out some single servings into containers and refrigerate or freeze them. If you have any salad left (um, make a huge salad so you do!), do the same… maybe don’t freeze it though… Then check “make lunch” off of tomorrow’s to do list. I did this last night and I’m eating the leftovers right now, as I type.
I used leftover mashed potatoes, from last week, that I’d frozen. I didn’t show you how to make them on this episode. If you don’t know how, this older episode will show you. Speaking of past episodes, did you watch last week’s? It has bloopers.
Shepherd’s Pie with Mustard Greens
Last modified on 2014-04-18 00:14:16 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1-2 T olive oil
- 1 1/2 C broccoli raab, chopped
- 3/4 C Korean daikon radish, diced or chopped
- 3 mustard green leaves, chopped
- 2 carrots (1 C), chopped
- 1 C cabbage, chopped
- 4-5 cloves roasted garlic*, mashed
- 1/2 t chili powder
- pinch cayenne
- pinch cumin
- pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 t smoked paprika (plus more for topping)
- 1 t salt
- 1/4 t pepper
- 1 T balsamic vinegar
- 1 T cornstarch
- 1 t dijon mustard
- 1 to 1 1/4 C water
- 4-5 C mashed potatoes (I use leftovers)
- 1/2 to 1 C cheese, grated (creamy jack and cheddar)
- Pre-heat oven to 350F. In an ovenproof skillet, cook beef. Drain (wipe out pan, if desired) and set aside. Add olive oil to skillet and let it get hot. Add all veggies and seasonings except mustard greens and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
- Whisk cornstarch with water, dijon, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Pour over veggies. Stir in beef and mustard greens, and cook for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. If the liquid evaporates too much, add more water.
- Remove from heat. Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed. Spread the meat and veggies evenly in the pan (if you weren’t cooking in an oven safe skillet, now’s the time to transfer to a greased, ovenproof dish.) Cover meat mixture with mashed potatoes. Top with cheese and sprinkle with smoked paprika.
- Bake at 350F until the potatoes are hot (165F) and cheese is melted. With fresh, hot mashed potatoes, it should only be 10-15 minutes. With cold potatoes, it could be about 30-40 minutes (at least it was for me!).
If you are like me, you like to make lists. If you aren’t, you don’t. We can still be friends. And, since we’re friends, I’ll share one of my many lists with you. When I find out what will be included in the upcoming AHO box, I usually make a list of things that I could make with the contents. Here are some ideas using this week’s box. Enjoy!
Happy Eating!
Menu Ideas Jan 14-20, 2013
Last modified on 2013-01-17 22:51:42 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
(Bolded items are things that are on our menu this week.)
Oranges - Smoothies, Salads, Orange Chicken, eat them RAW!!
Broccoli Raab -Â Shepherd’s Pie, Roasted Broccoli and Garlic Pizza
Endive -Â Salad, Wilted Greens
Korean Daikon Radish - Radish Cakes, Shepherd’s Pie, Fish Tacos, Radish Salad
Mustard Green Mix -Â Shepherd’s Pie, Pesto Pasta, Wilted Greens
Potatoes -Â Shepherd’s Pie, Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potato Soup, Borscht
Romaine -Â Salad, Fajitas, Grilled Romaine Salad
Cabbage - Shepherd’s Pie, Au Gratin, Vegetable Soup, Coleslaw, Sauerkraut, Fish Tacos, Coconut Curry with Lentils, Veggie Bread Ring, Borscht
Dill – Borscht, Fish Tacos
Fennel -Â Coleslaw
Winter Squash - Butternut Squash Soup, Roasted Vegetable Soup
Mandarin Oranges - Smoothies, Salads, Orange Chicken, Raw
Carrots - Shepherd’s Pie, Au Gratin Cabbage, Tomato Sauce, Roasted Vegetable Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, Carrot Cake Pancakes, Coleslaw, Fish Tacos, Fajitas
Spinach -Â Smoothies, Pesto Pasta, Wilted Greens
This episode is sponsored by: Abundant Harvest Organics, Bari Olive Oil Company, Waterfall Creative, Molly Jenson. Thanks, sponsors!
OK, so I can unfortunately relate to your comment about two people not liking the same dish when it comes to Shepherd’s Pie. I have always loved it and Rick…well I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t love it. 🙁 But, I may just have to give it a whirl again since it’s been many years and i like to tell myself I’m a better cook now. 🙂 Also, I LOVE the list idea! I had never thought of approaching my box that way. Fish tacos made it onto our meal plan for the week as well! And though I am not by nature a list person, I am glad we can still be friends. 🙂
You are an amazing cook, Christy! I honestly can’t imagine you ever not being one, seriously! 🙂 Glad you like the list. Thanks for letting me know. That’s the format I’m going to use from now on, I think. 🙂 And, I too am very glad we’re friends!