Curried Shepherd's Pie

4 -5 medium sized potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 pound ground beef or turkey
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons hot Madras curry powder
2 teaspoons ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 pound frozen vegetables, thawed (we like the fiesta style mix which includes broccoli, carrots, kidney beans, white beans, garbanzo beans, Italian green beans and red pepper.)
butter or margarine
salt & pepper

Put unpeeled potatoes in a pot of water and bring to a boil, cook approximately 25 minutes until tender. Rinse with cold water. Peel and then mash with butter or margarine add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender and brown, about 7 minutes. Add the meat and cook until just browned. Add garlic, curry powder, tumeric and hot pepper flakes and cook until fragrant approximately 2 minutes.

Stir in the veggies. Put the meat and veggie mix into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Enjoy!!


Note: I cook my potatoes unpeeled and peel them later. This prevents the potatoes from absorbing too much water and makes for fluffier mashed potatoes.

Cioppino...my version

1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with added puree
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups bottled clam juice
2 cup dry white wine
2 28-ounce cans baby or chopped clams, drained, liquid reserved
1 pound uncooked salad shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 pound crabmeat
1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
1-2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender and brown, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and fennel seeds and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes with added puree, peeled tomatoes including the juice, clam juice, white wine and liquid reserved from clams. Increase heat and boil until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Add clams, shrimp and crabmeat. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Mix in fresh basil and simmer until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 2 minutes longer. Season stew to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper.

Serve this with a nice warmed Chicago hard roll.

Enjoy!!

Hearty Beef Curry

This beef curry is one of my all time favorites as it’s easy to make, has gorgeous flavor and freezes beautifully, who could ask for more!  I love serving this over Jasmine rice or Cauli-Rice. 

First gather all your ingredients (not pictured are the raisins.)

Hearty Beef Curry

• 3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 12 whole cloves
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 13.5 oz. can coconut milk, or lite coconut milk 
• 1/2 cup milk, skim, 1%, 2% or whole
• 6 plum tomatoes, cut into 8ths
• 1/3 cup raisins, regular or golden raisins
• 5 tablespoons Major Grey chutney
• 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• salt & pepper
  

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches, add beef to pot and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a plate.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until tender and brown, about 7 minutes.

Return the beef to the pot. Add cloves, garlic, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and dried red pepper to pot; stir 1 minute.

Stir in coconut milk, milk, tomatoes, raisins, chutney, lemon juice, ginger, curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours or place covered in a 350F oven for two hours and then follow directions below.

Uncover and increase heat to medium. Boil stew until juices are slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. I serve this over jasmine rice or Cauli-Rice.

Enjoy!!