Gardener's Shepherd's Pie

I don't remember if I've ever written about it here, but I was vegetarian before my exchange year in Japan. Most Westerners found it unbelievable, that it is actually quite difficult to follow a vegetarian diet in Japan (at least it was back then). Most of the main dishes at the uni canteen included at least some meat despite the name having suggested otherwise (like vegetable curry: it had lots of vegetables, sure, but then I discovered small pork bits (probably about 10 g per portion). First I found it very annoying that they would put that small amount of meat to "ruin" the otherwise vegetarian dish but then my thinking shifted to another direction. I found that it was actually a very smart thing to do: by adding just a little amount of meat to spice up the dish you get the flavour of the meat there but still manage to keep your meat consumption very low.

I was never strict with my vegetarian diet as my philosophy then (and now) is not to be too strict with diets. Since strict diets are not good for my mental health, I had made a promise with myself that I will not eat meat unless I want it. (It was mainly always so that if I had a choice, I didn't want to eat meat.) I avoided meat mostly for the sake of environment. That's why I ate those meat dishes in Japan. If it was already on my plate, it would have been worse for the environment to not eat it. Now I'm not vegetarian anymore but I still don't eat meat a lot. My diet has shifted naturally towards eating more vegetables. I eat meat probably once or twice a week and mostly quite small portions even then.

This dish was inspired by the Japanese way of making meat dishes: the meat is here only one ingredient or a "spice" to enhance the umami flavour. It includes also brown beans and anchovies in order to enhance the deep meaty flavour while the amount of meat has been drastically decreased. No one would ever believe that this recipe has only 25 g meat per person once they've seen and tasted it. (Nowadays there are also vegetarian substitutes for meat so you could use those too. But if you don't have access to those, this dish is great if you want to decrease your meat consumption.)

P.S. In the current situation this dish is very handy if you skip the meat: you can make it mostly from cupboard ingredients. Use instant potato mash powder, canned foods and root vegetables that have a long shelf-life.

Gardener's Shepherd's Pie
Author: Tuulia / Kitchenfoxtales     Preparation Time: 20 min     Cooking time: 25+25 min
Servings: 4     Calories per serving*: 410 kcal

Shepherd's Pie with a gardener's twist: substitute beans for some meat. No one will believe that there is only 25 g meat per person!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 onions
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 100 g ground beef or pork
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 can anchovies
• 200 ml beef broth (or 1/2 bouillon cube + 200 ml water)
• thyme (dried or fresh)
• 1 can (260 g) brown beans
• 100-200 ml frozen green peas
• pepper
• ~1 kg floury potatoes
• 100-200 ml milk
• 1-2 Tbsp butter
• salt

Instructions:

1. Start by making mashed potatoes: peel the potatoes and place in boiling water. Leave to cook for 25-30 mins or until done.
2. Meanwhile make the sauce: saute the ground meat. Dice the onions finely and saute in oil. Combine the meat, onions, tomato paste, finely diced anchovies, thyme and beef broth. Stir even and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water if the sauce is too dry. Add the beans and let simmer for at least 5 minutes. Season with pepper and salt if needed.
3. Once the potatoes are done, pour the water away and mash the potatoes. Add milk and butter and stir even. Season with salt.
4. Pour the sauce to an oven dish and spread the mashed potatoes on top. Bake in 200 C for 25 minutes or until the sauce starts bubbling to the top (if you are using leftover (fridge-cold) potato mash, you might need to bake it longer). You can gratinate the top under the grill if the surface didn't get enough colour.

*Nutritional information is based on average values and is a rough estimate.

Puutarhurin paimenenpaistos
Tekijä: Tuulia / Kitchenfoxtales     Valmisteluaika: 20 min    Kypsennysaika: 25+25 min
Annokset: 4    Energiasisältö per annos*: 410 kcal

Paimenenpaistos puutarhurin twistillä: lihan määrää on vähennetty ja se on korvattu pavuilla. Kukaan ei uskoisi, että reseptiin on käytetty vain 25 g jauhelihaa per henkilö.

Ainekset:

• 1-2 sipulia
• 1 rkl ruokaöljyä
• 100 g jauhelihaa
• 2 rkl tomaattipureeta
• 1/2 tlk anjovisfileitä (tai sardelleja)
• 2 dl lihalientä (tai 1/2 lihaliemikuutiota + 2 dl vettä)
• timjamia
• 260 g (1 tlk) ruskeita papuja
• 1-2 dl pakasteherneitä
• pippuria
• n. 1 kg jauhoisia perunoita
• 1-2 dl maitoa
• 1-2 rkl voita
• suolaa

Valmistusohjeet:

1. Aloita muusin tekemisestä: kuori perunat ja laita ne kiehumaan suolaveteen.
2. Sillä välin, kun perunat kypsyvät, tee kastike: Ruskista jauheliha. Hienonna sipulit ja ja kuullota ne öljyssä. Yhdistä jauheliha, sipuli, tomaattipuree, hienonnetut anjovikset, timjami ja lihaliemi. Sekoita tasaiseksi ja anna kiehahtaa. Lisää hieman vettä, jos seos on kuivaa. Keitä miedolla lämmöllä ainakin 10 min. Lisää huuhdotut pavut ja keitä vielä ainakin 5 min. Mausta pippurilla ja lisää tarvittaessa suolaa.
3. Kun perunat ovat kypsiä, muussaa ne ja sekoita joukkoon maito ja voi. Mausta suolalla.
4. Kaada kastike uunivuokaan ja levitä muusi päälle. Paista 200-asteisessa uunissa n. 25 min tai kunnes kastike hieman kuplii muusin alta. (Jos käytät aiemmin tekemääsi (jääkaappikylmää) muusia, paistoaika on todennäköisesti hieman pidempi). Halutessasi voit gratinoida muusin pintaa vielä hetken esim. grillivastusten alla, jos se muuten ei paistunut kullanruskeaksi.

*Energiasisältö perustuu keskimääräisiin arvoihin.

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